The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History

The book does three things:

First, it explains how scientific medicine emerged in America and how it affected and was affected by the pandemic of 1918. This is the main reason the book was written and its probably not why many people picked the book up. However, it's what the book does best. More below.

Second, it explains how other institutions affected and were affected by the pandemic of 1918. In these sections, the author patiently explain...read more

I have tried to listen to this audiobook several times between February 2023 and now and I just can’t get through it. Maybe it’s just a difficult listening ‘read’. But whatever it is, the writer and editor need to stop saying / writing ‘the Hopkins’ when referring to Johns Hopkins - sorry I got hung up on that because I’m a resident of Maryland. After I heard that in one of the chapters around 8% way through the book I just couldn’t listen anymor...read more

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 bo...read more