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Essential nonfiction accounts of past pandemics
Help stop the spread of coronavirus with knowledge of previous deadly diseases.
Published on April 11, 2024
Flu: The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and the Search for the Virus That Caused It
Flu: The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and the Search for the Virus That Caused It
Gina KolataThe 1918 influenza pandemic is among one of the deadliest in history. More than a quarter of the world’s population contracted this strain of flu during World War I, and more people ended up killed by the flu than by fighting on the battlefield. Could an infectious disease wreak such calamity in this day and age? “Flu” will give you the necessary perspective on this possibility.
The Pandemic Century: One Hundred Years of Panic, Hysteria, and Hubris
Mark HonigsbaumThe 20th century was one full of technological gains that both helped combat and spread new infectious diseases. From relatively obscure viruses to serious catastrophes, Mark Honingsbaum chronicles nine pandemics from the past century. That historical background has a lot to reveal about the importance of keeping mass hysteria under control along with the diseases.
The Fever: How Malaria Has Ruled Humankind for 500,000 Years
Sonia ShahMalaria has plagued humanity for thousands of years, and continues to be a huge threat in some parts of the world. “Sonia Shah’s tour-de-force history of malaria will convince you that the real soundtrack to our collective fate … is the syncopated whine-slap, whine-slap of man and mosquito duking it out over the eons,” according to The New York Times.
Pox Americana: The Great Smallpox Epidemic of 1775-82
Elizabeth A. FennSmallpox was a deadly foe during the American Revolution for all parties battling over the colonies, and it affected the trajectory of that war drastically, according to historian Elizabeth Fenn. This is a new look at the founding of a nation and how disease had far-reaching political consequences.
Hot Zone
Richard PrestonMost people are struck by how this true account of the first outbreaks of Ebola in Africa and another in Virginia reads like a thriller. It’s one of those increasingly rare books that brought public awareness to a grave issue and helped shape a global conversation about the virus. In 2019, “The Hot Zone” was adapted into a miniseries by the National Geographic Channel.
Sources
- 7 Essential Books About Pandemics
- 2020, The New York Times