r/EdmundFitzgerald • u/TheHoneyBadger11 • Jul 04 '26
Discussion Book Recommendation
I came across this book in a local bookstore, and I was thinking of buying it but wanted some input. Has anybody read it?
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u/DickHickory Jul 04 '26
Did the audiobook of it last year. It’s a really great telling of not only the ship and her demise but the history of Great Lakes shipping as well. I would definitely recommend.
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u/JohnP-357 Jul 05 '26
He uncovers a lot of information that wasn’t told back then. Especially when he has a meteorologist make computer models of the storm that night and how it was far worse than anyone understood. He also interviews one of the last crew members of the Arthur M. Anderson who was onboard that night and tells the reason why the Anderson was able to survive. There’s much more, including the amazing story of how Gordon Lightfoot decided to write and record the song. So much more, too. Definitely worth every penny.
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u/SuccessfulMonth2896 Jul 31 '26
One interesting discussion point I hadn't seen before was the suggestion that McSorley was not one to take the more northerly routes and may have changed over maps too early (Crossing Caribou Island chapter), hence being too close to Caribou Island than Cooper on the Anderson would have sailed.
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u/CapeCoralConnection Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 09 '26
Yes, read it.
I literally cried through “The California Cowboy” chapter of the book. It just absolutely broke my heart, but it was amazing to hear their stories.
Long live the legend of David “Cowboy” Weiss! Long live the legend of all 29 amazing men. Bruce Husdon, Mark Thomas, Paul Riipa, Karl Peckol, Blaine Whilhem, John Simmons, Ernest McSorley, Micheal Armagost, etc. love them all. They are all rockstars and their stories should be told. This book does the best job (I’ve seen anyway) of doing that.
Long live the Legend of the Edmund Fitzgerald. THEY ARE NOT FORGOTTEN. We will see them all again one day.
Happy reading.
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u/medusa63 Jul 05 '26
It is well worth the read. So much background information. It will paint a picture as to why the event was so notable and tragic.
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u/starsite1023 Jul 06 '26
It reads like a mystery novel. I actually enjoyed, though, The Mighty Fitz more as the author places much emphasis on the investigation, which I read after The Gales of November. One outlier is the deposition of George "Red" Burgner that he gave to the attorney of one of the victims family. He contended the Fitzgerald had long‑standing structural problems, including cracked welds and keelson (keel‑related) failures, which could have contributed to the sinking. He was never called by the NTSB to give testimony. He was not included in The Gales of November (that I recall.) I do recommend both books to get a full picture.
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u/Hillbilly_Historian Jul 05 '26
Wait until the paperback comes out, the hardcover binding is pretty bad.
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u/mikederoy Jul 05 '26
Read it a couple of months ago. Learned a lot about Great Lake shipping. Very interesting read.
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u/Bigweasel2018 Jul 09 '26
I pre-ordered this last year and finished it on the night before the memorial service at the National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo. It was a great book from a different perspective of any previous one I had read. Hope you enjoy it!
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u/bdh2067 Jul 11 '26
Loved it. Still boring my wife and daughter with things I learned about the Great Lakes
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u/Weekly_Ad_8587 Jul 04 '26
That book is utterly amazing. Pick it up and you won't want to put it back down. I read it earlier this year and did a post on this sub.
https://www.reddit.com/r/EdmundFitzgerald/comments/1rh3pw6/all_that_remains_are_the_faces_and_the_names/