Very, Very, Very Dreadful: The Influenza Pandemic of 1918 by Albert MarrinMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Maybe 3.5? The main text about the 1918 flu pandemic left a lot to be desired. Notable though is how the political narratives about whether to protect lives or positively spin things for continued economic activity have been repeated in 2020. It's remarkable how very similar a lot of actions have been even as they've differed with more stay-at-home orders. Of the 1918 flu, Marrin wrote, "Throughout the pandemic, the nation lacked a uniform policy about gathering places, and there was no central authority with the power to make and enforce rules that everyone had to obey. Each community acted on its own, doing as its elected officials thought best." Um, yeah.
The last 20% of the book dealt with subsequent research regarding viruses and was really interesting, by which I mean completely terrifying.
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