When Gordon Lightfoot passed away recently, I renewed my curiosity as to what exactly caused the Edmund Fitzgerald to sink. Like others before him, Schumacher cannot definitively answer the question, but I appreciated his balanced approach. I also liked the rich portraits of the captain and crew, and the coverage of the other captains on the water that night who tried as best they could do help. This is a well-balanced approach to the story, told with sensitivity to the families of the victims.

A concise look at the Edmund Fitzgerald disaster. The author details other shipwrecks on Lake Superior to provide context. After many investigations, researchers still aren’t sure what precisely happened to the huge ship, but it’s fate wasn’t altered. The book did reveal before it disappeared, the captain said he has a list abs was taking on water. I hadn’t known about the list. The one thing missing from the book were photographs which would have enhanced the story.

Having spent some vacation time in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, it was hard to not think about the Great Lakes and what they represent. I like to pick up a book or two on vacation, so it was kind of a no-brainer to grab a book about the region's most infamous disaster while I was there. Not knowing more than was outlined in the famous Gordon Lightfoot song, I found a lot to like here and tons of new information. It feels like Schumacher did a great job of presenting all of the various theories and hypotheses without leaning too heavily in any one direction, underscoring why this particular wreck continues to confound and linger in the popular imagination.

A great read on the history and mystery behind this wreck.

Very interesting book. I especially enjoyed learning about all the different theories and the political/legal/interpersonal conflicts that came up in the wake of this tragedy. I had never considered that aspect of it before, and Schumacher did a great job of summarizing all the different viewpoints.

A thorough and fascinating read about the great lakes most famous shipwreck. A shipwreck I'd heard of many times in my years, but never known any more about than just the name of it and that, with it happening in 1975, being a modern mystery. I randomly came across this book at work, while looking for a different book about Michigan, and the timing of it just seemed right so I grabbed it and gave it a shot. I learned an awful lot about what happened, what is still speculated to have happened, and so much more. Living in northern Indiana, I know full well how evil and nasty the weather can turn, especially in the winter, but to read the horrors of so many massive storms that pass over the lakes and the havoc they wreak...what we experience where I live pales in comparison. The storm detailed in this book, that took down such a massive ship with such apparent ease, harkens to almost biblical/apocalyptic proportions, and deserves to be viewed in awe by anyone who reads about it.

I enjoyed this book enough that I have since set about trying to track down a DVD documentary about the ship and it's demise to buy for my work, and I've also interlibrary loaned a different book by the same author about what is considered the most massive and destructive storm to ever make its way across the great lakes, and I look forward to its arrival and learning more about the awe-inspiring and violent history of the great lakes region that I reside in.

Like many others, the story of the Edmund Fitzgerald has captured my attention ever since I first heard Gordon Lightfoot's song, so I was really excited to finally learn more about it. It took me a long time to get through this book but that's because of other conflicts, not because the book was bad. Schumacher provides a great amount of detail in a relatively short book, but it doesn't feel like you're reading dry non-fiction because he does a great job of connecting you to the crew and others affected by this tragedy.

Excellent Read

Rich with details about the people working on the Fitz as well as the ore mining and transportation through the Great Lakes. An excellent read.

Well researched and thorough account of the crew, sinking, and aftermath of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Dense but not a slog; factual, but not boring.

Loved that there was a book on such a small topic. There is much more to the story. Pretty good, and comprehensive, but a little redundant in parts.

Well written

I really enjoyed this book. Being from Minnesota I had always heard of this but no details,more from the song. The book really takes back to that time, to the storm. May the members of those families find some peace .

Easily the most balanced book I've read on the subject.

I really enjoyed the background of the ship and key crew members from the commissioning of the Edmund Fitzgerald up to its final voyage.

The radio calls between ships in the area; the decision of several ships' captains to try to head out into the storm to try to find the Fitz; the Coast Guard's inadequate means to quickly mount a meaningful search; the various investigations; and the motivations of those who mounted expeditions to the wreck are all covered herein.