Synopses & Reviews
A national bestseller, the fast-paced and gripping account of the Great Flu Epidemic of 1918 from acclaimed science journalist Gina Kolata, now featuring a new epilogue about avian flu.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;When we think of plagues, we think of AIDS, Ebola, anthrax spores, and, of course, the Black Death. But in 1918 the Great Flu Epidemic killed an estimated forty million people virtually overnight. If such a plague returned today, taking a comparable percentage of the US population with it, 1.5 million Americans would die.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;In andlt;iandgt;Flu,andlt;/iandgt; Gina Kolata, an acclaimed reporter for andlt;iandgt;The New York Times,andlt;/iandgt; unravels the mystery of this lethal virus with the high drama of a great adventure story. From Alaska to Norway, from the streets of Hong Kong to the corridors of the White House, Kolata tracks the race to recover the live pathogen and probes the fear that has impelled government policy.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;A gripping work of science writing, andlt;iandgt;Fluandlt;/iandgt; addresses the prospects for a great epidemicand#8217;s recurrence and considers what can be done to prevent it.
Review
"Kolata reports this story with all the fervor of Coleridge's ancient mariner, gripping her readers in the book's first paragraph and not letting go until her tale is told." John R. Alden
Review
R. Z. Sheppard andlt;Iandgt;Timeandlt;/Iandgt; magazine A chilling read...packed with new information and astonishments.
Review
Beryl Lieff Benderly andlt;Iandgt;The Washington Postandlt;/Iandgt; Kolata commands the intelligent curiosity, well-honed reporting techniques, and smooth prose style of a top science reporter.
Review
Dr. Jerome Groopman andlt;Iandgt;Boston Sunday Globeandlt;/Iandgt; Moves at a rapid pace, with vivid prose and graphic scenes...A masterly recounting of medical history.
Synopsis
When we think of plagues, we think of AIDS, Ebola, anthrax spores, and, of course, the Black Death. But in 1918 the Great Flu Epidemic killed an estimated 40 million people virtually overnight. If such a plague returned today, taking a comparable percentage of the U.S. population with it, 1.5 million Americans would die.
In Flu, Gina Kolata, an acclaimed reporter for The New York Times, unravels the mystery of this lethal virus with the high drama of a great adventure story. From Alaska to Norway, from the streets of Hong Kong to the corridors of the White House, Kolata tracks the race to recover the live pathogen and probes the fear that has impelled government policy.
A gripping work of science writing, Flu addresses the prospects for a great epidemic's recurrence and considers what can be done to prevent it.
About the Author
Gina Kolata is a science reporter for andlt;iandgt;The New York Timesandlt;/iandgt; and the author of andlt;iandgt;Clone: The Road to Dolly and Sex in America.andlt;/iandgt; She lives in Princeton, New Jersey.
Table of Contents
andlt;Bandgt;Contentsandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Prologueandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;OL TYPE="1" START="1"andgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;LIandgt;The Plague Yearandlt;BRandgt; andlt;LIandgt;A History of Disease and Deathandlt;BRandgt; andlt;LIandgt;From Sailors to Swineandlt;BRandgt; andlt;LIandgt;A Swedish Adventurerandlt;BRandgt; andlt;LIandgt;Swine Fluandlt;BRandgt; andlt;LIandgt;A Litigation Nightmareandlt;BRandgt; andlt;LIandgt;John Dalton's Eyeballsandlt;BRandgt; andlt;LIandgt;An Incident in Hong Kongandlt;BRandgt; andlt;LIandgt;From Alaska to Norwayandlt;BRandgt; andlt;LIandgt;Mysteries and Hypothesesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;/OLandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Acknowledgmentsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Notesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Indexandlt;/Iandgt;