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)

Dispassionate, Sober, and Prescient

John M Barry’s work is at once historical—deeply human(e); nuance wanders the hallways in the text; tragedy quietly, gingerly opens its maw and swallows one whole. Barry’s work resists sentimentality—for it’d be easy enough to slip into passive sympathy. Not so for Barry. Instead, he pull up a chair for death and examines its cold husk.

It could always be prevented. Today, this text shows we’ve not changed as a people since 1918—an indictment of our humanity.

Great Book

This book is right on time. The book has something for everyone. It will appeal to the everyday person and to intellectuals as well. This book should make everyone aware that a pandemic could happen anytime and we should put more safeguards in place to keep that from happening so easily. After listening to this book, you will have all of your questions about Flu answered.

Right out of today's headlines

This book describes in great detail about a flue plague that until recently was not spoken of much. The spread of the virus and resulting fear would be hard to conceive if we weren't going through it again in 2020 with the COVID-19 virus. The efforts of those involved in research and health care are inspiring. The stupidity and cowardice of politicians was as evident then as it should be now. The book shows the mistakes they made then, partly due to ignorance of disease. Sadly, we are making the same mistakes again, even though we know better about how disease spreads. This book is more relevant today than it was when it was published.

Helps put Covid into perspective

Although the beginning of the book was good info leading up to the pandemic if you are in a crunch start somewhere around chapter 13. Very informative and helped me wrap my head around what is going on today.

Very Scary Especially with COVID Looming

This was such a great overview of what happened in 1918. We are experiencing the same issues ironically. So scary. So many people died in 1918 and were carried to graves via carriages and dumped into huge graves with hundreds of people. So sad. But that is happening now with COVID. You need to read this to get the drift on what will happen and is happening now. Don't be dumb about the COVID virus.

The Great Influenza

The Great Influenza gave a FASCINATING historical & biological description of the 1918 Influenza. The author did not know about coming COVID-19, but his biological chapters gave me insights to the COVID disease, the attack on the virus, and the positive/negative effects of our immune system.

Wow.

I learned so much! If you’re looking for an in-depth look at not only the pandemic, but what lent a hand into making it so destructive, this is the book.

Riveting

It has everything. Short course on viruses. vaccines as well as history of US during WW 1. It reads like a very good who dunnit. Best book I have listen to all year.

Can't Put Down, Even the Second Tme Around!!

Can't Put Down, Even the Second Time Around!! Best book ever! Horrifying and intriguing at the same!

Clairvoyant? Or perhaps a sensible man...

Amazing how much information in contained in this book that could have saved thousands of people during the Covid 19 crisis if only warnings had been heeded. The research that was done for this book was excellent. All of the facts are right here for anybody who takes the time to internalize them. I enjoyed this very much and strangely feel more mentally prepared for what else may come for Covid.