On December 7, 1917, in the heart of the World War I, two ships collided in Halifax harbour. The resulting explosion killed over 2,000 people and injured some 6,000 more. The facts of the incident have been well documented, but in Curse of the Narrows, Laura M. Mac Donald presents an exceptional narrative account of the tragedy, the first time a writer has told the whole story of how the military, volunteers and ordinary citizens united to organize one of the most complex relief efforts in North American history. Named a Globe and Mail Book of the Year and shortlisted for the 2006 Charles Taylor Prize, the 2005 J.W. Dafoe Prize, the 2005 Dartmouth Book Award and the 2005 Evelyn Richardson Non- fiction Prize, this compelling book skillfully combines history and reportage into a masterfully panoramic chronicle.