Leininger, Tracy M. Nothing Can Separate Us: The Story of Nan Harper. San Antonio: His Seasons. 2000. hardcover. illustrated by Kelly Pulley & Lisa Reed. religious fiction, children’s book. isbn: 1929241216. scarcity: hard to find.

Religious fiction written for young people. The book is based on the experiences of real life Titanic passengers Pastor John Harper and his daughter, Nina, whose nickname was Nan. Nan was saved, but her father was lost in the disaster. She was six years old when she traveled on Titanic.

The story is told by an adult Nan recounting the tale to her own son. It relates her experiences on that fateful voyage, and of her father’s heroic actions during the sinking. Although the author obviously did her homework on the facts that frame her fiction, that does not stop her from taking poetic liscense from time to time.

Some of the errors include Titanic trying for a record crossing, that the ship used SOS for the first time, and that Wallace Hartley played Christian hymns rather than ragtime as the ship was sinking. None of these are fatal flaws, however and they are more than balanced by some charming vignettes, like Nan playing with fellow passenger Eva Hart.

The author’s Gospel message is interwoven comfortably into the story, and is not at all overbearing as some Christian fiction can be. All in all, it is a captivating book, and an attractive addition to Titanic literature.

For more information, go to the listing on the Vision Forum website.