'Halfway to America' is a historical account of 19th century immigration that accurately shares its hardships and in this case - tragedies. Poor emigrants who sailed to America in the 1860s usually made the trip in the steerage deck - where the conditions were quite unpleasant for a month-long voyage. This historical book shares the story of Heinrich Dirkes and his son Johannes. While traveling from Antwerp, Belgium, to New York in 1865, the ship William Nelson caught fire when buckets of hot tar spilled. This book highlights the details of the shipwreck and raises social and political issues.