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The Great Influenza

The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History

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The Great Influenza

By: John M. Barry
Narrated by: Scott Brick
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In the winter of 1918, at the height of World War I, history's most lethal influenza virus erupted in an army camp in Kansas, moved east with American troops, then exploded, killing as many as 100 million people worldwide. It killed more people in twenty-four weeks than AIDS has killed in twenty-four years, more in a year than the Black Death killed in a century. But this was not the Middle Ages, and 1918 marked the first collision between modern science and epidemic disease. Magisterial in its breadth of perspective and depth of research, THE GREAT INFLUENZA weaves together multiple narratives, with characters ranging from William Welch, founder of the Johns Hopkins Medical School, to John D. Rockefeller and Woodrow Wilson. Ultimately a tale of triumph amid tragedy, this crisis provides us with a precise and sobering model as we confront the epidemics looming on our own horizon. 20th Century Americas Contagious Diseases History History & Philosophy Modern Physical Illness & Disease Science United States Medical Education Military Middle Ages Medicine
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Critic Reviews

Over a year on The New York Times bestseller list

"Monumental... powerfully intelligent... not just a masterful narrative... but also an authoritative and disturbing morality tale." —Chicago Tribune

"Easily our fullest, richest, most panoramic history of the subject." —The New York Times Book Review

"Hypnotizing, horrifying, energetic, lucid prose..." —Providence Observer

"A sobering account of the 1918 flu epidemic, compelling and timely. —The Boston Globe

"History brilliantly written... The Great Influenza is a masterpiece." —Baton Rouge Advocate
All stars
Most relevant
Many will say that this book is longer than it needs to be and that it dwells on too much peripheral detail. There is a little truth to that. However, in the main, this is a masterful work that tells an extroardinary story and provides fascinating and mainly highly important context. The narration is skillful and gripping. Under the shadow of the current SARS-CoV-2 epidemic, the epilogue provides some prescient and ominous words.

tour de force

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This was a great book about the American experience of the pandemic and also the evolution of the science and practice of medicine from the late 19th century through to the mid 20th century. the book oscillate well between the horror on the ground, to the efforts of those trying to stop the onslaught.

It uses the language of the time and embeds many quotes giving the reader a real feel for the people that are the subject of the text

Fantastic book - covering a much broader scope

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From the blurb I was expecting a story about the global tragedy but I was disappointed to find that the long book was focussed almost entirely on how it spread in the US (where 1-2% of total global deaths occurred). It is interesting in the current covid-19 context which a certain person refers to as the "China virus", to find that the 1918 influenza epidemic started in Kansas and spread through US army barracks and was delivered to the rest of the world on its troop ships. So it was really "the US virus" if that's how we now name things! From an English reader's point of view the story was partial particularly when addressing the impact on WW1. To refer to Lloyd George and "George" displays an embarrassing ignorance on the part of the author.
Probably the blurb which describes the book as "The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History" should be modified to clarify that it is a US story about US history.

US centric view of global pandemic

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An unwieldy book that attempts to draw politics and medicine and science together, but an eye opener in light of what is happening today. Again, stupid men in positions that would be able to affect change quickly, chose not too. John Barry gives a warning at the end of the book, a prophecy. Little did he know that Trump would be in the White House.

An complicated read

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My only disappointment in this book was that it was so America-centric. it did not tell a world story about the 1918 pandemic. Other than that, it was brilliant. Well told and gave wonderful Insights to how the whole story unfolded. Some of the story is reflected in today and how we are handling the current 2020 pandemic. The story is driven along to a large extent with small bios of different doctors, politicians, and other figures. I became addicted to this book and put it on whenever I could. would thoroughly recommend for an insight into one of the biggest challenges the human race has ever faced.

An American History Of The Great Influenza

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