
Pale Rider
The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World
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Narrated by:
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Paul Hodgson
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By:
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Laura Spinney
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.
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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
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extremely informative; must read
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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 !
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Narrator was horrible
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Required Pandemic Reading
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history repeats itself
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Required reading
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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
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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
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Deja vu
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Pre Covid
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