Young readers notwithstanding, this is a scaled down version of the original which I listened to for 19 and a half hours a few years ago on audiobook. That one was excellent but occasionally a bit more technical than others might like (I am a retired nurse). This is timeless history as we have learned with the recent COVID pandemic and people need to know the similarities and differences in the human responses.
I am giving this caveat because the copy I requested and received from PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, Viking Books for Young Readers via NetGalley is not TTS enabled. ( )

All the book's other merits and shortfalls notwithstanding, one should bear in mind, that this narrative is tremendously focused on US experience of the influenza of 1918-19. An outrageously enormous skew, for that matter. Events in Europe and the rest of the world are mentioned mostly in the passing.

This book basically predicts COVID in the afterward and how unprepared we are for a pandemic. ( )

A riveting account of the 1918 influenza pandemic and its historical context. In the movie OUTBREAK, the heroes save the day. In this story, there were many heroes but; they were too late to save between 50 and 100 million people. "

Finally done! This comprehensive book about the pandemic of 1918 has everything: military intrigue, sweeping sickness, politics, science...an excellent read, even though it took me forever. A great add to my biohazard library. ( )

Not bad, although I'd have preferred more on the epidemic itself and less hagiography of American men of letters. ( )

gripping book ( )

The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History by John M. Barry earned its reputation as an authoritative book about one of the world's great catastrophes of all times, the 1918-20 Spanish Flu pandemic. For reasons that are obvious it is quite timely now.

The Spanish Flu has been overshadowed in history by the violent end to WW I, then known as The Great War. WW I upended the long-prevailing history of Europe, ending all of its great monarchies and empires save the British Empire. The Spanish Flu, in parallel fashion but for more temporarily upended life in the U.S.

Similar to the current Covid-19 pandemic, the disease sewed panic. The author suggests that the panic was fueled by the efforts of the various governments to minimize it. I think the author's hypothesis is well-reasoned and strongly researched. Also, in light of the reaction to the novel Coronavirus the level of media and government attention has been, at best, a mixed blessing.

Turning from my own historical analysis to the book, it was gripping. I read the 461 pages in about twelve days. Some of the other reviewers of the books have justifiable quibbles. The prevailing one is weak editing. It was too repetitive. The literary device of repeating the last words of a previous sentence was overused. My own criticism is that the book was too often written out of chronological order. This may have been needed to give faithful mini-biographies of leading scientists and other players.

That is why I am giving the book a "four" rather than "five" on Goodreads. I highly recommend it; but beware, certain stretches may make a calm sleep afterwards difficult. ( )

Good book on the big pandemic 1918, at the end of World War One. Pretty horrific stories about disease and death all over the world and especially in America. Seems appropriate to read right now. There was a lot of misinformation back then, like today. It was also on the beginnings of modern medical science, and that part was slow reading for me, but it is worthwhile. Never actually pinned down the exact virus--could have been a combination. Scary. Today's Covid 19 does not seem quite as bad. ( )

Comprehensive look at the influenza pandemic of 1918-1920 that resulted in the deaths of an estimated 50 million people worldwide. The author starts with a history of medical science, describing the common thoughts of the time immediately preceding the pandemic, and documenting the improvements made by notable institutions and scientists of the day. He traces the origins of the disease, likely in Kansas, and the spread of the disease through transfer and deployment of American military personnel in WWI.

A good portion of the book is devoted to the science of viruses (what they look like under a microscope, how they mutate, and how they infect a host), research methodology, and the many ways people tried to curtail the proliferation of the disease. He takes politicians and newspaper representatives to task for failing to tell citizens the truth. In fact, it ended up being called “Spanish flu” due to the fact that “only the Spanish newspapers were publishing accounts of the spread of the disease that were picked up in other countries.” He analyzes how society reacted to the overwhelming challenges created by the pandemic, and what lessons can be learned from it. Leadership is important, especially during a crisis, and it was sorely lacking in many instances.

The portion of the book focused in the influenza outbreak is the most effective. Barry paints a disturbing picture of the horrors created by the rapid contagion: “But the most terrifying aspect of the epidemic was the piling up of bodies. Undertakers, themselves sick, were overwhelmed. They had no place to put bodies. Gravediggers either were sick or refused to bury influenza victims. The director of the city jail offered to have prisoners dig graves, then rescinded the offer because he had no healthy guards to watch them. With no gravediggers, bodies could not be buried. Undertakers’ work areas were overflowing, they stacked caskets in halls, in their living quarters—many lived above their businesses.”

This book gives highlights the contributions of a number of scientists that may not be familiar to many readers. It points out some of the discoveries that came out of research dedicated to isolating the source of this virulent version of influenza, such as how DNA carries genetic code. I am impressed by the amount of research that went into this book, as documented in the extensive footnotes and bibliography.

At times, it gets a bit scattered and repetitive, and the author digresses into areas not directly related to the influenza epidemic, but overall it provides a detailed analysis of what happened and cautions us not to become complacent. If anyone wants motivation to get the annual flu vaccine, this book will provide plenty of rationale. It will appeal to those with an interest in science or the history of medicine. If reading it for the historical significance, be prepared for lots of scientific details.
( )

I thought this was a very interesting, disheartening and angering read. Although written nearly 20 years ago, about an event that happened a century ago, the author shows that humanity does change and does not learn from history.

The events we have witnessed during the Covid pandemic have a multitude of close similarities to the 1918 flu pandemic. The lack if leadership, good decision-making and belief in science were duplicated from a century before.

I could have dine without some of the author's heavy handed foreshadowing. Some chapters were particularly difficult to get through due to the brutal facts being conveyed. This is not light reading, but it is a good study of human behavior. It also has a very interesting thread throughout the book in the radical change in American medical education, doctrine and advancement starting near the turn if the century.

Please folks, try to understand that science is always evolving and recommendations and treatments can and will vary even in the short term. Think, learn from history and let's stop repeating our past mistakes. ( )

This is a very long book. The first part is very heavy on the history of medical research and education in the US. It's not a bad thing if you want to skip it. It's hard to follow the timeline of the disease, in what research was happening and in where it hit next. It covers the internal politics surrounding the US entrance into WWI. It's a little scary what the government did during that time.

This book is heavy in the biology of the virus and is not so technical that a high school biology class is about all you need to follow it. ( )

Barry predicts exactly why COVID-19 protection fails

The control of a pandemic depends entirely upon a set of protocols and global agreement to enforce them.

This is in the conclusion of Barry's deeply researched account of what started out to be just the 1918 Influenza Pandemic but becomes a wondrous historical journey revealing the birth of epidemiology and laboratory science based medicine.
The building of the finest medical institutions, starting with The Johns Hopkins to the evolution of scientists to clinical doctors is portrayed in an engrossing manner.
Even every horrible aspect of the effect of The Great Influenza is detailed, so well as to be visually, sensory and emotionally revolting. And, oh, so necessary.
However, the afterward is where you will be most frightened if you are reading this in the late Spring of 2020 during COVID-19 or SARS-COV2. EVERYTHING, absolutely everything, that Barry contributed to a government think tank on pandemic preparation has come to be an issue. And the pitfalls he predicted are exactly where our world is struggling.
Do yourself a favor, stop reading the 4 or 8 newspapers or newscasts each day and read this book. You'll be much better informed. ( )

Outstanding book about the 1918 pandemic and the scientists who were involved in trying to understand the disease. I read the 36-chapter, 1050-page version of an eBook I borrowed from the county library. ( )

It is considered popular history, but I heard it was the quintessential book on the Spanish Flu and it did not disappoint!

Admittedly I skimmed the introductory chapters, but by Chapter 3, we're introduced to William Welch of Johns Hopkins. He was incredibly distant, having no known intimate relationship save for the possibility of William Halsted but is one of the major heavyweights in the fight. With the arrival of Spanish Flu we get to witness the power of Welch, Abraham Flexner, the nurses of Bellevue and the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research. We're also shown the frightening power of George Creel, the head of the Committee on Public Information and his WWI Propaganda Machine. "More than in the Mccarthy Era, more than during World War II itself...free speech trembled." 200,000 members of the American Protective League spied on the general public for any "suspicious" behavior. To "preserve morale", the government downplayed the threat of influenza and its complications. For example, during the most dangerous wave of flu, Dr. Krusen, Director of the Philadelphia Dept of Public Health, was warned to cancel the Liberty Loan Campaign parade. But an obedient cog in "the machine" the greatest parade in the city's history went on as scheduled. 2 days after the parade, the sick and dying became insurmountable. Even Harvey Cushing was a victim. He wrote on October 8: "Something has happened to my hind legs" and after three weeks, "my hands now have caught up with my feet...shaving's a danger..." Cushing would never fully recover.

In the end, influenza killed enough to depress the average life expectancy in the US by more than 10 years. The author does a fantastic job of following a timeline, with a focus on both military and civilian casualties. I do highly recommend this read, there's so much to learned from the 1918 pandemic and its social comparison to COVID-19. ( )

This was absolutely wonderful. It's about the 1918 influenza outbreak, but it's also about the founding of modern American medicine and the people (almost all men) who affected the course of the pandemic in America. It was brilliant. I need to see what else Barry has written! ( )

Amazingly readable. So appropriate after what we have been/are going through. Not just a retelling of events and people, but a thoughtful analysis. Yogi had it right- deja vu all over again. You’ll see what I mean when you read it. In the author’s afterward, he opines on the next pandemic (the last edition was 2012 I think) and dismisses masking. I believe that aerosol scientists’ recent analyses might have changed his mind; even since 2012, we have learned a lot more about viruses, but some of the structural, political, and human issues remain, unfortunately, intractable. ( )

The Greatest Killer in History

Humankind likes to think it is in control and rests comfortable in that thought. When something unknown and uncontrollable strikes, panic ensues. Just that happened when influenza struck the world in 1918, a world already weary of the first total world war, a war that led to a near suspension of democracy in the United States as Woodrow Wilson and his administration prepared to enter the conflict. John Barry not only tells the story of a disease raging rampant across the U.S. and the entire world but how humankind’s own deadly squabbling and compulsion to control, restrict, and distort information contributed to worldwide panic and, probably, millions of unnecessary deaths. His is at once a tale of terror, inspiration, and caution. It’s one that readers should pay particular heed to in light of the demoralizing beating truth and honesty are taking today in American society.

To truly appreciate the 1918 influenza, readers need an understanding of biology, chemistry, public health practices, medical practices, and the political and social milieu of the period. While a lot to ask, what makes Barry’s history so brilliant is how he weaves all these disciplines into the story to the point where you acquire a basic working knowledge of virology and bacteriology, in addition to a greater appreciation of modern medical science.

Barry begins with the state of medical practice and education and scientific research a century before the great influenza attack. Indeed, what a sorry state it was with no standards in sight. Over time, though, and with great skill and insight, dedicated, curious, and exacting people wrought the kind of modern medical world familiar to us today. It arrived just in time to face off with the influenza plague. What will strike you in particular is just how small the research community was, concentrated in a few institutions in the U.S., especially Johns Hopkins and the Rockefeller Institute (now Rockefeller University) and a few men and a woman, among them William Welch, Simon Flexner, Oswald Avery, William Park, Anna Williams, and a handful of others. Little known today, except to those involved in medicine and research, you learn just what giants they were and how they contributed a modern life we take for granted today.

You can’t fathom influenza without understanding something of virology and bacteriology. Barry does an excellent job of explaining and illustrating how viruses and bacteria work and how researchers isolate these organisms and devise methods for combatting them. Concomitant with this knowledge is an understanding of public health policy and techniques, which Barry threads throughout the story.

In many ways, the early part of the 20th century proved a perfect breeding ground and killing field for influenza as the Great War caused great concentrations of soldiers in camps, ports, ships, and battlefields in less than healthful conditions. As readers will learn, the times accounted for an accelerated dissemination of the influenza virus and its mutations. What also contributed to the disease, especially its capacity to strike raw terror into the hearts of people so overpowering and crippling that sister would not help sister or brother brother, is that the American government, from Washington straight down to local districts, lied to the American people about the severity and cause of the health crisis, and enlisted the media of the day to participate, all in the name of patriotism and the drive to focus and marshal resources on entering and fighting the Great War. In other words, something we find ourselves confronted with again, manipulation of our free press. Along with from 50 to 100 million deaths, two other casualties of the Great Influenza were Truth and Trust.

If you have never read this book, there’s never been a better or more important to change that. Needless to say, highly recommended. ( )

The Greatest Killer in History

Humankind likes to think it is in control and rests comfortable in that thought. When something unknown and uncontrollable strikes, panic ensues. Just that happened when influenza struck the world in 1918, a world already weary of the first total world war, a war that led to a near suspension of democracy in the United States as Woodrow Wilson and his administration prepared to enter the conflict. John Barry not only tells the story of a disease raging rampant across the U.S. and the entire world but how humankind’s own deadly squabbling and compulsion to control, restrict, and distort information contributed to worldwide panic and, probably, millions of unnecessary deaths. His is at once a tale of terror, inspiration, and caution. It’s one that readers should pay particular heed to in light of the demoralizing beating truth and honesty are taking today in American society.

To truly appreciate the 1918 influenza, readers need an understanding of biology, chemistry, public health practices, medical practices, and the political and social milieu of the period. While a lot to ask, what makes Barry’s history so brilliant is how he weaves all these disciplines into the story to the point where you acquire a basic working knowledge of virology and bacteriology, in addition to a greater appreciation of modern medical science.

Barry begins with the state of medical practice and education and scientific research a century before the great influenza attack. Indeed, what a sorry state it was with no standards in sight. Over time, though, and with great skill and insight, dedicated, curious, and exacting people wrought the kind of modern medical world familiar to us today. It arrived just in time to face off with the influenza plague. What will strike you in particular is just how small the research community was, concentrated in a few institutions in the U.S., especially Johns Hopkins and the Rockefeller Institute (now Rockefeller University) and a few men and a woman, among them William Welch, Simon Flexner, Oswald Avery, William Park, Anna Williams, and a handful of others. Little known today, except to those involved in medicine and research, you learn just what giants they were and how they contributed a modern life we take for granted today.

You can’t fathom influenza without understanding something of virology and bacteriology. Barry does an excellent job of explaining and illustrating how viruses and bacteria work and how researchers isolate these organisms and devise methods for combatting them. Concomitant with this knowledge is an understanding of public health policy and techniques, which Barry threads throughout the story.

In many ways, the early part of the 20th century proved a perfect breeding ground and killing field for influenza as the Great War caused great concentrations of soldiers in camps, ports, ships, and battlefields in less than healthful conditions. As readers will learn, the times accounted for an accelerated dissemination of the influenza virus and its mutations. What also contributed to the disease, especially its capacity to strike raw terror into the hearts of people so overpowering and crippling that sister would not help sister or brother brother, is that the American government, from Washington straight down to local districts, lied to the American people about the severity and cause of the health crisis, and enlisted the media of the day to participate, all in the name of patriotism and the drive to focus and marshal resources on entering and fighting the Great War. In other words, something we find ourselves confronted with again, manipulation of our free press. Along with from 50 to 100 million deaths, two other casualties of the Great Influenza were Truth and Trust.

If you have never read this book, there’s never been a better or more important to change that. Needless to say, highly recommended. ( )

A riveting (and terrifying) read. My Kindle edition is the 2018 printing, with a revised afterward. Written before COVID-19, it still sounds eerily prescient. ( )

This book made it clear to me that the seemingly draconian steps our local and state governments are taking are the right ones.

Here are the last couple of paragraphs from the 10th Anniversary edition:
"So the final lesson of 1918, a simple one yet most difficult to execute, is that those who occupy positions of authority must lessen the panic that can alienate all within a society. Society can not function if it is every man for himself. By definition, civilization cannot survive that.

Those in authority must retain the public's trust. The way to do that is to distort nothing, to put the best face on nothing, to try and manipulate no one. Lincoln said it first, and best.

A leader must make whatever horror exists concrete. Only then will people be able to break it apart."

It was interesting to go back and read this book with a global pandemic unfolding. My brother recommended this book to me several years ago. I read it and it is one that will stick with you. It is a concise story about the changing of medical science in the late 19th to 20th century. It is a book that profiles some of the greatest scientists of that time as well as how and why schools like John Hopkins were founded.

And then there is the horror in the book. The unfolding of the influenza outbreak that ravaged through army encampments, ships, cities, and countries. It is the descriptions of the sick and how they died--in many cases quickly and how completely overwhelmed systems can be. The descriptions of seemingly healthy people collapsing dead on the street, or turning blue on a makeshift hospital cot, or the horror of corpses being kept in houses or put out on the porch. And then the orphans--children with no parents left. Of how systems like Red Cross were overwhelmed trying to find nurses and volunteers to help. (This is the one that got me-how are we mobilizing now?) How the epidemic ebbed and flowed across the globe and spread quickly because of WWI.

I thought about that last one a lot since reading this. During WWI we shipped people back and forth across the country and the world and back again. That was a different time. This current pandemic has shown us how small our world has become. We are global and mobile. When they announced in New York that they were putting a one-mile "containment" area around Westchester--my first thought was, when was the last time I personally stayed put in a one-mile radius of where I lived? I regularly pass up and down the 405 where the center of Washington's epicenter sits.

After reading this I also have a better understanding of terms like ARDs and the book does touch on coronaviruses like SARs and how they work. I also learned more about vaccines and treatments and how and why they work. And now I know a lot more about pneumonia and how it kills.

If this book might scare you too much and heighten your anxiety, maybe don't read it. But do read it if you want a roadmap to get through this time. It has good lessons on how things can go right and how they can go wrong. Any extra time you can use now to learn and grow your knowledge is time well spent. No time to read it? Here is a link to John M. Barry talking about the book on C-Span. https://www.c-span.org/video/?182014-2/the-great-influenza

Please someone give a copy of this to Jared Kushner. ( )

This book is advertised as being about the 1918/1919 Influenza pandemic, a subject I knew very little about. That being said, the book was really more about the the state of medicine and the men who practiced. While that was interesting to me, I always did wonder how "medicine men and quacks" jumped to being professional scientists-and Barry explains this in great detail.

When Barry does finally get to the topic of the pandemic, it is shocking to read the statistics of horror this flu left in its wake. Nearly 10% of the dead were young adults. People who woke up one morning were dead within 2-3 days. The true number of dead will never be known because the hospitals were so overwhelmed, people were dying at home and never became a statistic.

I was looking for the history in this story, and I got way too much science, a subject I freely admit to not understanding. There were sections I just had to skim through because the science was just too much for my right-sided brain.

If you are interested in medicine and the origins of John Hopkins and how medicine became a science, then I think you would enjoy it more than I did. ( )

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 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. ( )

The so-called 7 billion dollar book. Fascinating. Not only a excellent history of this epidemic but a history of medical practice in the United States which was an eye opener. ( )

An amazingly complete and thorough history of the pandemic, including detailed backgrounds of the major players. ( )