Oak Lawn Library Chooses ‘Dead Wake’ For One Book Selection

OAK LAWN, IL -- Oak Lawn readers can come together as one by reading the same book this fall. The Oak Lawn Public Library has selected Erik Larson’s best seller Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania. Copies of “Dead Wake” are available from the library, including print, large print eBook or audiobook. Patrons may also request copies via print, large print, eBook or audiobook. Patrons reserve copies on the library website or stop by the displays near the adult services desk and customer services desk. The Oak Lawn Public Library is located at 9427 S. Raymond Ave.

Larson the author of the 2003 best seller The Devil In The White City: A Saga of Magic and Murder at the Fair that Changed America based on real characters and events of the 1893 World Columbian Exposition in Chicago including the architect and urban planner Daniel Burnham and the first serial killer of record, H.H. Holmes. Larson turns his attention to the sinking of the Lusitania that drew the United States into World War I, weaving history with the dramatic effect of a novel.

“Dead Wake” was chosen to coincide with the Oak Lawn Library Local History’s current exhibit from the National Archives on World War I. The exhibit includes numerous photographs and World War I artifacts that tell the story of the American experience in Europe. For a community perspective, the exhibits shares the personal stories of soldiers from Oak Lawn who fought in the war. (SUBSCRIBE: Get Real-Time Alerts and a Daily Newsletter for Oak Lawn.)

“Most people don’t realize the huge impact World War I had on our country,” Local History Manager Kevin Korst said. “The exhibit helps tell the story, but Larson’s book explores how the U.S. entered the Great War by setting the stage for the Lusitania disaster.”

"Dead Wake" tells the stories of the notable people such as President Woodrow Wilson, William Thomas Turner, captain of the ship; Walther Schwieger, the German U-boat captain; and such Lusitania passengers as Theodate Pope, one of the first female architects, and Charles Lauriat, a Boston bookseller.

“'Dead Wake' reads like a mystery, but the story is anything but fiction,” said Korst. “No matter what genre of book you enjoy, this one has something for everyone.”

In addition to the book discussions on Wednesday, Oct. 10, at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m., the library has created programing to place the Lusitania tragedy in the context of the era to enhance the experience of being part of a community read. Programs include a bus trip to Cantigny Park in Wheaton (Sept. 16); HFK Performers (Sept. 20); film screenings, readings and reenactments (Sept. 27 and Oct. 4;) and a finale dinner (Oct. 13), featuring a World War I presentation by Clarence Goodman, local historian and character actor. Program details can be found in the One Book, One Oak Lawn guide will be available after Sept. 1 at the library, or in the library’s newsletter, which was mailed to households in mid-August.

Library Director Jim Deiters hopes as many people as possible read the book, share their thoughts and discuss the issues that make people human.

“Readers benefit from a two-fold experience; they get the solitary joys of reading alone and the added joys of feedback from others,” said Deiters. “Think of communal experiences like going to a movie or listening to a concert. People love to share what is going on in their lives, and we love to catch-up on those happenings.”

Local History Manager Kevin Korst Discusses World War I Exhibit