Very dense. Some parts (the history of American medical training at the turn of the 20th century) are fascinating. a majority seems to comprise a confusing array of researcher biographies. I would have liked to have read more about the societal reaction and changes regarding this massive worldwide plague. ( )

Good information especially at this time with the H1N1 novel influenza pandemic going on. Author was repetitive, and skipped around alot. I wasn't expecting the book to focus so much on the actual scientists, many times focusing more on their interactions between each other than on the work they were actually doing. The final "afterward" chapter was the most interesting, which was disappointing. ( )

This was a very good book, nonfiction, about the 1918 Spanish Influenza pandemic, one of the worst epidemics in written history. The influenza pandemic has been strangely lost in public consciousness but it bears thinking about - it's the same virus (H1N1) that caused the Swine Flu break out a few months ago.

This book presents the science and the sociology of the pandemic in conjunction with the history of medical advancement leading up to it. The primary approach is that of the history of medical science; the influenza outbreak occurred shortly after American medicine had established itself in something like its current form and presented it with a severe test. The cast of characters is largely made up of important scientists, and discusses the advances they made before, during, and because of the disease.

Other aspects of the pandemic are also included. The parts that I found most interesting concerned the sociology of why and how the pandemic spread. The outbreak occurred just after the US had entered World War I, and troop movements, the lack of civilian doctors and nurses, war-time propaganda campaigns, and, of course, the pig-headedness of the officials in charge all played enormous rolls in the course of the disease.

Overall I found the book very good. The descriptions of the actual disease and conditions during the pandemic were suitably horrifying, and the discussion of causes and effects I found very interesting. I have a few academic quibbles with the author's representation, however. There were a few places where I felt he made rather serious and unsubstantiated claims seemingly to enhance the significance of the pandemic, and he had the annoying habit of comparing statistics that didn't match (deaths per week compared to deaths per day, that kind of thing), I think towards that same end. All of that derives from the author's intention to tell a coherent story (as opposed to representing a scholarly debate), but be aware of that if you read the book. Overall enjoyable, but definitely not a light read. 4 stars. ( )

This book is close to being a horror novel. The first half sets the scene - the United States medical world in the decades prior to 1918, and how it was quickly professionalizing. It details the effects of the US finally joining the First World War on that medical world, denuding the country of doctors and nurses. The second half describes influenza, the particular H1N1 type that constituted the Spanish Flu, and the impacts of the influenza epidemic on the US. The death toll was staggering, and even more staggering was the speed of onset.
Only by reading this book do I understand the work going on now regarding our current H1N1 virus in public health groups around the world. While it is currently mild, the virus has crossed the important barrier of being able to move from person to person. All that remains is the relatively minor mutation to become more lethal. Scary stuff.
John Barry can write, but a tighter edit would have helped. He seemed to repeat himself in places, adding to the length of the book, never a good thing. I recommend this as a good introduction to a layman, like me, to epidemiology and the specific story of the 1918 flu. ( )

Wow. I never knew such a disaster happened not so long ago. The story drags at times, and if I heard "This was just influenza" one more time, I would have punctured my eardrums, but well worth listening for the educational value. ( )