Escaping Titanic: A Young Girl's True Story of Survival by Marybeth Lorbiecki

Escaping Titanic is a fictional account of Ruth Becker's experience aboard the Titanic in 1912. Becker was twelve-years-old when she boarded the luxury ocean liner with her mother and her younger brothers Luther and Richard and her younger sister Marion.

Ruth's parents were Americans who had moved to India, shortly after their marriage in 1898 to work as missionaries.  Ruth was born a year later in Guntur, Andhra Pradhesh. Her younger brother Richard became ill and their parents were advised to take him to America for further treatment. So while Ruth's father remained in India, her mother, Ruth and her siblings made the journey to the United States. To cross the Atlantic,they booked second class tickets on the maiden voyage of the Titanic. They boarded the oceanliner at Southampton, despite Ruth's mother's misgivings about the ship.

At first the voyage went well, with Ruth spending time exploring the new ship with all its beautiful furnishings and trappings.However, on the night of sinking, Ruth, her siblings and her mother found their way to the deck of the Titanic. Initially, Richard, Luther and Marion were placed in lifeboat 11 without Mrs. Becker, who insisted she join them. Because it was so cold, her mother sent Ruth back down below to retrieve blankets. When Ruth returned to the deck her mother's lifeboat was now full. Ruth managed to get placed into lifeboat 13. Both lifeboats were safely lowered into the ocean where they watched the breakup and sinking of the unsinkable Titanic. Eventually Ruth and her family were rescued by the RMS Carpathia and reunited. It was an experience that would remain locked within Ruth for decades before she would find the courage to relate what had happened to her.

Discussion

Escaping Titanic tells Ruth's dramatic story in picture book format for younger readers. Lorbiecki provides some interesting details about Ruth's experience on the Titanic, including that her mother was concerned about the safety of the ship. In an Afterword, the author provides some history of Ruth's life after the Titanic disaster. It was amazing that Ruth's three children were unaware that she was a survivor of the sinking until the early 1980's. It was an experience she never spoke about until the 70th anniversary of the sinking in 1982.

The illustrations in the book were created digitally by well-known illustrator Kory S. Heinzen who is a Visual Development Artist at PDI/Dreamworks. Some of the artwork, especially those illustrations  featuring the Titanic on the water and the sinking, capture the vast expansiveness and beauty of the ocean, but also the terror and horror of the sinking.  However, the artwork portraying Ruth and her family is unappealing. Faces look garish with exaggerated facial expressions - a quality common to animated film. Of course, this may appeal to younger readers who aren't familiar with the more traditional artwork that is often found in picture books and who are used to modern animation.

Nevertheless, Escaping Titanic is a well written account of the Ruth Becker's experience on the Titanic. Ruth and her family were fortunate to survive one of the most famous and deadly maritime disasters. The author includes a timeline and also a suggestion for internet resources to further explore the Titanic sinking.
   
Book Details:

Escaping Titanic: A Young Girl's True Story of Survival by Marybeth Lorbiecki
North Mankato, MN: Picture Window Books     2012
32 pp.