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Remembering Survivors in the Wake of the Titanic Anniversary: A Book Review of "The Last Leaf" by Stuart Lutz

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Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, "There is properly no history; only biography,” a point which author and historian Stuart Lutz nicely illustrates in his vastly interesting book The Last Leaf. Each chapter grants the reader a fresh look at a historic moment, person, place, or movement through the eyes of the sole surviving eye-witness. In so doing, Lutz has preserved for all generations to come a new and vital perspective on history; The Last Leaf covers such diverse episodes in history as the Suffrage Movement, the creation of Social Security, the Holocaust, the development of radio, the sinking of the Lusitania , and the General Slocum fire. Today is the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic and I think it's a good time to draw attention to the kind of history Lutz has recorded in The Last Leaf . There have been many first-hand accounts of Titanic survivors in the media this week. The voices recorded in The Last Leaf are equally moving, illuminating and fascin