Pale Rider Audiobook By Laura Spinney cover art

Pale Rider

The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

Pale Rider

By: Laura Spinney
Narrated by: Paul Hodgson
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $25.19

Buy for $25.19

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

The “haunting” (New York Times Book Review) story of a virus that triggered the worst pandemic of the 20th century

The flu pandemic of 1918-1920 was one of the greatest human disasters of all time. It infected a third of the people on 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 traveled across the globe, exposing mankind’s vulnerability and putting our ingenuity to the test. Drawing on the latest research in history, virology, epidemiology, psychology, and economics, Pale Rider masterfully recounts the little-known catastrophe that forever changed humanity.

©2017 Laura Spinney (P)2017 Hachette Audio 20th Century History & Commentary Medicine & Health Care Industry Modern War Scary Africa Medicine Inspiring

Critic reviews

“Spinney argues that almost a century later, the Spanish flu is ‘still emerging from the shadows of the First World War’ in our collective memories. She sets out to rectify this, knowing just which medical mysteries and haunting vignettes will give the pandemic full purchase on our imaginations.”—New York Times Book Review

“Pale Rider contains vivid journalistic accounts of outbreaks around the world, from the U.S. to China, India, and Persia...Insightful.”—Publisher’s Weekly

“A compelling, expert account of a half‑forgotten historical catastrophe.”—Kirkus
Engaging Story • Well-flowing Narrative • Delicious Foreshadowing • Timely Information • Historical Context
Highly rated for:
All stars
Most relevant  
this book goes into the mechanics of a flu pandemic. I found it extremely informative and I feel like I understand the reality of flu. I like how the author ties the rise of the Trump family to the 1918 flu pandemic.

extremely informative; must read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
pandemic, historical-figures, historical-places-events, historical-research, history-and-culture ----
Impressive body of work. Much more comprehensive yet detailed than any other writings on this subject that I have read, it is not just a statistical report but a compilation of information gleaned from writings from many countries around the globe. The majority of other readings are focused on Europe and North America, while this includes translations from China, Russia, South America, and anywhere else afflicted. The role of The Great War in its transmission is explored as well. The devastation left behind by this pandemic amounted to a great deal more than the casualties of the war. I feel that this should be required reading for all healthcare workers as well as historians.
I have the audio interpreted by Paul Hodgson who was truly remarkable.

Must read !

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
He has an unnatural, annoying cadence. Sounds like a machine. So unpleasant to listen to I had a hard time focusing on what he was saying. I finally gave up and switched to an e book. I will remember his name and avoid it in the future.

Narrator was horrible

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I learned so much about the current pandemic from this book. It helped me to see many positive possibilities that can come from this mess.

Required Pandemic Reading

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I always knew that history of repeated itself but I never had any idea that that could still be true when it came to illness. A fascinating history of influenza and its impact on the world. although the focus is on the Spanish flu, this book is truly amazing and the overall picture of a pandemic. excellent!

history repeats itself

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
How did we ever-as a civilization-forget about the 1918 flu?? This should be required reading for all, and especially now during the pandemic. The parallels are uncanny, but more so our response to a shared threat and our collective behavior. Urge everyone you know (regardless of political bend) to read this book. It is an enlightening experience.

Required reading

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
What a beautiful book! It is a horrific topic but
Oh how important it is to think about The Great
Influenza and how it changed the world. And how we are still finding new pieces of history
that change the way we look at WW1 and the history of epidemics.

Now more than ever

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This book is incredibly relevant to the times we are now living through. First, it posits another visitation of a deadly pandemic, and here we find ourselves. It is remarkably prescient in that regard. I suppose it was inevitable.

Second, it outlines the possible preventative and mitigation strategies that could have been undertaken to contain it but were not until it was too late, largely for political and religious reasons. Sound familiar?

And third, it shows the historical context of this hideous disease, both pre- and post-pandemic. The pre-pandemic context is very much what we have been contending with in 2020. The post-pandemic context of our current debacle, of course, remains to be seen.

I cannot recommend this book too highly. It is well-researched, and it is written like the most compelling fiction. What a story!

2020 Prescience. Pale Rider, the Spanish Flu

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Fascinating read in the midst of COVID-19. I read The Great Influenza first and followed with The Pale Rider. Stark reminders of how little we have learned from our history with pandemics.

Deja vu

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Very interesting and informative, especially in light of covid. Highly recommend as it is eye opening and thoughtful.

Pre Covid

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews