Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Deadly

by Julie Chibbaro (Goodreads Author)

3.58 of 5 stars 3.58 · rating details · 698 ratings · 209 reviews

A mysterious outbreak of typhoid fever is sweeping New York. Could the city’s future rest with its most unlikely scientist? If Prudence Galewski is ever going to get out of Mrs. Browning’s esteemed School for Girls, she must demonstrate her refinement and charm by securing a job appropriate for a young lady. But Prudence isn’t like the other girls. She is fascinated by how...more

Kindle Edition

Published (first published 2011)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 2,650)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Oct 29, 2012 Francisco Galvez rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Deadly-Julie Chibbaro

Everyday people die from diseases and spread more each day. Many times it’s people who are innocent who just had bad luck from some person who spreads diseases. Deadly, by Julie Chibbaro tells the story of thousands of people, who get killed by an invisible killer called diseases, which kills innocent people.

This story takes place in New York and is about how Prudence, a 16-yearold scientist takes a job as an assistant in a laboratory in 1906 and the evidence in which a ha...more

2 likes · like · see review

Feb 22, 2011 Donna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: best-bitten

A behind-the-scenes look at Typhoid Mary told in epistolary form from the point of view of a teenage girl with a curious mind, Deadly was a swift, fascinating read that had me running from one cover to another. Despite the fact that the letters were mere snippets in Prudence's life, despite the fact that the world is viewed very narrowly through her eyes, I felt everything she felt. I could see her mother, her boss and the female doctor she idolized as clearly as Prudence did.

The voice, while se...more A behind-the-scenes look at Typhoid Mary told in epistolary form from the point of view of a teenage girl with a curious mind, Deadly was a swift, fascinating read that had me running from one cover to another. Despite the fact that the letters were mere snippets in Prudence's life, despite the fact that the world is viewed very narrowly through her eyes, I felt everything she felt. I could see her mother, her boss and the female doctor she idolized as clearly as Prudence did.

The voice, while set firmly in the time, was every bit as relevant and poignant as any other voice in a modernly-set YA novel. Prudence had all the issues of a growing woman, only exacerbated by the era that held her brain hostage. Not only did she have to contend with boys, an absent best friend and standards held to her by her mother and her school's owner, Prudence was fighting the tide of female empowerment. She wanted to be a doctor. She held more interest in germs and how they worked than being a counter girl at a department store and marrying well. Prudence stood out against the backdrop of Victorian New York and she did it subtly.

Prudence's voice wasn't loud and brazen. She was timid, afraid, hesitant. She was trying to function outside the norms of women of her time and she was only a teenager doing it. Her personality reflected that yet she remained strong despite all the nagging coming at her, trying to get her to act "proper."

The far away love she carried for her boss was heartbreaking. When she took a leap of faith, one that could have rightly ended her career, she had all the normal doubts and regrets of doing it yet she soldiered on. She didn't cave and bury herself far away from him. She faced him and continued doing what she loved.

Chibbaro wrote an excellent story, one that could have rightly been the diary of a real girl during that time. Every word was believable, every emotion tugging. The simplicity of the story, how mundane it is to us in this century, was made vivid and alive. Frightening in all the right places, endearing and empowering in the rest. I wish there was more there but we're only allowed this small peek into Prudence's life. We must make up the rest.

If you're looking for an historical fiction piece that feels like it was cut right out of history itself and served to you on a platter, Deadly is it. You will feel New York for what it once was. You will feel and understand Prudence in her daily life, feel her struggles, her choices, her pain. For the short time you're reading it, everything will fade around you and you'll end up on a bench in Victorian New York, watching the story unfold around you.(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Dec 30, 2010 Cheri rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. In a literary world overrun by vampires and werewolves, Deadly is a rare entry in the YA genre that proves that history can be just as intriguing as the imaginary. The protagonist, Prudence Galewski, is a teenager at the turn of the 20th century, stuck in a school that has a singular goal: to turn out graduates who are well-groomed, socially adept, and ripe for marriage. Our heroine instead dreams of working in the sciences, delving into the mysteries of human disease and contagion. The story fo...more

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 22, 2011 Kristi (The Story Siren) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a great historical novel about a disease and a person that I only thought I knew about. If I had to describe this novel with one word it would be interesting. And I don't mean that in a bad way.... I was fascinated by the way Prudence mind worked. I think to constantly question everything as she does would be absolutely exhausting... but at the same time I remember that curiosity that I once had myself. I remember my mom bought me a microscope and I spent hours looking at slides on that...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 21, 2010 Abby Johnson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ever since her brother died of an infected wound, Prudence has been determined to further the medical sciences and save lives, but that's not easy when you're a 16-year-old girl in 1906 New York City. When she takes a secretarial job at the Department of Health and Sanitation, Prudence begins working with Mr. Soper, trying to track cases of typhoid and figure out how to stop the epidemic. All tracks seem to lead to one woman - Mary Mallon - but "Typhoid Mary" refuses to believe that she carries...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 11, 2012 Nichelle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 13-15

Deadly is the story of a girl living with her mother during a time where girls were expected to go into careers like shopkeepers or secretaries. But Prudence is more interested in science than fashion, and when she takes a job as the assistant to the head of a laboratory that works to find the source of infectious diseases. After an outbreak of typhoid emerges, that nobody is able to figure out the source of for a while, they begin to narrow down the possibilities to one woman: a cook named Mary...more

like · see review

Jan 04, 2013 Lily Rosenberg rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Deadly by Julie Chibbaro is a book that will take you the adventure of 17 year old Prudence Galewalski. In this intriguing and interesting story Prudence becomes an assistant to the health and sanitation department. However, she realizes that science isn’t everything she expected it to be. When Prudence takes on a case about the typhoid disease she struggles to understand why it’s killing people. As she searches for an answer to this unsolvable mystery realizes that it’s going to be hard to hol...more

like · see review

Sep 04, 2012 Adrienne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Prudence Galewski has long been interested in how death and disease happen--what make the human body fail. Although most girls are interested in marriage and family, Prudence doesn't want to settle down; she wants to use her brain to delve into the world of science. When she's offered a job taking notes for Mr. Soper, who works for the Department of Health and Sanitation, she's excited to have found an opportunity that lets her do just that. An outbreak of typhoid fever leads Mr. Soper and Prude...more

like · see review

Jul 25, 2012 Carrie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Prudence Galewski is a curious “science-minded” girl living in a time when girls became secretaries, book keepers, nannies, or wives. Prudence knows that, as she looks for her first job, she must find something that is going to stretch her mind and challenge her abilities. She is overjoyed when her first (and only) job offer comes from the New York Department of Health and Sanitation. She is offered the position of an assistant who will take field notes and assist on investigations into the caus...more Prudence Galewski is a curious “science-minded” girl living in a time when girls became secretaries, book keepers, nannies, or wives. Prudence knows that, as she looks for her first job, she must find something that is going to stretch her mind and challenge her abilities. She is overjoyed when her first (and only) job offer comes from the New York Department of Health and Sanitation. She is offered the position of an assistant who will take field notes and assist on investigations into the causes and spread of diseases – a topic close to her heart. However, Prudence was not prepared for her first case to be one of such magnitude. Prudence and her boss begin with an investigation of a family in rural New York who have all come down with typhoid fever and end up with a case of an Irish cook who has worked for multiple families and left sickness and death in her wake. But, how will they be able to prove that the healthy Mary Mellon is actually the source of the sickness when science still knows so little about the invisible killers all around us?

The historical part of this book was GREAT! Based on the author’s notes, it seems that a great deal of research went into accurately telling the story of “Typhoid Mary” and the work of the staff at the NY Dept. of Health and Sanitation. I was fascinated by the telling of how the staff researched the disease, the limited knowledge and technology that they employed to come up with an accurate assessment of the situation, the lengths they went to to find Mary and prove she was the source… it was all amazing. And that story line flowed well… seamlessly. However, I was disappointed in the other story lines and how they ended. To make the work fiction and more interesting to readers, the author added a fictional, young, female narrator – Prudence. During the story, Prudence discovered love, decided to apply to medical school to become one of the few first female doctors, and found out the truth about her long-lost father. However, (view spoiler)

Overall, I enjoyed the book. It is about a topic that is rare in literature – there aren’t a lot of books about typhoid fever. It’s interesting and well-written; I was so wrapped up in the story I was able to finish the book in a night. Even though the ending could be better, the main plot line is resolved and that’s what counts. I think this book would be suitable for students ages 12 and up who are interested in history or science. If that sounds like you, grab “Deadly” today!(less)

like · see review

Jun 23, 2012 Nix rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Nix by: Pvmom

Shelves: historical-fiction

A fascinating read, despite this not (and this probably won't be the last time I'll say this) being my genre.

I liked the female-in-a-male-society aspect (if I didn't wholly like the way that Prudence was treated by Jonathan) and her going into science. Yay! Rebellion!

Mary Mallon was a really sad case. If people came to lock me up for life because they thought I was dirty (especially if I took that as "dirty Irish," though I'm not Irish . . . I don't think), I would get scared and run away too....more

like · see review

May 09, 2012 *tarazza rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I absolutely loved this book. The story, about a young woman in 1906 who leaves finishing school to become an assistant in the very young Department of Health of New York, was very compelling. Prudence finds herself yearning to know how bacteria and illness works, partly for personal reasons, and partly as a calling to become a scientist or doctor herself-- if that's even possible for a woman in 1906. She and her chief find themselves investigating a case of typhoid that is spreading, and they m...more

like · see review

Mar 12, 2012 Jenny rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Actual Rating: 3.5/5

Written in journal entry format, Deadly details the profound discovery that a healthy individual can be a carrier of contagious disease, combining the art of storytelling with factual evidence and scientific process to give us an intriguing, albeit brief, look into medical understanding in the early nineteen hundreds. The beginning chapters are a bit tedious as we follow Prudence in her attempt to find a job that will challenge her mind beyond gender-standard secretarial work...more Actual Rating: 3.5/5

Written in journal entry format, Deadly details the profound discovery that a healthy individual can be a carrier of contagious disease, combining the art of storytelling with factual evidence and scientific process to give us an intriguing, albeit brief, look into medical understanding in the early nineteen hundreds. The beginning chapters are a bit tedious as we follow Prudence in her attempt to find a job that will challenge her mind beyond gender-standard secretarial work, her journal entries fraught with details that seem to have no bearing on the overall plot arc other than to give us additional insight into the mind of our protagonist. Once her job with the Department of Health and Sanitation begins however, the story picks up and Prudence’s proclivity for questioning anything and everything around her seems to infect us through osmosis as we hold the pages, and we flip through the often very short chapters in search of answers to satisfy both Prudence and ourselves.

Prudence is a young woman easy to admire, her desire to find a job she feels will have an impact on society and her conviction to see that job through in the pursuit of a career typically frowned upon for women traits we fully support. While we may initially think the journal entry format will bring us closer to Prudence given we’re privy to her innermost thoughts as she documents them, rather the opposite seems to be true. Reading her journal keeps us at a bit of a distance, the physical paper pages of the book we’re reading combining with the fictional pages of Prudence’s personal records to form two separate barriers between us and the young woman we want to know. We have her thoughts, but her feelings and actions are often given to us in past tense–relayed to us after events have already taken place–and we’re denied the ability to experience them in real time with her to help us forge a connection based on shared moments of emotional or physical intensity.

While our relationship with Prudence may not be as deep or piercing as we might like, the story itself is inherently fascinating, and once we get to the actual pursuit of Mary Mallon we don’t want to set the book aside until we learn what becomes of her. Unfortunately, the story concludes with a rather open ending, our need for details about the outcome of Mary’s predicament and the results of her extensive testing only satisfied in the author’s note rather than in the story itself. Additionally, we have an idea of what Prudence’s future holds in store for her, knowing her dedication to science and learning will lead her into a medical field, however we can’t help but feel by the time we close the back cover that we spent nearly 300 pages with a stranger, seeing events through her eyes without ever truly being invited into her heart. Despite those flaws, the story is well written and will certainly entertain many a reader, those of us who crave a thriving connection with characters may just wish for a bit more from Prudence.(less)

like · see review

Feb 22, 2012 Arthur Pengerbil rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Reading Level: Grades 7-9

16-year-old Prudence Galewski knows she should be grateful to be a scholarship student at Mrs. Browning's School for Girls but she finds her lessons in typing, literature and deportment oppressive. Prudence doesn't want to be a wife and mother or a secretary at a bank. She wants to know what causes diseases and how to prevent them even though girls in the early 19th century were not supposed to be interested in such unladylike things.

Prudence gets her chance when she is...more

like · see review

Nov 17, 2011 Davina rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: teen-fiction-historical

Remember when you were a little kid and one of the "mean" things the kids would call each other was Typhoid (enter name here)? Like Typhoid Mary? Ever wonder what her real story was?

Deadly follows the fictional story of a young girl, Prudence Galewski, in the early 1900's who feels that there is more to life than learning how to keep a house and husband. When she comes across a chance at a job with the Department of Sanitation to assist a Sanitation Inspector she decides that she has found her...more

like · see review

Nov 05, 2011 Richie Partington rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

3 November 2010 DEADLY by Julie Chibbaro, Atheneum, February 2011, 304p., ISBN: 978-0-689-85738-6

"In pondering Mary Mallon's response, I think that Mr. Soper's accusation in front of her employer must've given her a great surprise and embarrassment. But I don't think we were wrong. We simply asked her for a test of her fluids. I'm beginning to see that people in the sciences often have to think in a different realm, somewhere beyond human emotions. They must hold their feelings in a dark cave de...more

like · see review

Oct 26, 2011 Kelly rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-fiction, read-in-2011

I really liked this much more than I initially thought I would. But, I wanted more. There needed to be more thrust to the story. While I felt Prudence's passion for wanting to go into science/medicine, I thought that too much other was brought into the story and not expressed as much as it could have or should have been.

When I got to page 50 or so, I was SO ANGRY right along with Pru about how women had no power and couldn't grow up and be what they wanted. I wanted way more of that. I wanted m...more

like · see review

Aug 08, 2011 Maureen Milton rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: newbery-2012, seniors

I gave this title to a few Senior girls last spring. One loved it, the other was lukewarm. I thought it was terrific and it will definitely will appear on my Mock Newbery 2012 list.
The premise grows a teensy bit like a sapling in Brooklyn, with a first generation New Yorker in the early 20th century whose mother sacrifices so she can go to a girls school that promises better work (secretarial vs factory work) for its graduates.
Prudence Galewski's best friend has moved to a faraway farm & has...more

like · see review

Jun 25, 2011 Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-reading-challenge, historical-fiction, ya-fiction

It's 1906 and fifteen-year-old Prudence feels trapped by what little she learns at "Mrs. Browning's School for Girls." Her eager mind is thrilled when she gets a job taking notes for the department of Health. Her "chief," as she calls him, is trying to find out the source of a series of typhoid outbreaks. Prudence is part of the team that realizes that Irish immigrant and cook Mary Mallon, who is outwardly totally healthy, is a carrier of the typhoid fever and has been unknowingly infecting the...more

like · see review

Jun 14, 2011 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: grades 7-9

Shelves: children-historical

Prudence lives in a cramped New York City tenement with her mother. She attends Miss Browning’s School for Girls—and hates it. Instead of paying attention to lectures on how to properly
run a household, Prudence finds herself daydreaming about people and what makes them healthy or sick, especially since her brother died from injuries from a cart horse and her father is still missing in action from the Spanish-American War.

When she has the chance to work as a secretary for an engineer at the Depa...more

like · see review

May 13, 2011 Tom Franklin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Told through a series of Journal/Diary pages, Julie Chibbaro's DEADLY is a coming of age story of Prudence Galewski, a second generation Jewish immigrant in 1905-06 New York. In the course of the book Prudence goes from being a finishing school student who dreams of something more for herself to being an important, albeit somewhat minor character in the pursuit of Mary Mallon, the Irish immigrant who was dubbed "Typhoid Mary" by the popular press of the day.

Stories told via journals, much like s...more Told through a series of Journal/Diary pages, Julie Chibbaro's DEADLY is a coming of age story of Prudence Galewski, a second generation Jewish immigrant in 1905-06 New York. In the course of the book Prudence goes from being a finishing school student who dreams of something more for herself to being an important, albeit somewhat minor character in the pursuit of Mary Mallon, the Irish immigrant who was dubbed "Typhoid Mary" by the popular press of the day.

Stories told via journals, much like stories told via letters, are difficult to pull off effectively. Either they come across as no journal entry I've ever found the time to write (full conversations of dialog, in-depth descriptions of places, people and feelings, etc.) or the entries are closer to reality which can often times leave the reader feeling too distant from both the characters and the action.

DEADLY, I think, suffers from the former. This is a result, I think of both the journal format and Chibbaro's insistence that Prudence write as a proper young lady of the time. There are certain things that can only be alluded to, but never said outright, and Prudence is very aware of this propriety.

Throughout the book I felt that I was being kept somewhat at arm's length from Prudence, that the full focus of the book was not where I was expecting it to be (Prudence as the main character). This was explained, somewhat, by the Author's Note at the end of DEADLY where Chibbaro says she was looking for a way to tell Mary Mallon's story in a sympathetic, human way. Had I read this before reading DEADLY my expectations of the story would have been different. I think I wouldn't have been bothered by the distance so much.

This is not to say DEADLY is not an enjoyable read. It is. Chibbaro does a very fine job of presenting the mores, the burgeoning science, and shades of the immigrant (and certainly the feminist) experience of the times. Prudence is an engaging character, who expresses her curiosity and the loss of those parts of her former life that she misses quite well.

There are few books that leave me wanting to read a sequel, but DEADLY introduces an intriguing character who is setting herself out on a pioneering path. I hope Chibbaro continues with Prudence's story and lets us deeper into her world.(less)

like · see review

Apr 26, 2011 Sarai rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, historical

This was an interesting book that managed to get across a lot of scientific information without feeling as though that was what it was doing. It is presented in diary-entry format and has personal items and medical or historical items mixed together. It was not fast-paced or exciting, but it was a good solid read.

Product Description
A mysterious outbreak of typhoid fever is sweeping New York.

Could the city’s future rest with its most unlikely scientist?

If Prudence Galewski is ever going to get ou...more

like · see review

Mar 22, 2011 Julia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: appropriate-for-high-school, appropriate-for-middle-school, death-grief, historical-fiction, history, illness

I read this book at the same time as Susan Vreeland's "Clara and Mr. Tiffany" which is an adult novel set in the same time period (early 1900s New York City). So I was fully imersed in the culture of the time as I was reading it. This novel is written in journal format from Prudence's point of view. She takes a job working as an assistant/secretary to a disease hunter at the Deptartment of Health and Sanitation. She's very excited to be doing something that she feels is of value and uses her bra...more

like · see review

Mar 19, 2011 Shannon rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bekah, youngadult

Deadly was a good follow up to The Power of One, my previous read. Where The Power of One was epic and took me a few weeks to read, Deadly's scope was confined to less than a year and I read it in less than a day. Yet Deadly was enjoyable, interesting and, perhaps, most valuable to me, a read that is challenging enough for my daughters with absolutely no objectionable content.

Deadly is written in diary format by sixteen year old Prudence Galewski. Prudence is a second generation Jewish American...more Deadly was a good follow up to The Power of One, my previous read. Where The Power of One was epic and took me a few weeks to read, Deadly's scope was confined to less than a year and I read it in less than a day. Yet Deadly was enjoyable, interesting and, perhaps, most valuable to me, a read that is challenging enough for my daughters with absolutely no objectionable content.

Deadly is written in diary format by sixteen year old Prudence Galewski. Prudence is a second generation Jewish American living in New York City in 1906. Her interest in science - and anything requiring deep thought - is looked down upon by her teachers and classmates at Miss Browning's Finishing School. Yet Prudence finds a job with an epidemiologist studying a recent typhoid outbreak. Prudence's drawings accompany entries scattered through the book, adding an interesting element to her story-telling.

Prudence is likable and - in sharp contrast to so many young heroines in today's fiction - far more interesting in things of the mind than romance. She lives during a time when a woman's options for careers were severely limited, yet she doesn't let that stop her - or change who she is.

I've already encouraged my nine year old to give this book a try. I think she'll enjoy the look at medical knowledge from a century ago and will marvel (as I did) at how the things that we now consider basic knowledge were often new, sometimes unproven, discoveries then. I was surprised that this book was classified by my library as young adult rather than juvenile fiction. That normally indicates a more mature content, but unless your young reader is disturbed by scientific processes and discoveries, I can't imagine why this book wouldn't be suitable. The vocabulary and concepts may be challenging in a few places, but that's always a good thing from my parenting viewpoint.

So if you're interested in a quick look at turn of the 20th century New York, the progress of medicine during that time, or the story of a girl learning to reconcile her emotions with her thoughts, Deadly is a great read. It won't take much of your time, but will leave you grateful for the vast array of medical knowledge available today - and glad to have spent a bit of time in Prudence's world.(less)

like · see review

Mar 04, 2011 Reader rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-february-2011

I picked this up off of our new books cart intrigued by the cover but without really knowing anything about it. After a bit of a slow start in the first couple of chapters, this became one of the most intriguing historical fiction books I've read in a long time! In 1906, Prudence is 16, attending a finishing school, but never quite feels like she fits in with the other girls her age. Ever since her brother died of an infection, she has been interested in germs and ridding the world of disease. W...more

like · see review

Feb 05, 2011 cecilia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: yellow-covers

deadly was almost a no-go for me, but it starts to get interesting after the first couple of chapters - it's when Prudence gets a job at the Department of Health and Sanitation that the story really picks up some steam. Before then, we had to endure the trials of finishing school where girls either learn to be housewives or governesses or some other seemingly unexciting things. Prudence never fits in that mold, and she has the luck of landing a secretary joy with the perks of also being assistan...more

like · see review

May 18, 2013 Judy Desetti rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: historical fiction fans

Shelves: historical-fiction, young-adult, crime

Good YA selection. I thought it was a mystery when I chose it to read; but this is more historical fiction and dealing with how society dealt with medical issues, disease, and limited the choices of women.

Set in 1906 and told from the viewpoint of a 16 year old girl who becomes an assistant to Soper, the man who is tracking down a typhoid fever epidemic. It did not take me long to figure out it was a story dealing with the discovery of Typhoid Mary. Although more detail could have been added it...more

like · see review

Dec 31, 2011 Megan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Altogether this book is very good. It goes very in depth and makes you truly feel and see things as the character does. If you are into historical fiction/ mystery then you will probably enjoy this book also.
I liked the intricate plot and how everything fit together. I also liked how they showed her internal conflict as well as the external conflict. The internal conflict was written and described very well. The characters had many layers.
I did not like however the fact that the ending was very...more

like · see review

Apr 30, 2011 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Prudence takes chances and goes against the "socially accepted" roles of her time. When she tries to get a job...

"He cleared his throat and picked up my typing test. I racked my mind for a way to ask him about the job and what it might entail-I tried to call up words, by they seemed as ephmeral as clouds. 'So, I have all of your information, name, address and such,' he said. He stood, as if to end the meeting. And then it came to me. 'Sir, did the Department of Health and Sanitation begin after...more Prudence takes chances and goes against the "socially accepted" roles of her time. When she tries to get a job...

"He cleared his throat and picked up my typing test. I racked my mind for a way to ask him about the job and what it might entail-I tried to call up words, by they seemed as ephmeral as clouds. 'So, I have all of your information, name, address and such,' he said. He stood, as if to end the meeting. And then it came to me. 'Sir, did the Department of Health and Sanitation begin after Jacob published his book 'How the Other Half Lives?. His eyes flickered to life then, as if I had brought him out of a dull routine. (page 33)

Her inner struggles...

"I am human. Despite my desire to be purely scientific, I have sympathies, revulsions, fears. But I want to be more than human, better than human-I want to be above and see all, to understand the reason for everything. I want to be pure science, pur brain, without so much feeling. Feeling clouds me. And yet I come back to the sad truth: I am human.... (p.182)

"I long to push myself above human feelings and into science. Yet I can't see with a cold eye. I don't know if I am fit for this life of the mond as I had one thought I was. (p.189)

She makes a connection between her own family past and her current crossroads with life...

"My family is made of pioneers. My grandfather left his home with his baby and his wife and came to America. What did it take for him to do that? He left his own parents, and his aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews, a language he knew, a farm he loved. My father left a wife and young child to go ao another country and fight a war. I don't see how my family members tore themselves from the lives and people they loved, in order to press themselves into a new mold." (p. 204)

And finally...

"In a flash, I recalled my conversation with Dr. Baker. She talked about the cause, about girls who marched in the streets. they did not sit around thinking; they changed the world. But maybe they had started out like me, as doubtful, questioning girls, girls who longed to use their minds for a good and meaningful purpose. No matter how difficult a choice that might be." (p. 209)(less)

like · see review

Jun 11, 2011 Barbara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ncbla

Medical mysteries are intriguing, and this one, told through a series of letters and journal entries, has much to offer even though most of the mystery is solved during the first half of the book. Prudence Galewski, 16, leaves her vocational school in order to take a job working in the Department of Health and Sanitation on New York City. One of the first cases with which she is involved focuses on finding out the cause of an outbreak of typhus in the city. The author provides wonderful descript...more

like · see review

Mar 26, 2011 Bdalton rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult-fiction

It's 1906 and Prudence lives with her mother in a New York tenement. Her brother has died and her father joined up with Teddy Roosevelt to fight in Cuba with the Rough Riders. He hasn't been heard from in years. Prudence goes to a school where she is being taught to be a proper lady but also helps her mother who is a midwife. She gets a job working for the New York Department of Health and Sanitation with the epidemiologist who investigates the case of Mary Mallon, Typhoid Mary. This book is a q...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 88 89 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (4)

Videos About This Book

Add a comment

Genres

Historical Fiction

132 users

Young Adult

64 users

Mystery

19 users

Young Adult > Teen

15 users

Romance

7 users

Realistic Fiction

4 users

Adult

4 users

Illness > Disease

3 users

Literature > Jewish

3 users

Young Adult > Young Adult Historical Fiction

3 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Threads and Flames
by Esther M. Friesner
In the Shadow of the Lamp
by Susanne Dunlap
The Lost Crown
by Sarah Miller
Strings Attached
by Judy Blundell
Wrapped
by Jennifer Bradbury

About Julie Chibbaro

Julie Chibbaro is the author of Deadly (Simon & Schuster 2011), a medical mystery about the hunt for Typhoid Mary. Deadly won the 2011 National Jewish Book Award, and was Top 10 on the American Library Association's Amelia Bloomer Project list. Deadly was named Outstanding Science Trade Book by the National Science Teachers Association for 2012. The novel has received excellent reviews from su...more

More about Julie Chibbaro...

Books by Julie Chibbaro

deadly how do you catch an invisible killer?

The Return of Kral Majales: Prague's International Literary Renaissance 1990-2010

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Deadly

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: Deadly
avg rating	preview: Deadly Goodreads rating: 3.58 (698 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8901106-deadly?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1285361258l/8901106.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8901106-deadly?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Deadly by Julie Chibbaro[/url]

Deadly

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website