I wouldn't have expected a century old telling of arguably the most famous disaster in history to have held up so well, but Beesley's account was well written, well paced, and shockingly objective, considering it was published mere months after the sinking. He gives a clear accounting of his experience, clearly represents when he is extrapolating, and presses the reader to remember that many opinions of that night are colored by our knowledge that the Titanic did sink - something that was unfathomable to many of the survivors even as she went under. He also breaks down, wonderfully, the multi-levels of failure that led to the sinking and how the responsible governments and businesses must change their policies to keep such disasters from happening again.