Voyage of the Great Titanic  
Diary of Margaret Ann Brady   by Ellen Emerson White

R.M.S. Titanic 1912

Posted Aboard R.M.S. Titanic  What does R. M. S. mean?

Discovery Channel- Live From Titanic

Titanic- Raising a Legend

Titanic Historical Society

Britannica Online- Titanic

The story of the Titanic is true.   Everyone knows the basic story backwards and forwards.  Ellen Emerson White researched and created fiction based on the real story and facts. 

The following are quotes from Ellen Emerson White in an interview posted on the Scholastic Book website:

Ellen Emerson White:
I was particularly surprised to find out that the ship was on fire before it even left Southampton. Apparently it was burning out of control in one of the boiler-rooms and was not put out until the third or fourth day of the voyage. The huge amount of coal that was burned made the ship list slightly to one side, and the intense heat may have weakened the metal supporting walls of that area to the degree that they were unable to withstand the water pressure from the crash later on. I was also surprised to find out that so many passengers brought their dogs along on the journey. At least two of the dogs even survived the disaster!

The first-class passengers on the Titanic were genuinely the true celebrities of the times-famous solely for being rich, as opposed to being lauded for any sort of personal achievements. They were the jet-setters and "beautiful people" of that period in history. Also, it's important to remember that this was the end of the Edwardian and Gilded Ages-during which money and social position were considered vitally important. There are some historians who believe that one reason so many third-class passengers died was because they didn't feel it was "their place" to take initiative and force their way upstairs. They were accustomed to waiting their turn-and often expected the worst to happen, and were not surprised when it did.