Abandon Ship!: The True World War II Story about the Sinking of the Laconia
(True Survival)

A gripping wartime story that probes moral uncertainties. 

In contrast to the usual run of shipwreck tales built around the simple theme of "heroic survival against the odds," this account depicts the 1942 torpedoing of the British liner Laconia as a realistically messy mix of confusion, desperation, altruism, cruelty, and extreme hardship.... Focusing on a handful of eyewitnesses who left records of their experiences, the authors tell their grim, brutal tale in matter-of-fact tones, then, close with notes on the subsequent lives of significant involved figures.

Tougias and O'Leary (Attacked at Sea) recount the 1942 sinking of the Laconia in this pulse-pounding work. Divided into five rapidly paced chronological parts described in cinematic detail, the creators outline the ship's origins, its destruction, and the fates of the shipwrecked passengers. Chapter one, "The Voyage," briefly explains how the British ship had been a luxury ocean liner that transported people from Liverpool to New York City, until it was commandeered as a war vessel at the start of WWII, during which it was integral in ferrying civilians and troops on and off battlefields. In 1942, the ship set sail for England loaded with passengers fleeing war-torn Cairo. A few weeks into this voyage, the creators note in a chapter titled "Torpedoes in the Night," the Laconia was attacked by a German U-boat. After learning that the ship had women, children, and Italian POWs on board, the U-boat commander embarked on an unprecedented rescue attempt. Through viscerally told accountings, including stories of passengers spending several days awaiting rescue aboard lifeboats, the authors deliver a fascinating tale of human perseverance and morality that explores the "most unusual actions in all of World War II," as stated by the creators in an introduction. Ages 9-14. (Feb.) ■

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