The Great Influenza

January 5, 2004
In 1918, a plague swept across the world virtually without warning, killing healthy young adults as well as vulnerable infants and the elderly. Hospitals and morgues were quickly overwhelmed; in Philadelphia, 4,597 people died in one week alone and bodies piled up on the streets to be carted off to mass graves. But this was not the dreaded Black Death—it was "only influenza." In this sweeping history, Barry (Rising Tide
) explores how the deadly confluence of biology (a swiftly mutating flu virus that can pass between animals and humans) and politics (President Wilson's all-out war effort in WWI) created conditions in which the virus thrived, killing more than 50 million worldwide and perhaps as many as 100 million in just a year. Overcrowded military camps and wide-ranging troop deployments allowed the highly contagious flu to spread quickly; transport ships became "floating caskets." Yet the U.S. government refused to shift priorities away from the war and, in effect, ignored the crisis. Shortages of doctors and nurses hurt military and civilian populations alike, and the ineptitude of public health officials exacerbated the death toll. In Philadelphia, the hardest-hit municipality in the U.S., "the entire city government had done nothing" to either contain the disease or assist afflicted families. Instead, official lies and misinformation, Barry argues, created a climate of "fear... threatened to break the society apart." Barry captures the sense of panic and despair that overwhelmed stricken communities and hits hard at those who failed to use their power to protect the public good. He also describes the work of the dedicated researchers who rushed to find the cause of the disease and create vaccines. Flu shots are widely available today because of their heroic efforts, yet we remain vulnerable to a virus that can mutate to a deadly strain without warning. Society's ability to survive another devastating flu pandemic, Barry argues, is as much a political question as a medical one. (Feb. 9)

Forecast:
Judging by the coverage on the news, we are in for a bad flu season this year, and with SARS barely behind us, this subject will always be topical.

February 15, 2024
An updated young readers' adaptation of the 2004 adult bestseller by the same name. This holistic approach to the influenza pandemic that ravaged the planet just over a century ago starts with the development of modern medical institutions in the U.S., documenting the fight for academic rigor and the effort it took for clinicians to implement the scientific method. These scientists met their crucible when a scary new flu mutation arose among World War I soldiers. The volume does a remarkable job of concisely explaining the biology at play (both in the disease and the scientists' attempts at solving the crisis), the geopolitics of the time, and the role of wartime propaganda in spreading misinformation (such as how the "Spanish flu" misnomer came to be). Throughout, SARS-CoV-2 is used as a relatable touchpoint for readers familiar with the Covid-19 pandemic through the use of hard facts, such as the numbers of people infected and killed and the impact of dangerous mutant swarms of RNA viruses. The engaging text highlights women's roles in various capacities, though only a few are mentioned by name; the revolutionary scientists were "an exclusive group that included very few women." The meticulously researched book also mentions factors--both socioeconomic (crowded living spaces) and biological (a population's previous exposure to influenza)--that resulted in the virus hitting some ethnic groups harder than others. A strong, multifaceted narrative sure to create enthusiasts of science and geopolitics. (key figures, timeline, glossary, source notes, selected bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 11-15)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

June 1, 2024

Gr 5 Up-Twenty years after his 2004 bestseller and only a few years after the world's most recent pandemic, Barry has published a young readers edition of his original text. In five parts, he traces the development of public health and epidemiological research in the U.S., the role of the military and government in health policy as well as the failures of politics, propaganda, and economics that fanned the flames of the 1918 influenza pandemic. Barry delves into the state of American medical schools and the roles and backgrounds of several individuals involved in public health, immunology, and the pandemic itself. More intriguing are instances of a total lack of federal leadership, response or even acknowledgement of the outbreak, and how private organizations, such as Main Line Philadelphia families and the Red Cross answered the call that the government and the press would not. This is a scientific history leaning heavily on scientific theory, not a narrative history of the pandemic. Towards the end of the book, Barry describes a condition suffered by survivors of influenza that impacted them physically and mentally. Crucially, this may have included President Wilson at the Paris peace talks, perhaps forever affecting their outcome and contributing to the rise of Nazi Germany. The afterword concentrates on scientific, cultural, and governmental similarities and differences between influenza and COVID-19, and proves illustrative and informative. Back matter includes a timeline, key figures, endnotes, and bibliography. The lack of more visual resources is a drawback in terms of using the book for research purposes; readers may wish for maps and graphs to better understand the scale of the disaster. VERDICT For a more encapsulated history with primary sources and first-person accounts, steer interested readers towards More Deadly Than War: The Hidden History of the Spanish Flu and the First World War by Kenneth C. Davis. For upper-level students, Barry's longer original title, despite its length, will prove more accessible and authoritative.-Lee De Groft

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.