Mum's Monday: Molly Brown Unravelling the Myth by Kristen Iversen

I like how at the start it is explained in the ‘Foreword’ that the name Molly was an unofficial change of name from her rightful name Margaret or Maggie when she was a child.

This book also starts off with Margaret arriving aboard and travelling on the Titanic. I know that the thought of the day that no other ship had been built like the Titanic but her sister ship the Olympic was a pretty close match. So overall, to me, the Titanic wasn’t as unique as they thought. Sadly, in light of the events on her maiden voyage her uniqueness comes from the iconic legacy the ship leaves behind.

Although this is a biographical account of the ‘Unsinkable Molly Brown’ on the Titanic the description of life aboard and the people on board is brilliantly done and the detail is much more informative than anything I have read or seen before about the Titanic.

The noise coming from the Titanic whilst the ship was sinking was really well described, I could picture all the items listed and I get the sense that the noise would have clearly been loud/deafening to hear. Again as in the nature of this book the description of time spent in the life boat is described really well. This continues to be a very informative book.

It is amazing to read how much help Margaret, being chair of the committee, was able to secure and distribute. I also love that the crew and captain of the Capathia was recognised in the way that they were. We hear, or I have heard about the Capathia docking in New York and the inquiry but it is now lovely to hear off all that happened in New York I never really knew as much of before.

I didn’t realise that things on land were changing back in the age when the Titanic sank, that women wanted equal rights with men, yet on the ocean, on Titanic it was still ‘Women and children first’ into the lifeboats. Things have certainly changed since. A lot was learnt from the Titanic disaster.  

Although tragic and we know how it is was so bad as to how many survived compared to how many perished. It is interesting and good to read that Margaret spoke the truth. However painful it is to relate and to read.

Sadly, it seems even the Titanic disaster is not immune from deception. One person after the disaster allegedly just disappeared having not even been on the Titanic at all.

I can see why the story of Margaret Brown was sensationalised, yes, she did an excellent job in helping the survivors and people have been known to like a ‘Hero’ story.

It is interesting to read about all the historical events surrounding when Margaret was born and was growing up. It is amusing to read about why women were employed to work at the phone exchange. Although I don’t actually condone violence. 

One of the things to remember whilst reading this book that it is clearly and very well explained that not everything written in this book or elsewhere is to be believed,

This book certainly shows that there is so much more to Margaret Brown than just travelling on the Titanic with all her charitable work, it is lovely to read of how nice and determined she was to make a difference in the world. 

Whilst reading this book I cannot help thinking that if it wasn’t for the fact the Margaret Brown was on the Titanic and how in her character she made the impressions she did, we would never have heard or even known about her and all the good she did. It is sad to think it took a disaster to discover such a great influential woman. You could say a ‘Force of nature’ in more ways than one.

The part covering Margaret’s death is very quick and there is no warning when you start reading the paragraph, in fact I had to read it twice to make sure I had read it right.

This is an interesting eye-opening book to read.