The Great Influenza by John M. Barry

The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History by John M. Barry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book would have been great if it had had serious editing. The first 13 chapters are background on a number of scientists who fail to capture the imagination -- probably because he simply covers too many of them. In chapter 14, Barry finally starts to write about the pandemic, and by the time you're halfway through the book, the information is basically over. The rest is just a rehash of what you've read. However, the second quarter of the book was very interesting.

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Rage by Bob Woodward

Rage by Bob Woodward
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's not at all about rage. It's surprisingly interesting given that I've been very carefully paying attention for 4 years and therefore didn't expect there to be anything new here. I mean a lot of it is things we know about Trump but it's a bit a different view with Woodward asking him things over and over in hopes of getting answers, and it's more organized and thorough than Woodward's Fear. He's clearly trying to be fair to Trump and interviewed people who know him well and both dislike or like him. In particular, I was engaged - if not completely convinced- by the concept that China possibly failed to contain the virus to just China on purpose for economic or political reasons (given that shutting off travel from the China end was more straightforward than all countries shutting down all travel). Worth reading, and better than Woodward's "Fear." Interestingly, Woodward clearly read "The Room Where It Happened" and only found one sentence of value in that entire book so it's probably skippable.

Update: I just heard some of the Woodward recordings and now I know why the book is called Rage. It's not what is written in the book it's probably the sense Woodward got that Trump is enraged when answering Woodward's questions. But this might possibly be because Trump interrupts constantly, defensively, and speaks condescendingly to Woodward. Or it could be Woodward's sense that Trump hates Democrats collectively and individually.

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Deadly Companions by Dorothy H. Crawford

Deadly Companions: How Microbes Shaped Our History by Dorothy H. Crawford
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A good overview of all the big pandemics plus a bonus chapter about the potato blight in Ireland. This would be a good first book if you’re interested in this topic but if you’ve already read some on this topic you won’t find anything enlightening or entertaining in this one.

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How to Survive a Pandemic by Michael Greger

How to Survive a Pandemic by Michael Greger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There was interesting information and analysis here even with all the reading I’ve been doing on this topic. However, it needed more editing, as it was repetitive, seemed to go back and forth to the same topics, and it was definitely too long as a result.

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Wanderers by Chuck Wendig

Wanderers by Chuck Wendig
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Definitely fun but unnecessarily rapey in parts. Lots of great distinct characters, no plot holes, riveting throughout. Still, I would recommend it if you love apocalypse books (I do) but not otherwise.

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Very, Very, Very Dreadful by Albert Marrin

Very, Very, Very Dreadful: The Influenza Pandemic of 1918 by Albert Marrin
My 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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More Deadly Than War by Kenneth C. Davis

More Deadly Than War: The Hidden History of the Spanish Flu and the First World War by Kenneth C. Davis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was good and remarkable in its parallels to our current situation. However, it left me with some questions about about the 1918 and didn’t seem all-encompassing is general. It had a very strong afterword and I strongly recommend that you do not skip that as it provides an important conclusion.

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The Plague by Albert Camus

The Plague by Albert Camus
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is fantastic and-- despite the opinion of my friends who are horrified that I'm reading this right now-- this is the perfect time to read this. Covid doesn't allow you the ordinary-day emotional distance from the plague victims.

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Black Death at the Golden Gate by David K. Randall

Black Death at the Golden Gate: The Race to Save America from the Bubonic Plague by David K. Randall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Startling how similar the reaction of the Governor of California was over 100 years ago to that of our President today. Just cover up the Bubonic Plague! Don't make a big deal of it and it will go away. Microbes don't care about positive thinking or panic or anything other than actual protective measures and treatment.

All the descriptions of this book say it's the story of Rupert Blue, but can we take a minute for Joseph James Kinyoun? He was the first hero. I have a lot of sympathy for him. It's terrible to live in a world where people won't listen to science and require being constantly charmed to accept reality. The bad guys create a fictional world and force us all to live in it.

Fun fact: You can still get Bubonic Plague from fleas, though early detection and treatment with antibiotics should cure you.

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Get Well Soon by Jennifer Wright

Get Well Soon: History's Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them by Jennifer Wright
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is THE pandemic book everyone should read right now. It's terrifying, hilarious, and ethically-inspiring in equal measure. It will snap you out of your dream-like coronavirus confusion. It's amazing.

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The Coming Plague by Laurie Garrett

The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance by Laurie Garrett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There is a lot of amazing information in this huge tome, and it took me three weeks to get through, but it was worth it. It could have used a firmer editing hand though. Both the chronology of infectious diseases and the diseases themselves were divided into chapters in ways I failed to understand. Additionally, given the large amount of extremely useful information provided by this book, it would have moved the book along to edit down every individual thought every patient and every doctor ever had, every description of every little leaf in the jungle the disease emerged. I could basically write an entire book review about any chapter, it's so overwhelming.

There was a lot of information about AIDS provided in the second half of the book.

Some of the themes of the book are sleuthing the origins of novel pathogen outbreaks, scientific hubris, and illness containment fails.

I recently watched an interview with Dr. Ian Crozier, an ebola survivor, and I was amazed at how much I understood that I'd only just learned from the information in this book.

I read this for some insight into the novel virus outbreaks like our cures coronavirus outbreak but I definitely gained a great deal more from reading this. And what a great ending!

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The Viral Storm by Nathan Wolfe

The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age by Nathan Wolfe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's a bit disorganized for me, and considering how interested (read: worried) I am in this topic, I found it a bit dull. However, the tidbits I learned here and there about pandemic viruses in general and specific viruses in particular, I think it was well worth my time to read. The book had some particularly interesting facts regarding the AIDS virus and the Nipah virus (from bats to pigs to people). The connection between pandemics and eating meat, in general, is interesting. I've read before about Toxoplasma Gondii, but it's so crazy, it never disappoints, and I was interested in the new hypothesis about cat hoarders potentially being infected- why is that so hard to find out for sure though? I've read before about helpful bacteria, particularly gut bacteria, but this is the first I've heard of potentially helpful viruses. Finally, I thought it was interesting that Nathan Wolfe's data collection dreams (for preventing pandemics) are precisely Edward Snowden's nightmares. There seem to be many sides to the data debate, not just two.

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Carlucci's Heart by Richard Paul Russo

Carlucci's Heart by Richard Paul Russo
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is a pandemic book hiding in a cop thriller. The plot is unlikely as the others in the series. It also meanders for pages and pages. There was never a payoff in this series.

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The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey

The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Delightfully creepy! All of the characters are developed and both good and bad, some more of one than the other. I got really attached to them and was entertained by their struggles throughout. Warning that it’s pretty gruesome but not exactly scary.

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Pandemic by Sonia Shah

Pandemic: Tracking Contagions, from Cholera to Ebola and Beyond by Sonia Shah
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

One of the more interesting science books I've read in a long time, and one of the most important. I strongly recommend it to everyone. I'm also going to try some of the books recommended below.

The author does spend too much time on cholera history in the middle of the book- interesting but not the only focus of the book so it feels belabored. Power through it, it's worth it.

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Oedipus Rex by Sophocles

Oedipus Rex by Sophocles
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Everyone knows the general story of Oedipus, but wow, this play is intense and amazing. It's not a just a tragedy, it's a horror of sights and emotion. Sophocles really railed against the injustices of fate.

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Zone One by Colson Whitehead

Zone One by Colson Whitehead
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fabulous scathing critique of all the preoccupations of society. Very nihilistic. I loved the main character and the way his challenges before and after the last day were presented. I felt like I could relate to him and his problems even though he's a very emotionally reserved character. I also loved Gary and Kaitlyn, and how they were awful and wonderful in their own ways. Some of the last 1/5th of the book was a little convoluted with the present day conversations of numerous characters that didn't play a central role.


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