Influenza

The Hundred-Year Hunt to Cure the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic

By: Dr. Jeremy Brown

Narrated by: Holter Graham

Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

On the 100th anniversary of the devastating pandemic of 1918, Jeremy Brown, a veteran ER doctor, explores the troubling, terrifying, and complex history of the flu virus, from the origins of the Great Flu that killed millions, to vexing questions such as: are we prepared for the next epidemic, should you get a flu shot, and how close are we to finding a cure?

While influenza is now often thought of as a common and mild disease, it still kills over 30,000 people in the US each year. Dr. Jeremy Brown, currently director of Emergency Care Research at the National Institutes of Health, expounds on the flu's deadly past to solve the mysteries that could protect us from the next outbreak. In Influenza, he talks with leading epidemiologists, policy makers, and the researcher who first sequenced the genetic building blocks of the original 1918 virus to offer both a comprehensive history and a roadmap for understanding what’s to come.

Dr. Brown digs into the discovery and resurrection of the flu virus in the frozen victims of the 1918 epidemic, as well as the bizarre remedies that once treated the disease, such as whiskey and blood-letting. Influenza also breaks down the current dialogue surrounding the disease, explaining the controversy over vaccinations, antiviral drugs like Tamiflu, and the federal government’s role in preparing for pandemic outbreaks. Though 100 years of advancement in medical research and technology have passed since the 1918 disaster, Dr. Brown warns that many of the most vital questions about the flu virus continue to confound even the leading experts.

Influenza is an enlightening and unnerving look at a shapeshifting deadly virus that has been around long before people - and warns us that it may be many more years before we are able to conquer it for good. 

©2018 Dr. Jeremy Brown (P)2018 Simon & Schuster

Important read

A complex problem clearly explained with suggestions for further research and solutions. Surprisingly very entertaining.

So-so

The book starts off well enough, but goes off the rails as you get deeper into the book. The author rails against Tamiflu for a ridiculous period of time - and in the end the data is still mixed - so what was the point? Also the author says the 2009-2010 swine flu pandemic wasn't a big deal at all - yet when you do a simple search for the stats it says up to 1.4-billion people were infected and up to 575,000 were killed. The author never acknowledges the published stats and doesn't explain why they're supposedly wrong. Don't get me wrong, I think the WHO is corrupt and dishonest in many of its findings, but if you're writing a book, explain why you're so certain they are wrong and where you get your facts.

At times, when the book is telling a story, it's pretty good. But a lot of the book is just like reading a bunch of magazine articles put together. It's by no means all bad - it's just very mediocre, middle of the road, completely average.

The read was acceptable - didn't really have the right tone at times, but listen at 1.25x speed and he'll sound a lot better.

Oh, and a WOKE bonus, the author repeatedly calls doctors "she"... Why? Because the author is WOKE man. Actually the politics here aren't all that bad, but rather than say they, the author repeatedly says she as a doctor because, well, he's better than you.

Prophetic

Not every author gets to hear their prophecies fulfilled, but Dr. Brown certainly has. This is a great read to fill in the background on how we got to where we are in April 2020.

Very Interesting and Informative

If you are here during the COVID19 pandemic seeking answers then you have come to the right place. No it doesn’t discuss the current pandemic but it does explain a lot of underlying issues and how these types of illnesses remain uncured and why they are so deadly.

Disappointing

Fairly poorly written, poorly thought out in places, repetitive and drags in long spots. Lots of interesting information, of course, but hardly worth the pain. Found myself skipping sections and, once or twice, actually yelling in frustration at the author’s poor reasoning.

Very timely thing to read right now

As the 100th anniversary of the 1918 pandemic approached, this public health doctor researched the more general subject of pandemics and influenza, and his book frequently touches on the question of prediction of pandemics (versus the regular appearance of mutating flu viruses) and preparedness (or lack of need to do so) for a new pandemic. Well, we know how that turned out. A very interesting and timely thing to be reading right now.

Excellent exploration of the topic from all angles

Excellent exploration of the topic from all angles, and useful reminders of how to think honestly about how science and government should interact.

Out of Date Don’t Bother

Read John Barry’s Book instead. This is simplistic and given our current pandemic the conclusions are laughable. Waste of time.

great

great history on the flu, and the quest to find a workable treatment. I did this book in 1.5 days.

This is a great book for a medical student.

I did not have enough interest in this book to continue reading it. The author is very intelligent, there is a lot to be absorbed, but it did not hold my interest.