Thursday, October 1, 2026
For the last three months, library-goers across Long Island have been reading Freeport native Erik Larson’s latest book, “Dead Wake: the Last Crossing of the Lusitania,” as a part of the Long Island Reads program. In celebration of National Library Week, April 7, the Freeport Memorial Library held a special reading highlighting Larson, his literary work and his life growing up in Freeport.
Larson is a New York Times best-selling author who has received notoriety for several books, including “The Devil in the White City,” “In The Garden of Beasts,” “Isaac’s Storm” and many more titles. Before the event, more than 200 tickets were given to Freeport and other South Shore residents between February and late March. On the day of the affair, avid Larson readers, friends, family members and local residents excitedly chattered while waiting to meet him.
Larson was awarded the Mayor’s Certificate of Appreciation from Mayor Robert Kennedy in recognition of his literary contributions and for being an example of success in the Freeport community. The Freeport Board of Education recognized Larson, a 1972 graduate of Freeport High School, for his lasting contributions to journalism with a Pin of Excellence. The Freeport Memorial Library also presented him with the first-ever Freeport Author Award in recognition of his writing.
As Larson walked to the lectern, thunderous applause echoed through the library. He smiled as he greeted the audience. “Well, actually, this is an incredible pleasure for a variety of reasons,” he said, grinning. “It makes me very nostalgic any time I come to do a talk and there are actually people there to listen, because I can tell you as a writer it is never the case.”
Laughing, he shared his past experiences when no one showed up to his first book signings. As the evening unfolded, Larson reminisced about his childhood in Freeport — riding his bicycle through local streets, sledding on what was once called “suicide hill” and spending countless hours with friends hanging out at the library, which, he said, nurtured his literary curiosity in maritime mysteries and other stories.
After his remarks, local residents stood at the microphone asking questions about his books or sharing memories from high school days. Those still reading the latest book asked several questions about “Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania,” which is a historical nonfiction narrative account of the May 7, 1915, sinking of the 787-foot Cunard superliner on a voyage from New York to Liverpool.
Eleven miles off the coast of Ireland, the Lusitania encountered a German submarine, U-20, which fired a single torpedo, sinking it in 18 minutes, killing nearly 1,200 people. Of those, 128 were Americans.
“This was a delightful thing,” Larson said as he sat down to start signing attendees’ books. “It was so pleasant. It felt just like coming home. My high school history teacher is here.”
“I enjoy this particular author because he is full of realism, full of facts — fascinating stuff. Once I get started in his books, I can’t put them down,” said Kathy Bouloukos, wife of Library Board Trustee George Bouloukos.
For Larson’s childhood friend Peter Hayes, returning to Freeport to support Larson’s reading was a homecoming for him too, as he has not lived in the area since he graduated from high school. Feeling a bit nostalgic because of the stories and jokes that Larson shared about his time in Freeport, Hayes said there were so many memories Larson didn’t speak about.
“So many fun memories from high school,” Hayes said. “Erik and I have kept in contact sporadically with the occasional emails, but now that he and his wife live in Manhattan, we may hang out. He is easily the most famous member in our class.”
