In 1918, the Italian-Americans of New York, the Yupik of Alaska and the Persians of Mashed had almost nothing in common except for a virus–one that triggered the worst pandemic of modern times and had a decisive effect on the history of the twentieth century.The Spanish flu of 1918-1920 was one of the greatest human disasters of all time. It infected a third of the people on Earth–from the … Earth–from the poorest immigrants of New York City to the king of Spain, Franz Kafka, Mahatma Gandhi and Woodrow Wilson. But despite a death toll of between 50 and 100 million people, it exists in our memory as an afterthought to World War I.
In this gripping narrative history, Laura Spinney traces the overlooked pandemic to reveal how the virus travelled across the globe, exposing mankind’s vulnerability and putting our ingenuity to the test. As socially significant as both world wars, the Spanish flu dramatically disrupted–and often permanently altered–global politics, race relations and family structures, while spurring innovation in medicine, religion and the arts. It was partly responsible, Spinney argues, for pushing India to independence, South Africa to apartheid and Switzerland to the brink of civil war. It also created the true “lost generation.” Drawing on the latest research in history, virology, epidemiology, psychology and economics, Pale Rider masterfully recounts the little-known catastrophe that forever changed humanity.
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Pale Rider is the second book I’ve read about the 1918 pandemic. Since I’m currently living through one, I want to find out as much as possible about the subject. The previous one I read, by John M. Barry, was written in 2005 and covered the topic thoroughly. It documented the status of the medical community (or lack thereof) at the time, and the scientific nature of viruses—how they are born, how they mutate, and how they kill humans. Pale Rider delves more into the human crisis of dying and surviving the pandemic worldwide. The book is well written and documents many historical events across the globe while the Spanish flu flourished and massacred millions. Since it was written in 2017, it also cites the most recent statistics uncovered since Mr. Barry’s book. I was surprised to learn that recently scientists have recreated the 1918 virus and are currently studying it in a secure biological facility. Let’s hope it never gets loose. Laura Spinney’s insights into the tremendous impact the pandemic had—and continues to have—on our society is spot-on, and her speculation on why this extraordinary loss-of-life event has mostly been forgotten is interesting. In her Afterword: On Memory, she notes: ‘That perhaps one reason is that it’s not so easy to count the dead. They don’t wear uniforms, display exit wounds, or fall down in a circumscribed arena. They die in large numbers in a short space of time, over a vast expanse of space, and many of them disappear into mass graves, not only before their disease has been diagnosed, but often before their lives have even been recorded.’ Maybe this is why our current population is having so much trouble acknowledging that we have another killer virus stalking us and are resisting simple guidelines that have been well documented to save lives. Everything we’ve learned from past pandemics is being ignored by our POTUS, who continues not to take it seriously while making light of our fallen brothers. It’s shameful, and I’m sad that I’m an unwilling participant in today’s pandemic.
I appreciated this book’s consideration of ancillary effects and events related to the Spanish Flu Pandemic. This was not simply a linear narrative.
This is the true story (non-fiction) of the worldwide scourge of the 1918 Spanish Flu. Well written and interesting.
In light of current events with COVID19, I read Pale Rider to gain a perspective of the historical parallel’s between the Spanish Flu a century ago versus what’s happening now. This is a very good read, informative with eerie similarities a century on. Not too technical as far as the medical explanations go.
So interesting! I wanted to learn more about the last world-wide virus pandemic, and I looked up several books on the Spanish Flu of 1918-1920 before deciding on Spinney’s history, published in 2017. Easy to read with fascinating insights into the past – so many echoes of what we are going through now: debates about social distancing and the wearing of masks, fears of overwhelming the health care system, pressure to relax these measures too soon, resulting in a second wave of infections, and clear evidence that those U.S. cities that banned mass gatherings early and maintained the ban long enough, saw a 50% reduction in the death rate. Even so, this epidemic was huge and killed perhaps as many as 100 million people worldwide before it was done. One small town in Alaska lost an astonishing 40% of its population to the flu, their bodies buried in mass graves in the permafrost. Tissue from these victims, as well as a few other samples preserved in formaldehyde elsewhere, are now being studied by scientists with access to modern tools such as gene sequencing, to try to solve some of the enduring mysteries about the Spanish flu, including where did it originate (probably not Spain), why it was so lethal for some age groups and not others, and how that particular flu virus compares to others we have seen more recently.
It is 100 years since the influenza epidemic of 1918. Despite a death toll of up to 100 million people, the event is poorly remembered in history and in literature. Laura Spinney brings every aspect of this devastating world crisis into sharp focus in a completely accessible way for the lay or scientific reader – the waves of illness which spread round the globe, the illness itself, it’s target group of young adults, and of course a glimpse into the future pandemics we will undoubtedly face. It is a brilliant read.