Outbreak: Plagues That Changed History

by Bryn Barnard

Book Overview

"An engrossing introduction for young adult readers to the chillingly topical subject of man vs. microbe." -- The Wall Street Journal Did the Black Death destroy medieval Europe? Did cholera pave the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375829865
• ISBN13: 9780375829864
• Release Date: November 2005
• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
• Length: 48 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 9.4" x 12.2"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Very interesting

In this interesting book, author Bryn Barnard looks at six diseases that changed history - the Black Death, smallpox (in its effects on the New World), yellow fever, cholera, tuberculosis, and the Spanish Flu of 1918. Each disease is given its own chapter, where its history, causes and effects are all discussed in depth. Now, it is true that the author does allow his political biases to intrude in the narrative - for example condemning British use of smallpox as a weapon, while merely glossing over the Mongol use of bubonic plague as a weapon, or holding up the Cuban health system as a model for future emulation. But, I do not think that it detracted too much from the overall excellent job that the author did in covering the diseases. Now, it must be said that the book should be subtitled "Plagues that changed modern history," as even the author admits that such pre-modern plagues as Justinian's Plague of A.D. 542 and the 430 B.C. Plague of Athens changed history. But, that said, I did find this to be a very interesting read, one that is sure to please any reader interested in the history of disease.

Highly Recommended

This is an exciting and scientificaly accurate description of how the interaction of humans, culture and microbes have changed the world and the course of history through the centuries. It begins with the story of the Black Death (plauge) and brings us up to where the world is now poised on the brink of another flu epidemic like the Spanish flu of 1918. The writing is direct and imaginative with clear relationships established between various illnesses and there affects on human societes. I recommend this to anyone interested in current or past world events. And shouldn't that be all of us?