August 2020 Theme: All H*** Breaks Loose! What's Yours in Mine

All H*** Breaks Loose! What's Yours is Mine!
Epidemics, Famine and Other Health Disasters



Last Fall we had no idea how timely this topic would be. In March, as part of a Category 2020 challenge, I used some of the same suggestions. That discussion went up through modern times, but if you are interested the thread is here. https://www.librarything.com/topic/316724. Understandably some people don't like to read about a topic they are currently experiencing. Of course, that is fine. Leave it for another year if that is true for you.

Probably none of us need these definitions, but as a jumping off point...

Epidemic: a widespread occurrence of an infectious disease in a community at a particular time.
Pandemic: (of a disease) prevalent over a whole country or the world.
Outbreak: A disease outbreak happens when a disease occurs in greater numbers than expected in a community or region or during a season.

Using fifty years ago and prior as our guideline, the list below covers only some of the occurrences in history. I've tried to list them in chronological order, but in fact many have recurred throughout history and there are books on each outbreak. It is harder to find fiction unless it is fully devoted to the epidemic, but there are many fictional books that are set during an epidemic. I've included ones I know. Please share others you have discovered.

The Dancing Plague: The Strange, True Story of an Extraordinary Illness by John Waller 1518 Strasbourg
1666: Plague, War, and Hellfire by Rebecca Rideal 1666 London The Great Plague
Pox Americana: The Great Smallpox Epidemic of 1775-82
The Ghost Map: The Story of London’s Most Terrifying Epidemic — and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Steven Johnson 1854 London--Cholera
Frog Music by Emma Donoghue 1876 San Francisco--Small Pox
The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History --1918 Influenza
Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World by Laura Spinney
Influenza: The Hundred-Year Hunt to Cure the Deadliest Disease in History by Jeremy Brown 1918 Flu retrospective
Breath: A Lifetime in an Iron Lung by Martha Mason North Carolina 1948 Polio
Polio An American Story by David Oshinsky
The Cutter Incident by Paul Offit Polio Vaccine
Others to consider: Typhoid, Tuberculosis, DiphtPolioheria, Yellow Fever

For More See https://www.librarything.com/list/938/all/Top-Stories-About-Epidemics

Famine
Widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, inflation, crop failure, population imbalance, or government policies. Starvation: suffering or death caused by hunger.

Mass Starvation The History and Future of Famine by Alex De Waal
The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See Jeju Island 1948
Tombstone by Yang Jisheng famine in China 1958-1961
The Killing Snows: The Defining Novel of the Great Irish Famine by Charles Egan (The Irish Famine Series)1841-1849
The Famine Ships by Edward Laxton. Irish Potato Famine
Flight from Famine: The Coming of the Irish to Canada by Donald MacKay Irish Potato Famine
Gracelin O'Malley by Ann Moore Series: Grace O'Malley (1) Irish Potato Famine

To broaden this topic, you can search for other health disasters.
Health Disaster
The occurrence in a community or region of cases of an illness, specific health-related behavior, or other health-related events clearly in excess of normal expectancy; the word is also used to describe outbreaks of disease in animals or plants.
The National Disaster Medical System Federal Partners Memorandum of Agreement defines a public health emergency as "an emergency need for health care medical services to respond to a disaster, significant outbreak of an infectious disease, bioterrorist attack or other significant or catastrophic event. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_health_emergency_(United_States)

Topics to search: Radiation, Syphilis, Agent Orange

There is so much information out there about all these topics, I will stop here. Looking forward to everyone's choices.

I am looking forward to reading about the Polio Epidemic in the Fifties. I have very clear childhood memories of my parents fears, friends with the disease and the vaccines that came soon after. If it comes through in time I will read Polio An American Story by David Oshinsky.

My parents talked about friends who died or where disabled from polio. Thought I knew what that meant but this was an eye opener for me' excellent story one of the best history books I've read. He covers q lot of ground but never gets bogged down or boring. Actually my fav part was the develoment of the modern day fundraiser like March of Dimes and MD Marathon

someone recommended as bright as heaven as a good book about the Spanish Flu Ill probably read that.

And an excellent novel about the AIDS epidemic, in Chicago in the 80 The Great Believers I was in college at the time, but living through it obviously didn't make me aware of all that happened.

btw a little confused by the title I get the first part but the last doesnt' make sense

Oh, an oldie but goodie and the band played on

I'll probably be reading Fever 1793 by Laurie Anderson. I've had it one my shelf for years.

I should read a book on the 1918 flu epidemic that I've had on my shelf since 2013 but in recent months I've run across a book on Jonas Salk that looks very interesting too.

I'll probably read Year of Wonders: a Novel of the Plague by Geraldine Brooks.

For anyone interested, there's a group read starting now of Anthony Trollope's novel Castle Richmond, which is set in County Cork, Ireland during the Irish famine. The link to the group read is: https://www.librarything.com/topic/322282

I am going to be reading A Prayer for the Dying by Stewart O'Nan. It is set just after the American Civil War when a returning soldier brings a mysterious epidemic home with him.

>4 cindydavid4: Sorry, didn't mean to be oblique. I was thinking of contagion when I crafted that phrase! I totally agree with you about the AIDS epidemic. I didn't include it because I thought it was too recent for this group. I just checked and they actually believe it began in the 1920's. So for sure that would fit and your recommendations are spot on. The Great Believers was a 5* read for me.

>5 Tess_W: Fever is on my list as well if I can get to it this month. I really admire her writing.

>7 kac522: I read Year of Wonders for the March challenge. It had been on my TBR for several years. I waited too long...it was excellent! Another write I admire.

>8 DeltaQueen50: I saw A Prayer for Dying on the lists and have added it to my TBR. I'll be interested in your take on it.

I won't respond to every post, but you all had so many interesting points that I just had to pop on with three cheers. Fun to see what everyone is choosing and my TBR continues to expand!

Connie Willis' "Doomsday Book" fits this category, linking the plague year of 1348 with a post-modern plague via time travel. While I do enjoy Willis' historical time travel novels, main character Kirvin's struggles/suffering made this a book I won't re-read.

>4 cindydavid4: and everyone else. I just realized I have a typo in the title. No wonder you are confused! I intended to say What's Yours is Mine referring to the contagion. Sorry. I seem to always mess up the title which can't be changed. :-(

>10 cfk: I also highly recommend Doomsday Book.

That being said, I need to figure out what I'm going to read!

I looked back at the KITastrophe books I was thinking of reading to see what I didn't get to and they are fiction. I try (though I don't always) to read nonfiction for this group, so I'm going to think on it a bit more.

I think I'll read The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham.

>14 clue: I loved that book~

The stories themselves aren't about a plague, but the framing story is: The Decameron. Does that qualify?

>16 CurrerBell: Why not? Storytelling is social distancing at its finest!

Fever 1793 by Laurie Halsie A great YA read about the Yellow Fever Outbreak in the Eastern U.S. in 1793. (most cases in Philadelphia, the capital of the U.S. at that time) The fever had a 10% mortality rate, so 5000 people died from July-Oct, 1793. A very interesting and entertaining book that is able to be read in one sitting. 243 pages

I couldn't find any nonfiction on my tbr. I always debate about switching to fiction OR finding something not on my tbr.

This time around, there were a few in the listed suggestions that sounded interesting, so it looks like I can get my hands on:
The Ghost Map / Steven Johnson

I've also put a hold on the audio of:
Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918... / Laura Spinney
But it's a many-week hold, so it won't come till quite a bit later.

>8 DeltaQueen50: : I enjoyed O'Nan's Last Night at the Lobster. My library only has A Prayer for the Dying in paper, but if I have time, I might to try to join you in this read.

>19 LibraryCin: : Ghost Map is a really good book!

Because my library has it in eBook, I'll be reading Whitewash: The Story of a Weed Killer, Cancer, and the Corruption of Science by Carey Gillam. I grew up in the heartland, and became interested in this subject after watching The Devil We Know.

>14 clue: oh excellent choice! Ive read most everything by Maugham and this one turned out to be one of my favs. Very good recent movie adaptation from a few years ago tho they did make a change that bothered me.

>11 beebeereads: hee np, Im always doing stuff like that Just always glad to find out that I am not going crazy..

>7 kac522: Year of Wonders starts out really well but... will be interested on your take on it

>8 DeltaQueen50: I read A Year Before Dying ages ago remember really liking it.

Just got bright as heaven up next on my quie

>21 cindydavid4: Thanks for understanding LOL
>7 kac522: >21 cindydavid4: I really enjoyed Year of Wonders. I thought the twist was good and I was satisfied with the ending.

I just got my book from the library. Polio: An American Story I hope to start it tomorrow.

>20 countrylife: I've enjoyed a couple of Stewart O'Nan books so far, and so far, Last Night at the Lobster is my favorite. :)

>21 cindydavid4: I'm looking forward to reading another Stewart O'Nan.

>22 beebeereads: The ending didn't feel realistic and I doubted the character would have made that choice. Otherwise I thought it was good. BTW she also wrote the people of the book which I loved

>24 cindydavid4: I understand your opinion of the ending. The People of the Book was my first of Geraldine Brooks. I loved it! My favorite was Caleb's Crossing. I really enjoy the way she approaches historical fiction.

I heard an interview with a journalist recently. Her previous book was The Coming Plague and I thought this group might be interested. It was written in 1994, but would be a good choice for people who like to dig deep with non-fiction.

>21 cindydavid4: >22 beebeereads: >24 cindydavid4: I really liked "Year of Wonders" and the end didn't bother me (though I know it has others). I actually liked it better than "The People of the Book", which felt more like short stories to me, and I'm not always a short story fan.

I agree with most everyone here, the ending of The Year of Wonders didn't fit with the rest of the book I've read March and People of the Book and thought they were average reads. I have The Secret Chord to read next.

I really hated March, probably more to what she did to the main character, changed him from what I thought he was when I first read the book little women. As I got older and learned more about him, ok not so bad but still, couldn't get why that won the pulitzer when the much better the march did not.

I'll be curious what you think of Secret Chord.

I really like her non fiction writing, shes a journalist by trade and a very good one. But her fiction seems off to me. (btw her husband was Tony Horwitz another journalist known for confederates in the attic and many other similar book. He passed away a few months back, sadly

Pale Horse, Pale Rider is on Kindle Deals today if anyone is interested. https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00JAUGGEA?ref_=pe_170810_518609490_kdd_atf_0_des

The Ghost Map / Steven Johnson
3.75 stars

In the mid-19th century, London was hit (a couple of times, a few years apart) by a cholera epidemic. It hit quickly and in a small area within London. While many went with the prevailing theory of miasma (something in the air) of spreading it, Dr. John Snow did additional research and found that it was something in the water. He was able to convince one doubter, a reverend who knew and visited many of the sick. Together, they continued to promote their theory.

I really liked this investigation and the medical history in this book. There is an additional chapter or two at the end that talks more about cities (I think it’s mentioned in the extended version of the title), and the pros (environmental – yup) and cons (spread of epidemics/pandemics) of having such a huge majority of the world’s population living in cities. This was the part that wasn’t quite as interesting to me and where I took off a quarter star.

>30 LibraryCin: This is on my TBR. Thanks for the review!

>31 beebeereads: Hope you "like" it!

Emma Donghue's newest novel The Pull of the Stars has just been published. It takes place in 1918 Ireland. The story line follows the flu epidemic in a maternity ward. Warnings for sadness I am hearing.

Also for Australian members or those with access there is a children's literature book about the 1918 flu in that country. My Australian Story: Contagion by Kerry Greenwood Scholastic. No touchstone.

I am looking forward to reading Donoghue, she really can do no wrong for me. And I do assume sadness, given the story line...

I have completed my read of A Prayer for the Dying by Stewart O'Nan. It was wonderfully written but somehow compared to today's world wide pandemic, I just couldn't feel too emotionally connected to this one small town's problems. At a different time, I would probably be singing it's praises.

>35 DeltaQueen50: Thanks for your comments. As I said earlier, this is on my TBR. It is quite a ways down the list right now so perhaps when I get to it, it will be a better time.
I am reading Polio: An American Story. The length of time it took to develop a usable vaccine is frustrating. I remind myself that science has evolved so much since the 1930's, but it is hard not to think about the process our scientists are working through right now. I am reading slowly, but will finish it by end of month I'm sure.

>36 beebeereads: Stewart O'Nan has become one of my favorite authors, and I don't think he could write a book that was anything but good. I fear the timing just wasn't right for this book at this time for me, but hopefully when you get to it the world will be in a better place.

I have completed The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham. It's set in the 1920s, primarily in China, during a cholera epidemic.

how did you like it?

>39 cindydavid4: I liked The Painted Veil and gave it a 4 rating, but you have to remember it was written almost 100 years ago. The ending is a bit melodramatic and the racism (China) is abundant. Now I've got to find the movies, one made in 1934 and one in 2006.

>40 clue: . I agree about racism and the melodrama (in fact the movie changed that a bit) I saw the 2006 movie, never the one from 1934, would be curius about that one.

I really like Maugham, its been a while I might need to revisit those novels.

>40 clue: I loved The Painted Veil and rated it 5 stars. I saw it as a "finding yourself" novel as the main character blew her marriage, then dived into work that was necessary and meaningful; even though she didn't have to. Because I was a history teacher and very accustomed to period racism, it did not jump out to me as being unusual.

Cyrus Mistry, Chronicle of a Corpse Bearer 5*****. I read this out of my interest in South Asian religions – primarily Hinduism, but also South Asian generally. It's a fictional memoir based on a real-life story of a Parsi corpse bearer, the son of a highly respected Parsi priest who abandons his family and becomes a corpse bearer (whom Parsis treat just a bit better than Hindus treat untouchables) in order to marry the daughter of a corpse bearer. (Corpse bearers perform the "unclean" task of transporting corpses and placing them at the Tower of Silence for consumption by vultures.) Set in Bombay in the pre-WW2 through post-independence era.

I hadn't expected this to satisfy the August theme, but there is a somewhat significant incident in here involving a cholera epidemic, so I'm including it, especially if I don't manage to slog my way entirely through the Decameron, to which I'm now returning.

>44 CurrerBell: sounds like a great book---on my WL it goes!

I finished Polio: An American Story. This was a fascinating recounting of the race for a vaccine for polio. I chose this book this month because of my age. I have clear memories of receiving the first Salk vaccine in 1955 and then the Sabin oral vaccine in what we called then, junior high school. I had a family member who contracted polio in the 1920's and friends who contracted the disease in the 1950's. My older sister told me she recalled the tremendous relief when the Salk vaccine was available. All of these memories became factual when I read this book. I value non-fiction that does that job for me.

Thank you all for participating this month. I found several new titles to add to my TBR. I rarely tire of this topic. I hope that was true for all of you as well.

sorry, wrong thread!

I finished Year of Wonders: a Novel of the Plague by Geraldine Brooks. For those unfamiliar, this novel is based on the Plague in 1665-66 in which an English village with plague decides to quarantine for the duration (a little over a year), in order not to bring the disease to those outside their village. It is based on a true event in the village of Eyam in Derbyshire.

For the most part, I enjoyed this novel. It was well-researched, the writing was excellent and the main thrust of the book was good. There were several scenes that seemed unbelievable to me (Anna's first midwife experience; Anna in the mine). I thought the ending just didn't fit with the rest of the book, but it didn't bother me, so much as, again, seem unbelievable and/or out of left field, so to speak.

What bothered me about the book is at no point does Anna, our narrator, ever question or try to understand in a practical sense why she and the Rector and his wife never get the plague, despite the fact that they seem to spend 24/7 taking caring of others with the disease. Why? Why did 2/3 of the town die and they survived? Not even a religious justification.

And I had to laugh at this: my copy is a paperback with "Questions for Discussion" at the back. The last question is:

9. "Can we relate the story of this town's extraordinary sacrifice to our own time? Is it unrealistic to expect a village facing a similar threat to make the same decision nowadays? What lessons might we learn from the villagers of Eyam?"

Oh, yeah, little did this editor realize.....

>48 kac522: I wondered why Anna was never afflicted. I thought the wife did get it, but survived. Can't remember the rector, but he was quite ill after his wife died. I think that was exhaustion and depression though. I have returned to that question regularly in my head since I read the book in March. I suspect if we researched the Plague there were those who were seemingly immune or maybe asymptomatic?

It's amazing to think back to our pre-Covid days when we truly couldn't imagine a threat like the characters experienced. Ah the innocence!

I reached back far in time for this month’s read as I came up with the Black Death, that granddaddy of all pandemics. In the Wake of the Plague: The Black Death and the World It Made was a look at how the widespread disease wrecked havoc with the social systems of the Middle Ages and left a new order in its wake.

>49 beebeereads: I found the beginning of this book to be a bit complacent about the health of the Western World as though it was a given that medicine was keeping us safe. Of course, it felt like it back when the book was written - 2001.

>49 beebeereads:, >50 Familyhistorian: The wife of the rector did get ill, but she didn't have plague. At one point Anna makes an observation that older people are getting sick but surviving, while younger people (especially children) are dying. But that's the only reference to reasons for who lives and who dies. So yes, I think there were some who were immune, or partially immune, as referenced by the author speaking through Anna.

I wonder if the real rector was much older and his "maid" (that Brooks based Anna on) was also older?? Or if in reality the rector and his maid didn't do the kind of ministering to the sick that Brooks portrays in the book--that they kept themselves isolated and therefore avoided disease. Anyway, it was a huge open question for me at the end of the book that was not addressed.

>48 kac522: Yeah I had the same problem with the book esp the ending. She seems to have that problem with her other novels.

My August read was Whitewash: The Story of a Weed Killer, Cancer, and the Corruption of Science by Carey Gillam. I read the audio version, so I found it easier going than I may have done with a printed book. This was about glyphosate, and some of the products it's in: Roundup, and the treated seeds and herbicides to use with them. The cancer toll throughout the world, but especially in farming communities, the cover-ups, lawsuits, and lies. The detrimental effect on people, food, and soil.. Very eye-opening. This definitely fits under Health Disasters.

I read the complete Decameron in the Everyman edition. I gave it 4**** based on the quality of the translation, but gosh if the stories themselves don't get tedious after a while. I'm hoping to get on to the Norton Critical for the supplementary materials.

Finally got around to reading Pull of the Stars which was quite excellent, tho a bit too graphic at times! Also read Hamnet which I highly recommend

For those who enjoy time travel, scifi and fantasy, you might want to read "The Dooms Day Book" by Connie Willis. Willis has written a number of books centered around Oxford University in 2060 and student historians who travel back through time to view/study actual events as they occurred. Due to a drastic error, Kirin ends up in the middle of the Black Death in 1438. Her experiences are painful and emotionally draining.

>56 cfk: That one made my favourites list the year I read it!