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What Was Built to Be a Ship of Dreams?: the Titanic by Emmett Nahil

What Was Built to Be a Ship of Dreams?: the Titanic

A Who HQ Graphic Novel

Emmett Nahil

Penguin Young Readers Group · Print & ebook · July 15, 2025

Discover the story of the Titanic’s ill-fated voyage through three diverse perspectives of survivors in this affecting graphic novel by Let Me Out author Emmett Nahil and award-winning illustrator Shazleen Khan.

20th-Century U.S.Boats & ShipsComics Historycomic
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graphiccomics
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Who it’s for
Three survivor perspectives trace class, family, and survival around the Titanic's sinking.
Themes
Class disparity, Family, Survival
Genres
Comics History, Boats & Ships, 20th Century U.S.

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For older readers: How to Survive the Titanic, Luck of the Titanic, Run and Hide

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About this book

Discover the story of the Titanic’s ill-fated voyage through three diverse perspectives of survivors in this affecting graphic novel by Let Me Out author Emmett Nahil and award-winning illustrator Shazleen Khan. Presenting Who HQ Graphic Novels: an exciting addition to the #1 New York Times bestselling Who Was? series!

Continue reading

Follow the journeys of Syrian Lebanese siblings Jamilah and Ilyas Yarred, the Haitian French Laroche family, and American socialite Margaret Brown as history’s most famous ship heads toward disaster. A story of class disparity, family, and survival, this graphic novel immerses readers in the different experiences that passengers from varying backgrounds faced before, during, and after the Titanic’s sinking. This gripping narrative is brought to life by atmospheric full-color illustrations that will transport readers to that fateful wreck.

Three Survivor Perspectives

Three survivor perspectives trace class, family, and survival around the Titanic's sinking.

Come here for

  • Jamilah and Ilyas Yarred's journey
  • The Laroche family's journey and Margaret Brown's perspective

Expect

  • Class disparity
  • Atmospheric full-color illustrations

Where it sits

Comics History91%
Boats & Ships71%
20th Century U.S.23%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Comics Biographies
  • Comics History
  • Comics & Society
Authors
Emmett Nahil
Publisher
Penguin Young Readers Group
Published
July 15, 2025
Format
Print & ebook
Theme
Class disparity · Family · Survival
Reading lane
Comics Biographies