Search - The American Plague

This book is a great read. Molly Caldwell Crosby kept this from becoming a purely scientific book that was way over my head. I found it truly fascinating and easy to follow, never boring and making this epidemic so personal. She puts faces to the victims and scientists/doctors who studied this disease. I learned so much about our history and the brave men who put an end to a terrible disease.

Fascinating!

I'm ashamed to admit that prior to reading this excellent book I had little, if any, knowledge about the history of plague on American soil. This was an engrossing tale and was supremely readable for those of us who aren't scientists. Not an easy feat for the author, because this topic could have either been extremely boring, or overly sensationalist.

"The American Plague" has the perfect balance of historical and scientific accuracy, with a dramatic flair that keeps the reader hooked. I recommend it!

Not as dry as some of the disease books I've read. When I think of catastrophic diseases, yellow fever just never comes to mind, but it had a huge impact on the United States back in the late 1700s and early 1800s. This book discussed the disease, its impact, and the struggle to discover how it was spread and how best to contain it. Very interesting.

fascinating account of Yellow Fever, its origins, the millions of lives it claimed and the way it was finally understood and fought by dedicated Medical scientists. I didnt know anything about Walter Reed other than a hospital being named for him, what a great history lesson!

This was a fascinating non-fiction book about yellow fever that was as readable as a John Grisham thriller. The author uses science when needed, but doesn't drown us in it or lose our interest. We learn about how yellow fever impacted Memphis and then Cuba, in ways that have still left a mark on our cities, and then the author discusses very recent cases of yellow fever in America, as 21st century residents have forgotten the lessons of previous generations. I also found it fascinating to learn about some of the heroes of the yellow fever research, such as Dr. Walter Reed, the man for whom our country's military hospital in Baltimore was named. There are some necessary but gruesome details of the disease and its symptoms, so this book is not for the weak stomached. Several sections of photographs add to the readability of this story. Highly recommended.

Very interesting and easy to read. Makes you want to go out and cover yourself in netting and OFF!