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Pale Rider

The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World

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Pale Rider

By: Laura Spinney
Narrated by: Paul Hodgson
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

With a death toll of between 50 and 100 million people and a global reach, the Spanish flu of 1918–1920 was the greatest human disaster, not only of the twentieth century, but possibly in all of recorded history. And yet, in our popular conception it exists largely as a footnote to World War I.

In Pale Rider, Laura Spinney recounts the story of an overlooked pandemic, tracing it from Alaska to Brazil, from Persia to Spain, and from South Africa to Odessa. She shows how the pandemic was shaped by the interaction of a virus and the humans it encountered; and how this devastating natural experiment put both the ingenuity and the vulnerability of humans to the test.

Laura Spinney demonstrates that the Spanish flu was as significant – if not more so – as two world wars in shaping the modern world; in disrupting, and often permanently altering, global politics, race relations, family structures, and thinking across medicine, religion and the arts.

©2017 Laura Spinney (P)2020 Penguin Audio 20th Century Biological Sciences Contagious Diseases History & Commentary Medicine & Health Care Industry Modern Physical Illness & Disease Science Africa Medicine Latin America War Imperialism Middle Ages

Critic Reviews

"Both a saga of tragedies and a detective story...Pale Rider is not just an excavation but a reimagining of the past." (Guardian)
All stars
Most relevant  
This book should be read by all facing the current COVID-19 pandemic for those that do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it

Required reading

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Great book just for general history as well as that of a heart- breaking pandemic. Individual stories and stories of society that really allow you to understand how the pandemic affected history.
Read a little too quickly in some spots to really take in what is being said.

Great book

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Fascinating look into the Spanish Flu. well worth a read. Narration, although clear, was a bit monotonous.

well written

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exceptional
A total retake of a very complex question.
a new view.
a new conversation especially post Covid !!!

EXCEPTIONAL WORK

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.