The Great Influenza

The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History

By: John M. Barry

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 19 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

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 24 weeks than AIDS has killed in 24 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.

©2004, 2005 John M. Barry (P)2006 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"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)

Must read!!

Informative, riveting, and action packed in the classic Hollywood style, while loaded from beginning to end with enough background in science and history to fully grasp the magnitude of The Great Influenza! Then, apply what you've learned to the Covid-19 pandemic, 103 years later. Come on, do it!

Overall well-researched. Focused on macro-scale.

Overall I am glad that I listened to this book, and I learned much about how the disease spread and affected the population on a macro scale. I was surprised that less was mentioned of the patients and their stories than of the work of the scientists themselves. Worth a listen.

Very good

Filled with information that enriches your knowledge of medicine and how new information is gained. I really enjoyed this book.

An Excellent Read

What made the experience of listening to The Great Influenza the most enjoyable?

The writer did not simply confine his story to the influenza outbreak alone. Instead he made an effort to capture the time, and an outstanding effort it was.

What did you like best about this story?

That the writer went to exceptional detail in describing the impact of the outbreak on the members of the Woodrow Wilson administration during the Versailles Peace Talks. This was very interesting to me.

Have you listened to any of Scott Brick’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

It was outstanding.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The description of the impact of the outbreak on local and city governments. How the outbreak was dealt with at the local level was an extraordinary tale.

Any additional comments?

Listen to his book. Well performed and extremely well researched and written.

Very Enlightening!

I had heard about a flu epidemic in 1918, but had never realized how awful it actually was. Two of my ancestors died of the flu within one week of each other in October 1918. I had discovered this while researching my genealogy. This made me want to find out more about it, and this book was very educational for me. I find the flu's effect on World War I quite remarkable. It must have been a very scary time to live through.

Good, but exhausting

This is a fascinating book that ties together the development of American medicine in the early 20th century and an exhaustive look at the 1918-9 influenza epidemic. I learned a lot as the author gave a detailed background on medical research and its successes and failures prior to the pandemic. He sometimes gets carried away with his prose and goes into more detail than I wanted on some of the medical biograpies, but it was still very interesting. The narration is good and the author's research on the topic seems to be top-notch (though one of the problems with audio books is that it is hard to flip to the back of the book to check the endnotes or even the bibliography). It is a long read, but if you have a real interest in the subject, it is one that will educate and provoke a lot of thought about how we would deal with a similar pandemic today.

Extremely interesting

I love this kind of history. I also enjoy Scott Bricks narrative voice and style with the exception of how he says “cantonment” but I think he and Barry both did a terrific job. Barry did good at constantly keeping me interested from beginning to end.

very relevant

A comprehensive review of the events of the pandemic and the research that resulted. Very timely.

Why this book is a completing read for everyone

Most people of the current generation have never heard of the 1918-1919. Even though it may have been the greatest threat to the species of Man since the flood of Noah. This book gives such a detailed and insightful view of what this global epidemic meant to the world, and how the people of the day responded to this threat. The book gives insight into the nature of medicine and how the field has grown to deal with this type of epidemic. You will see a view into the lives of key individuals that shaped the field of medicine and how that allows for some response to threats of this nature. I could just not stop listening. And will go through this book again.

A must read especially after COVID-19.

I never read books more than once and I've read this one three times.. it is eye-opening and absolutely fantastic!!