Last year, I got very interested in the topic of diseases. In particular, influenza pandemics such as infamous “Spanish Flu” from 1918. As such, I searched for books that talked about it and here is a list of some of them. If you want to see list of previous books I wrote about, you can find them here.
Reading List Archives – Andres Berejnoi
Today’s post is short because I have not been taking many notes on these books while listening to them. However, the books in this list are very good, specially if you are interested in disease history. I was able to draw many parallels from the pandemics covered and the current covid-19 pandemic.
Audible and Disclaimers
I will include affiliate links to Audible for all discussed books, and for ebook and physical formats when available. You will not be charged extra, and Audible is likely to have the majority of books you want since it is the biggest audiobook platform.
When you buy a book from Audible, be sure to download and keep a local copy. That way, you own it like a physical book. If you only access it through the app, you rely on Audible for delivery. If they lose distribution rights for the book, you lose access. So, always download anything you purchase.
Sign up for a free Audible Premium Plus membership trial and get one credit for a free audiobook. Even if you cancel the trial, you still get to keep the book you got from the promotion.
Another way to access the books I mention in this post is to check if they are available at your local library. This is certainly the cheapest option, but keep in mind that you may need to wait weeks to obtain them, and you will have a time limit to finish reading them (usually up to 14 days).
Book Recommendations
- “The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History” by John M. Barry
- “The Fatal Strain: On The Trail of Avian Flu And The Coming Pandemic” by Alan Sipress
- “Pale Rider – The Spanish Flu of 1918 And How It Changed The World” by Laura Spinney
“The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History” by John M. Barry
The book outlines the poor state of medicine in the US before the 1918 pandemic. The field was largely unregulated and accreditation was plagued with conflicts of interest. There were few requirements for students to earn their degrees, with many schools owned by professors who had an incentive to accept as many paying students as possible.
Europe had a strong culture of research and science, while the US initially had an anti-scientific approach to medicine. The book tells the story of how the US transformed to become a leading research center in the world before the pandemic broke out, thanks to a few influential individuals who adopted European standards. We also learn about the key scientists and figures who played a crucial role in fighting the great influenza.
The book discusses the influenza pandemic’s origins in a Kansas military base that then spread to allied countries in Europe. The book covers the disease’s devastation in the most affected US cities and estimates the global death toll, which may have reached 100 million people due to influenza or its complications. The pandemic lasted over 2 years with at least 3 waves, but most casualties occurred in just a few weeks.
One shocking number from this book was the estimated death toll on the Indian subcontinent alone from the pandemic. It is believed that as many as 19-20 million people died as a result of the outbreak. To put it in perspective, that number is higher than the entire death toll of the first world war.
It was interesting to learn how the US and many other countries involved in the war suppressed information about the outbreak.
Make sure to check it out. The audiobook version is almost 20 hours long and it was worth every minute.
“The Fatal Strain: On The Trail of Avian Flu And The Coming Pandemic” by Alan Sipress
Unlike the previous book, this one follows a much more recent story. It covers the influenza outbreaks during the 2000’s that affected Asia. It tells the story of the efforts by the World Health Organization (WHO), its officers and government officials to contain different outbreaks.
The author also explains the unique conditions that make South East Asia ripe for influenza outbreaks. The sub-region presents many challenges for organizations such as the WHO when it comes to preventing or containing a pandemic.
The book also highlights weak points in our supply chain and how a pandemic on the level of the one in 1918 would paralyze several industries. Global trade would collapse at a time when many countries do not produce their own medicine and vaccines.
The author mentions that at the time of writing, more than half of the vaccines used in the US were produced in the UK. That means a supply chain disruption would leave the country potentially unable to fight an outbreak. Additionally, there are not enough respirators in the US to supply all the people who would likely need them during another influenza pandemic. It would be interesting to see what these figures look like now, after the covid-19 pandemic.
“Pale Rider – The Spanish Flu of 1918 And How It Changed The World” by Laura Spinney
This book covers the same time period as the first one on the list, but while the first one covers the story from the point of view of the scientists trying to stop the outbreak, in this book there is more emphasis on the effects on people and governments. Even though this book is very similar to the first one, it covers non-overlapping topics and both of them are valuable.
Conclusions
There are many things to learn from all the books here, if I were to choose only one, I would go with “The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History”. I enjoy reading about history and this book provides a very comprehensive account of what happened. On the other hand, if you are more interested in learning how influenza is still a danger today, then “The Fatal Strain” would be the book to read.
One thing all three books mention is that we should not be comfortable about influenza. The nature of the virus is such that it mutates rapidly and eventually, another strain like the one in 1918 or even worse will appear. It is not a matter of “if” but “when” it happens. Things that help during a pandemic is for officials to tell the truth and keep the public informed.
Let me know if you have any comments on these books, or if you have a recommendation. Any topic is welcome, but currently, I am interested in good books about pandemics, plagues, or potentially AI and its repercussions.