The Watch that Ends the Night: Voices from the Titanic by Allan Wolf
Do I think adolescents will read this book? Yes. Why? Because they already know the ending. They have most likely already watched the movie Titanic, so they can visually see the boat, the people, and the tragic end. Okay, so you may ask, why would they read it then if they already know the ending? Because Wolf brings new life to the tale. Youth will have the prior knowledge of the Titanic's story, but they will see and feel the story through Wolf's creative writing style.
Adolescents will enjoy the stories format as each page or two is dedicated to a character's journey. It would be particularly good for youth who struggle with reading as the words per-page are not overwhelming, but do not allow that to deceive you. The words, structure, and dashes used by Wolf make the reader feel like they are reading a diary entry. They read entries from the baker, the violinist, the gambler, the rats, the iceberg, the undertaker, and so many more. At first, I felt all the characters in the novel maybe overwhelming, but Wolf clearly has a talent for making them all memorable. Wolf poetically and simplistically created characters, some historically based and others fiction, that reminds humanity of our common bonds: hope, change, survival, and loss.
