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heidilreads's review against another edition
2.0
I felt like I had to figure out what the focus was of each book and the ending seemed very odd...
bookwormwendy's review against another edition
4.0
I found this interesting and informative. It was different from what I expected, discussing a lot of the science and background of the influenza epidemic.
gwynne104's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
medium-paced
4.25
Pulls together threads from medical history, international politics, military studies, biology, sociology, municipal histories. Important structures on which to hang out understanding of how pandemics can happen and the still very present dangers in society that make them more likely to be deadly.
ringwraith66's review against another edition
5.0
Awesome historical account. Has the right balance of scientific explanation without too much detail on viruses
mgoorchenko's review against another edition
4.0
Firstly, I agree with the reviewers who have said that the writing style deteriorates in the second half of the book. It becomes repetitive and overdone. A better edit would’ve been a good plan.
Secondly, I would have appreciated the afterward at the beginning of the book so that I would have a better understanding of what his goals were.
Despite all that, I enjoyed the perspectives proffered by the author and the glimpse of this time in history. Of course, the parallels between then and now are extremely unfortunate. It makes me wonder if we can ever truly learn from history.
Secondly, I would have appreciated the afterward at the beginning of the book so that I would have a better understanding of what his goals were.
Despite all that, I enjoyed the perspectives proffered by the author and the glimpse of this time in history. Of course, the parallels between then and now are extremely unfortunate. It makes me wonder if we can ever truly learn from history.
tlcollier1's review against another edition
5.0
I've read a few negative reviews of this book and now that I've finished...I can't find anything to support those reviews, at least for me.
The author beautifully sets up the medical community or lack there of at the time, a very important baseline fit what was to come.
If you don't care for nonfiction, you might still like this solve the stories of real people are interesting and engaging. If you don't like stories of horrific symptoms, you might want to pass by this one or at least be willing to skim over those occasional spots. But if you want to know what happened, why, and what we can do to prevent it from happening again, read this book.
Written years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the author's research and assessments area fully supported by current events. This is an important book.
The author beautifully sets up the medical community or lack there of at the time, a very important baseline fit what was to come.
If you don't care for nonfiction, you might still like this solve the stories of real people are interesting and engaging. If you don't like stories of horrific symptoms, you might want to pass by this one or at least be willing to skim over those occasional spots. But if you want to know what happened, why, and what we can do to prevent it from happening again, read this book.
Written years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the author's research and assessments area fully supported by current events. This is an important book.
ksejane's review against another edition
4.0
“To be a scientist requires not only intelligence and curiosity, but passion, patience, creativity, self-sufficiency, and courage… It is the courage to accept — indeed embrace — uncertainty.”
Probably wouldn’t have picked it up if we weren’t going through a pandemic currently, but it helped me connect with the book. I’ve learned so much about the history and advancement of medicine. It's interesting to see how history repeats.
Probably wouldn’t have picked it up if we weren’t going through a pandemic currently, but it helped me connect with the book. I’ve learned so much about the history and advancement of medicine. It's interesting to see how history repeats.