Voices from the Pandemic

Americans Tell Their Stories of Crisis, Courage and Resilience

By: Eli Saslow

Narrated by: Hillary Huber, Mark Bramhall, Dion Graham, Alejandra Reynoso, Matt Godfrey, Amy Landon, Amanda Carlin, Andrew Eiden, Henry Levya, Chanté McCormick, Robert Fass, Eli Saslow

A powerful and cathartic portrait of a country grappling with the Covid-19 pandemic—from feeling afraid and overwhelmed to extraordinary resilient—told through voices of people from all across America • From the Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter and author of Rising Out of Hatred

The Covid-19 pandemic was a world-shattering event, affecting everyone in the nation. From its first ominous stirrings, renowned journalist Eli Saslow began interviewing a cross-section of Americans to capture their experiences in real time: An exhausted and anguished EMT risking his life in New York City; a grocery store owner feeding his neighborhood for free in locked-down New Orleans; an overwhelmed coroner in Georgia; a Maryland restaurateur forced to close his family business after forty-six years; an Arizona teacher wrestling with her fears and her obligations to her students; rural citizens adamant that the entire pandemic is a hoax, and retail workers attacked for asking customers to wear masks; patients struggling to breathe and doctors desperately trying to save them.

Through Saslow's masterful, empathetic interviewing, we are given a kaleidoscopic picture of a people dealing with the unimaginable. These deeply personal accounts constitute a crucial, heartbreaking record of the sweep of experiences during this troubled time, and show us America from its worst and to its resilient best.

Critic reviews

Two-time Winner of the Pulitzer Prize

"Voices from the Pandemic offers a rich and valuable portrait of a confusing, frightening time in our history."
-Associated Press

"One of the nation’s preeminent storytellers"
-Oregon Live

"Saslow has done a sterling job of capturing real people’s experiences of the start of the pandemic."
-Tampa Bay Times

This was so informative & interesting

Highly recommended. Even though we were here in the USA during this pandemic, a person only knows their own experience. Good to hear a broader view.