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An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 by Jim Murphy
utahmomreads's review against another edition
4.0
It was my nine year old son's turn to pick the book I would read aloud to the kids. He chose An American Plague : The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793. I bought the book from a book order a couple of years ago. It's just been sitting on my shelf since then. It was about time we read it. For the past week I have been reading (and dreaming) about a horrible plague illness wiping out large chunks of the population.
In the late summer of 1793, Philadelphia, then the nations capital, was hit by a horrifying epidemic. Hundreds of people were falling ill to yellow fever. There was no cure and at the time the cause of the disease was also unknown. Wealthy citizens and most of the national, state, and city government fled the city to avoid the fever. Those who remained struggled to care for the sick and dying while maintaining order in an abandoned city. In a city of 30,000 people (the largest city in the US at the time) between 3000 and 5000 people eventually died of the yellow fever that year.
It would be over a hundred years before doctors finally discovered the way the fever was spread (a type of mosquito, of course) and it was the mid-twentieth century before scientists created a vaccine for the yellow fever. There is still no known cure.
The book, written by Jim Murphy, is fascinating, thoroughly researched and well written. While intended for young readers, it is written in an academic style. It is not for those with a weak stomach. Neal and I enjoyed it.
In the late summer of 1793, Philadelphia, then the nations capital, was hit by a horrifying epidemic. Hundreds of people were falling ill to yellow fever. There was no cure and at the time the cause of the disease was also unknown. Wealthy citizens and most of the national, state, and city government fled the city to avoid the fever. Those who remained struggled to care for the sick and dying while maintaining order in an abandoned city. In a city of 30,000 people (the largest city in the US at the time) between 3000 and 5000 people eventually died of the yellow fever that year.
It would be over a hundred years before doctors finally discovered the way the fever was spread (a type of mosquito, of course) and it was the mid-twentieth century before scientists created a vaccine for the yellow fever. There is still no known cure.
The book, written by Jim Murphy, is fascinating, thoroughly researched and well written. While intended for young readers, it is written in an academic style. It is not for those with a weak stomach. Neal and I enjoyed it.
x_librarian's review against another edition
4.0
I usually don't like non-fiction, but this account was fascinating and easy to read.
alicebme's review against another edition
3.0
Highly enjoyable until the description of those wretched mosquitoes. That part was less Jean Fritzy and more dry. I'd recommend it to students though. For sure.
iceangel32's review against another edition
4.0
This was a good easy read on the history and future of yellow fever. I really learned alot reading this book. An enjoyable history lesson.
roseleaf24's review against another edition
4.0
It's horrifying how many people have been killed because of mosquitoes. Malaria still rates, and so many others. As this book points out, yellow fever is at bay, but could be a disaster waiting to happen. Most of this book discusses the yellow fever epidemic of 1793 in Philadelphia, which was the national capital at the time. The outbreak effectively shut down the federal government, the state government, and most local business. The book describes the effects of the disease itself, and on the community, and does an excellent job of showing the helpers. I found this informative and very readable.
ipanzica's review against another edition
4.0
An important part of American history that is straight-up ignored by the education system in America. Reading this is not only fascinating but it is also very informative on how America dealt with a national pandemic in the past. This book also mentioned the impact the yellow fever epidemic had on the black community, which was extremely fascinating and sad.
justlily's review against another edition
3.0
Great overview of the Yellow Fever epidemic from a few different viewpoints. The book provides a lot of facts in a short time span but it's written very simply and is easy to take in. I especially enjoyed the sections giving more information on the Free Africans and their work. Overall an interesting read.
kymme's review against another edition
4.0
This book is ostensibly written for children, but it's not at all a "kids' book." And it's just crazy eye-opening about a disease I'd barely even heard of that once crippled our federal government (while Washington was president, so, y'know, an early, critical moment?!). Also, spoiler alert: this disease isn't gone; we don't have a cure; and no one has a vaccine for it anymore. So it's historically fascinating and for the future fairly terrifying.