John M. Barry (1) (1947–)

It's rare that I bounce off a book so hard that I don't finish the first chapter, and even rarer that I then write up something about it. But while alarm bells were set ringing fairly early on by an account of a pandemic which showed not just ignorance but active disdain for the history of medicine before the nineteenth century, by John M. Barry's seeming inclination towards the Great Man view of things, and by his signalling that women would be sidelined in The Great Influenza, it was his show more description of the Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho as "primitive savages" that had me abandoning this on page 12. It is appalling that a major publishing house would print something like that in the twenty-first century. show less

Considering the current state of the world, this book was eerie. Recounting how the 1918 pandemic emerged and spread, this book is a work of history, but by changing a few names it could also be an in-depth report on current events. The worst part was the conclusion, in which the author discusses how prepared the world is for the spread of a similar pandemic. I had to double-check the publication date, because it's somewhat frightening how well understood and readily apparent the problems show more which have played out in 2020 were years previously. Excellent reading, especially if one is interested in the history of pandemics and for understanding how little humans appear to learn from them. show less

This was a fun book (I know that sounds wrong given the topic) about the influenza outbreak that happened at the end of WWI. I knew that it had happened, but I really didn't know how hard the United States was hit or that it likely started here. I was under the impression it took place mainly in Europe so the whole book was basically news to me.

I appreciated that Barry took the time to give a little background on the history of medicine in America and also spent a lot of time on medical show more research about and around influenza. I though he got a little overly sensational at times, especially when discussing possible current day epidemics. That's not to say I think it couldn't happen; I just thought his tone was a little repetitive and over the top.

All in all I enjoyed reading this and learned quite a bit both about the history of medicine and the social history of the outbreak. It's definitely a topic that I hope our government and medical facilities have contemplated and done some planning for in terms of future outbreaks. show less

This book tells a remarkable tale about a remarkable man living during remarkable times. If it wasn't real history, it would read as very compelling historical fiction featuring a larger-than-life protagonist. But it really did happen. After reading his book, I also have little doubt that Barry's interpretation is about as accurate a description as you are likely to find.

Roger Williams was born circa 1603 in England and died in 1683. He is arguably the father of the concept of separating show more state from church, politics from religion. He was not the first to conceive of the idea but he was the first to 'walk the walk' as it were by founding a community in the New World that allowed its residents the freedom to worship God as they wished without fear of persecution. That community was, and is, Providence, Rhode Island. A generation later, Williams' writings and ideas influenced and informed many of the founding fathers of the United States.

What surprised me while reading this was the fact that Williams was such a maverick in his thinking. I always had a vague idea in mind that the puritans must have been a tolerant bunch since they were escaping persecution in England. What this book informed me is that they were even more intolerant than the English! John Winthrop, governor of the new colonial charter, had a vision for Massachusetts of a "city on a hill", that would shine a beacon of religious conversion unto the wilds of the new world. There was no room for any religious view outside of the puritan one in that vision. Anyone who dared put voice to a dissenting opinion about the nature of religion was banished - often after having their ears cut off! Further offenses against the status quo resulted in even more severe punishment, up to and including being put to death. As a matter of fact, there was a lot of killing described in this book. Many historical figures in both England and New England died violently as a result of heretical convictions. The most horrific method entailed hanging the victim, cutting him down before he died, then disemboweling and drawing and quartering him while still alive. Even King Charles I was executed for treason in 1649. The crowd that gathered to see that particular spectacle was described as shouting with a joyful roar as his head was mounted on a spike on a wall of the Tower of London as though, "... a great victory had been won." Barbaric times. Navigating these treacherous religious and political waters, Roger Williams changed the world with his ideas and also managed to keep his ears, tongue and head until he died of old age at ~80 years old. This speaks volumes to his intelligence, charisma, and personal bravery.

Regarding the book's narrative; As I stated at the beginning, Barry narrates a story that reads like historical fiction. The facts are exhaustively and impressively researched but are also laid out in a riveting fashion. Further reading on the subject is easily found by way of the included bibliography. After a bit of a slow start where Barry describes the political and social landscape of England that Roger Williams grew up in, the book really hits its stride when the focus shifts to the New World. An outgoing personality and deep-thinking individual, Williams was the first Englishman to take time to study and befriend the native Indians. Doing so saved his life on more than one occasion when he angered the puritans in Massachusetts and his Indian friends gave him sanctuary.

Williams' logical thinking, and early influence from such notables as Sir Edward Coke and Sir Francis Bacon, led him to take the view that, "each man is sovereign in his own head", and, "his home is as his own castle." These are rights that we take for granted today but, in those days, few people believed this! In fact, most western people in the 17th century believed in the divine right of kings to rule. That the king's position was appointed directly from God and that, as a result, the king could do no wrong. Today, we view British royalty mostly as wealthy people with no real political power. In Williams' day, the king held the lives of his subjects, (not citizens!), in his hands and there was no one to dispute his divine right to do as he wished with those lives - until Williams came along and began publishing his well-considered thoughts about personal freedoms. Again, how he managed to expound these ideas and keep his head is simply astonishing!

This book is highly recommended to anyone even remotely interested in this period of English and American history. It really is a remarkable work that manages to entertain while it educates. A rare thing, that. show less