Brad Matsen
Twelve (2008)
ISBN 9780446582056
Reviewed by Sally Gorsuch for RebeccasReads.com (3/09)

Along with the vast majority of the public, I had assumed that the story of the Titanic I knew was the truth.  Although we are all familiar with Hollywood taking artistic license when making an entertaining movie based on true stories, the abundance of stories telling the same fate seemed to be the truth.  That the Titanic did not sink because of a cruel twist of fate, rising high into the sky before it’s last plunge was an idea I had not heard before.

Mr. Matsen tells us about all the people who were involved with finding out what they consider to be the real truth about the sinking and how they came to their conclusions in easy terms that keep you reading.  Too often when someone is trying to get their point across you get all the technical jargon and their personal observations that usually end up confusing and not interesting.  In the beginning it was a little confusing, quickly switching back and forth between the current major parties involved, but when it became more about the people in the past, what they thought and why, it became even more engrossing.  I have come away from this book feeling sad for the primary players from the past that created that wonderful boat.  They were concerned more with passengers comfort that speed, they used the guidelines of the day, and I don’t think anyone purposely endangered the structure of the ship purely for profit.  The decisions made to cut back the metal in order to save on how much coal would be used, was not done in malice.  The ship was still up to standards.  In fact, improvements were made to Titanic based on slight flaws found in her sister ship that could easily have been overlooked.  I also appreciated the fact that Mr. Matsen did not dwell too much on the deaths and gotten maudlin.  He had a quest, presented the facts and made a very interesting conclusion.   Even the best of intentions can go wrong without someone specific being a bad person or negligent. 

This book is engaging, honest and amazing.  To find out what that we believed about one of the most famous tragedies in history is wrong is startling.  Mr. Matsen tells the story in such a way that you want to know more, and he does not look to place blame unnecessarily just for a convenient conclusion.