Capsized!: The Forgotten Story of the SS Eastland Disaster

Gr 5–8—When the SS Eastland capsized in the Chicago River on July 24, 1915, 844 people lost their lives. A higher number of passengers died than those killed in the sinking of the Titanic and this tragedy is still the largest loss of life on the Great Lakes. Sutton takes readers through a detailed time line that follows several of the people who were onboard that day. The book has a large cast of characters; fortunately, there is a list at the beginning to assist readers. Not all of those profiled survived, but the text handles the deaths with a matter-of-fact grace. The information is presented in a factual manner, diffusing some of the feelings of horror that might be associated with the tragedy. Filled with photographs, documents, and diagrams, this title is a very thorough account of the disaster, and all of the dialogue is from reliable sources.