The Black Angels

The Untold Story of the Nurses Who Helped Cure Tuberculosis

By: Maria Smilios

Narrated by: Gina Daniels

New York City, 1929. A sanatorium, a deadly disease, and a dire nurse shortage. So begins the remarkable true story of the Black nurses who helped cure one of the world’s deadliest plagues: tuberculosis.

During those dark pre-antibiotic days, when tuberculosis killed one in seven people, white nurses at Sea View, New York’s largest municipal hospital, began quitting. Desperate to avert a public health crisis, city officials summoned Black southern nurses, luring them with promises of good pay, a career, and an escape from the strictures of Jim Crow. But after arriving, they found themselves on an isolated hilltop in the remote borough of Staten Island, yet again confronting racism and consigned to a woefully understaffed facility, dubbed “the pest house” where “no one left alive.”

Spanning the Great Depression and moving through World War II and beyond, this story follows the intrepid young women, the “Black Angels,” who, for twenty years, risked their lives working under dreadful conditions while caring for the city’s poorest—1,800 souls languishing in wards, waiting to die or become “guinea pigs” for experimental (often deadly) drugs. Yet despite their major role in desegregating the NYC hospital system—and regardless of their vital work in helping to find the cure for tuberculosis at Sea View—these nurses were completely erased from history. The Black Angels recovers the voices of these extraordinary women and puts them at the center of this riveting story celebrating their legacy and spirit of survival.

Cover photo of nurses courtesy of NYCHHC/SeaView Archives

©2023 Maria Smilios (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

One of St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s 40 New Books for Fall Reading

“Vivid…[An] indelible portrait of an era when this untreatable bane killed one American every 11 minutes…[The nurses’] tenacity in the face of harsh working conditions and pervasive racism is humbling and inspiring…Excellent…[A] book that deserves reading and remembering in the pandemic age.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Extraordinary…Written with an astute grasp of the medical facts surrounding TB, [the] book eloquently highlights the humanity of the nurses who were recruited from the segregated South to provide care for people with TB in the hospital when nobody else would…Smilios is a rare combination of rigorous scientist and an exquisite writer…[A] must-read for anyone in the TB field but also for those who wish to gain a better understanding of the factors that drive current health disparities.” —The Lancet

“Immensely rewarding…[A] confluence of histories, encompassing public health, urban development, race, class, and social upheaval…[Smilios] blends all of the threads she followed into a big blistering narrative that takes readers into the lives of an exceptional group of individuals whose personal stories are as compelling as the disease they confronted was deadly. Informative, enthralling, and sometimes appalling, this is American history at its best.” —Booklist, starred review

loved it History unveiled again

Another story showing that Black Americans helped build, support and move this country forward despite all of the obstacles, challenges and difficulties . When you read about the struggles and treatment it is eye opening.

Great black history

I enjoyed reading about the accomplishments and achievements of my people, Black Americans, in spite of the obstacles before them. The author and narrator are commended in their excellent telling this story of great 20th century Americans.

The rascism

That women black nurses undertook the worst & most difficult jobs with lingering & steady compassion to raise their own life status & help save the most desperately ill.

grateful

did not know or expected how hard this book was to read. so sad that these nurses were not hailed as hero's. but then again how covid was i can relate somewhat. this book is so important and i will never forget the heros in this book.

History, science, memoir

This book is fascinating, entertaining, inspiring and educational! This is the kind of book that makes you want to delve further into the subjects. Aside from the racist ANA, makes one proud to be associated with the nursing profession.

Informative and touching

The reader was perfect in this true and wonderful story about black nurses and so many others who worked very hard to make the world a better and healthier place. I highly recommend!

Someone should have listened before the release

I am 2/3rds through this book. This is a great story BUT there are several places that the orator's sentences are cut off.

Inspiring perseverance

As a nurse myself and a bit of a history buff, I found this book to be inspiring and heartbreaking. The research that went into it is commendable and in-depth. The racial iniquities that these nurses faced while battling one of the most prolific and lethal communicable diseases is that much more interesting and riveting. I couldn’t stop listening and doing my own studying and research along the way. These women truly were angels. I recommended it to everyone I know nurses and non-medical professionals alike.

TB is a terrible disease

The nurses in this story worked very hard; were discriminated against; and provided hope, love, and comfort to their patients and communities. It is amazing how they overcame hatred and responded with love instead of anger. The history of discrimination is horrible, but unfortunately is being promoted again. Discrimination was stupid then; it is stupid now!

VERY EASY LISTENING AND AN IMPORTANT STORY

I enjoyed this book – an almost forgotten story of the courageous nurses who helped get us through the days of frightening tuberculosis epidemics before there was any “cure”. I thought it was an important story - not of grand masters of the universe but of the day-to-day real people getting things done. The book is well written, flows nicely and tells a compelling history of mistreatment of the nurses who were valiantly trying to help, but blocked and put down in so many ways. I enjoyed the narration and thought that added to the story. Very worthwhile listening to this book!