false 763331 11 Feeling tired, achy, and congested? You'll hope not after reading science writer Gina Kolata's engrossing <I>Flu</I>, a fascinating look at the 1918 epidemic that wiped out around 40 million people in less than a year and afflicted more than one of every four Americans. This tragedy, just on the heels of World War I and far more deadly, so traumatized the survivors that few would talk about it afterward. Kolata reports on the scientific investigation of this bizarre outbreak, in particular the attempts to sequence the virus' DNA from tissue samples of victims. She also looks at the social and personal effects of the disease, from improved public health awareness to the loss of productivity. (The disease affected 20- to 40-year-olds disproportionately.)<p> How could this disease, now almost trivial to healthy young people, have become so virulent? The answer is complex, invoking epidemiology, immunology, and even psychology, but Kolata cuts a swath through medical papers and statistical reports to tell a story of an out-of-control virus exploiting an exhausted world on the brink of transition into modern society. Through letters, interviews, and news reports, she pieces together a cautionary tale that captures the horror of a devastating illness. Research marches onward, but we're still at the mercy of something as simple as the flu. <I>--Rob Lightner</I> 749418 1999 Flu: The Story Of The Great Influenza Pandemic total:463|5:84|4:206|3:141|2:27|1:5| 463 1726 663 101 3 5 false false Mon Aug 04 11:50:17 -0700 2008 Mon Aug 04 11:55:30 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 3 false false Sun Oct 26 19:20:54 -0700 2008 Sun Dec 02 15:26:30 -0800 2007 Sun Oct 26 19:20:54 -0700 2008
I had no idea Katherine Anne Porter's Pale Horse, Pale Rider dealt with this topic...more...]]> 4 1 false false Fri Jul 31 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 14 10:02:02 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 31 07:38:38 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Mon Sep 15 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Sep 17 20:01:41 -0700 2008 Fri Sep 19 15:15:41 -0700 2008 1
I really learned a...more...]]> 3 1 false false Tue Feb 17 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Dec 27 17:51:48 -0800 2008 Tue Mar 03 19:20:04 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Jan 06 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Sun Jul 26 18:25:35 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 26 18:27:34 -0700 2009
First the good. This timely and credible treatment of influenza fills a critical void. The book is very readable. Although concentrating on historical vignettes to the exclusion of scientific explanations, the book provides a helpful background...more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed May 06 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue May 05 19:54:18 -0700 2009 Tue May 05 19:54:51 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 1 true false Thu Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Wed Mar 28 14:02:18 -0700 2007 Thu Apr 12 13:26:19 -0700 2007 the story has so many dead endings, im sure she could have f...more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue May 12 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed May 06 07:56:53 -0700 2009 Mon May 18 12:08:44 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Dec 10 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Jun 13 10:54:52 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 13 11:08:00 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue May 12 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun May 10 20:10:30 -0700 2009 Wed May 13 06:50:21 -0700 2009 more...]]> 1 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 10 09:29:17 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 10 09:33:52 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2002 Mon Aug 24 13:48:56 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 24 14:23:45 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 02 08:04:01 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 11 07:17:46 -0700 2009
I normally get bored by non-fiction, but this one kept me interested all the way through to the last pages, and even left me wanti...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 05 00:10:01 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 05 00:14:27 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon May 04 17:25:31 -0700 2009 Tue Feb 10 12:16:22 -0800 2009 Mon May 04 17:25:31 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri May 22 09:09:49 -0700 2009 Fri May 22 09:12:16 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Dec 18 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 13 19:24:55 -0800 2008 Fri Dec 19 08:05:55 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Nov 20 20:07:25 -0800 2008 Thu Nov 20 20:26:11 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Mon Apr 27 15:34:38 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 27 15:39:20 -0700 2009
Perhaps...more...]]>