The Disaster of the Hindenburg

Lisa Arsenault is an elementary-school teacher in Ajax.

The last flight of the Hindenburg zeppelin is detailed in this reference
book for adolescents, which is packed with information concerning every
aspect of the airship. There are numerous color and black-and-white
photographs, illustrations, and charts. A glossary and a short history
of lighter-than-air flight are also included. Building on the research
of the past, contemporary uses for zeppelins are indicated. One chapter
details each day of the three-day crossing from Germany to the United
States, describing the routines, daily activities, and luxuries
associated with a zeppelin flight. The Hindenburg was the epitome of
zeppelin technology, and the perfection of its design makes the nature
of its demise all the more startling and compelling to read about.

This is not a dry compendium of data. It is written from the
perspective of a 16-year-old passenger who did not survive his injuries
from the disaster. The young reader will readily relate to the teenage
attitudes and expectations that Tanaka effectively expresses through
recreated thoughts and conversations. The cabin boy’s eyewitness
account of the last few moments aboard the Hindenburg is particularly
graphic.

This eminently readable book is highly recommended for young people,
both for research and recreational reading.