This is a non-fiction book written about a historical event using language that is easy to read, appropriate for 4th grade on. The author extensively researched this book, culling through books written during the time of the Yellow Fever outbreak in Philadelphia in 1793, visiting the sites, and searching public records. The author thoroughly explains the struggles of the citizenry in Philadelphia; how the rich, poor, black, white, and foreign all dealt with an unnamed fever that was swiftly and violently taking great numbers of lives. The author adeptly describes the pitiful scenery, the stench of the sick and dead, and the horrible suffering of so many citizens. He describes the government’s ineptness in dealing with the crisis while introducing groups that served the sick at grave personal risk. The book made me want to go visit the sites, to see the layout of the city, and to envision what it must have been like to live through such a terrifying time. Throughout the book are illustrations of prominent citizens of the time, maps, and “necrology”, lists of the dead, all of which help the reader glimpse what life was like in 1793 America.
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Wikipedia in English (2)
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The book is the story of the Yellow Fever plague in Philadelphia in 1793. Unfortunately, the medical community neither knew what caused the disease, nor how to properly cure it. Only later did they learn the disease was carried by mosquitoes.
Overall, it is not a bad book, but I wish the story had gone deeper into the daily life of the citizens of Philadelphia and how they coped with the plague, as well as some in-depth stories of those who suffered and recovered from the disease.
As I said, the illustrations are beautiful and are the best part of the book, thus I was able to give it 3 stars. As it is a very short read, I can recommend it for those interested in this subject. There is a nice index and list of sources at the end for those wishing to read further on the subject. (