The Plague Cycle

The Unending War Between Humanity and Infectious Disease

By: Charles Kenny

Narrated by: Jacques Roy

A vivid, sweeping, and “fact-filled” (Booklist, starred review) history of mankind’s battles with infectious disease that “contextualizes the COVID-19 pandemic” (Publishers Weekly)—for readers of the #1 New York Times bestsellers Yuval Harari’s Sapiens and John Barry’s The Great Influenza.

For four thousand years, the size and vitality of cities, economies, and empires were heavily determined by infection. Striking humanity in waves, the cycle of plagues set the tempo of civilizational growth and decline, since common response to the threat was exclusion—quarantining the sick or keeping them out. But the unprecedented hygiene and medical revolutions of the past two centuries have allowed humanity to free itself from the hold of epidemic cycles—resulting in an urbanized, globalized, and unimaginably wealthy world.

However, our development has lately become precarious. Climate and population fluctuations and factors such as global trade have left us more vulnerable than ever to newly emerging plagues. Greater global cooperation toward sustainable health is urgently required—such as the international efforts to manufacture and distribute a COVID-19 vaccine—with millions of lives and trillions of dollars at stake.

“A timely, lucid look at the role of pandemics in history” (Kirkus Reviews), The Plague Cycle reveals the relationship between civilization, globalization, prosperity, and infectious disease over the past five millennia. It harnesses history, economics, and public health, and charts humanity’s remarkable progress, providing a fascinating and astute look at the cyclical nature of infectious disease.

The tilted balance towards preaching

Enjoyed the information. Did not enjoy the preaching. Wish it had stayed more the information and stayed away from the preaching.

Great look at a historical subject that is so often ignored

This is an excellent book that needs to be read by all to understand what life used to be like, how we got to where we are today and more importantly where we are heading. I like the fact that the terminology was easier to understand than standard texts on the subject but it still needs to go further. My belief is that we need to do more to educate people who have lower levels of education as they vote too and are more prone to believing conspiracy theories. Great book and we need more like it.

Inconsistent

This book is a mix of interesting history of plagues and pandemics, and of illogical conclusions about the messages we should take away from them.

I gave up a chapter 8, at which point the illogic was overwhelming the history.

Full of platitudes

No original insight in the book. More global cooperation is the answer for everything. WHO needs more money.