The Watch That Ends the Night (CD Audiobook) - 9781469298023

More than two thousand men, women, and children are on board. Here on the first-class promenade is millionaire John Jacob Astor, who hopes his return from Egypt with his pregnant teen bride will invite a minimum of media attention. And here, in the third-class common room, a beautiful Lebanese refugee, on her way to family in Florida, discovers first love. And there in the distance, shrouded in darkness, an ancient iceberg lies patient, awaiting its encounter. The voices in this wholly unique re-creation of the Titanic disaster span classes and stations, from Margaret (“the unsinkable Molly”) Brown to Captain E.J. Smith, who went down with his ship; from the lookout and wireless men to a young boy in search of dragons and a gambler in search of fools with money to lose. Slipping in telegraphs, undertaker’s reports, and other historic records, poet Allan Wolf offers a breathtaking, intimate glimpse into the lives of two dozen passengers and crew, told with astounding emotional power.Advance Praise “How do you tell a dramatic story when you know that everyone already knows the ending? Allan Wolf has combined meticulous research with open-hearted poetry to craft the story of the Titanic in a fresh and compelling way. A remarkable accomplishment.” - Helen Frost, author of Crossing Stones and Hidden “Allan Wolf has imagined his way deep into the cold, dark waters of history and has come back carrying a couple of dozen voices that he discovered there, voices whose authenticity is not only convincing but compelling. With the publication of this fine book, we know at last - and we know as well as sisters and brothers - some of the people who went down with the Titanic.” - Ted Kooser, former U.S. Poet Laureate and winner of the Pulitzer Prize