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Vaccines and Bayonets: Fighting Smallpox in Africa amid Tribalism, Terror and the Cold War
Step into the heart of a turbulent era with Vaccines & Bayonets, a gripping historical memoir that chronicles one woman’s extraordinary journey through Africa. In this vivid recounting—which one Pulitzer nominee says, “reads like a political thriller, women’s history, and African adventure rolled into one.”—Bee Bloeser unveils the raw reality of her family’s part in the mission to eradicate smallpox, revealing triumphs and trials faced along the way.
As a young wife, Bloeser followed her husband, Carl, to Africa, driven by ideals and a sense of duty. In Nigeria she witnessed the roots and ravages of civil war and the horrors of smallpox and leprosy, yet found beauty in the vibrant local culture.
In Equatorial Guinea, a nation newly independent but plagued by the terror of a brutal dictatorship, secrecy shrouded the people, and Bloeser confronted a world far removed from her idealistic expectations. Forbidden from interacting with locals and surrounded by oppression and suspicion, she documented her experiences in hidden notes, capturing the essence of a desperate struggle.
Through her eyes, readers experience the intense battle against a relentless virus and against tyranny. This memoir is not just a story of medical triumph but also a poignant reflection on humanity’s capacity for courage—the indomitable spirit of those who risk everything for a better future.
As a young wife, Bloeser followed her husband, Carl, to Africa, driven by ideals and a sense of duty. In Nigeria she witnessed the roots and ravages of civil war and the horrors of smallpox and leprosy, yet found beauty in the vibrant local culture.
In Equatorial Guinea, a nation newly independent but plagued by the terror of a brutal dictatorship, secrecy shrouded the people, and Bloeser confronted a world far removed from her idealistic expectations. Forbidden from interacting with locals and surrounded by oppression and suspicion, she documented her experiences in hidden notes, capturing the essence of a desperate struggle.
Through her eyes, readers experience the intense battle against a relentless virus and against tyranny. This memoir is not just a story of medical triumph but also a poignant reflection on humanity’s capacity for courage—the indomitable spirit of those who risk everything for a better future.
427 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 10, 2021
15 people are currently reading
700 people want to read
About the author
Bee Bloeser
1 book13 followersBee Bloeser is a public speaker and award-winning author. She has lived in West Africa, the Middle East and Native American nations, and has supported her late husband’s public health work on five continents.
As a ten-year-old in small town Oklahoma, Bee had a dream to go to Africa and have the life she saw in medical missionaries’ filmstrips. Twenty years later, when she followed her husband to Africa in the campaign to wipe out smallpox, she loved the sights and sounds and her visits with a princess in a medieval palace. But she also learned hard facts of women hidden behind walls, tribal conflict, and a heartbreaking humanitarian crisis unknown to the outside world. Then, in a violent dictatorship, she and her family lived on constant vigil, not exactly in line with her childhood dream.
After decades by her husband's side and in her own career in speech-language pathology, Bloeser now lives in California. She is a past USAID Alumni Associate and is a member of Toastmasters International, PEO, the Association for Women in Communications, multiple authors’ groups and her church. She still wants to return to Africa, and she's on a mission to inspire one person at a time.
Note: Knowing first-hand the multitude of problems resulting from the lack of safe water, Bloeser uses her memoir to help promote water wells in Africa.
As a ten-year-old in small town Oklahoma, Bee had a dream to go to Africa and have the life she saw in medical missionaries’ filmstrips. Twenty years later, when she followed her husband to Africa in the campaign to wipe out smallpox, she loved the sights and sounds and her visits with a princess in a medieval palace. But she also learned hard facts of women hidden behind walls, tribal conflict, and a heartbreaking humanitarian crisis unknown to the outside world. Then, in a violent dictatorship, she and her family lived on constant vigil, not exactly in line with her childhood dream.
After decades by her husband's side and in her own career in speech-language pathology, Bloeser now lives in California. She is a past USAID Alumni Associate and is a member of Toastmasters International, PEO, the Association for Women in Communications, multiple authors’ groups and her church. She still wants to return to Africa, and she's on a mission to inspire one person at a time.
Note: Knowing first-hand the multitude of problems resulting from the lack of safe water, Bloeser uses her memoir to help promote water wells in Africa.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
July 13, 2021
Bee Bloeser has penned a fascinating read. As a young girl growing up in Oklahoma, Bee dreamed of living in Africa. Her dream came true in 1969 when her husband, Carl, a public health professional, was assigned to Nigeria to assist with the U.S.'s smallpox eradication program. The couple, and their two small children, ages one and three, soon found themselves living in a country besieged by civil war and an epidemic. What follows is a journey that might send most people fleeing back to their homeland. Bee Bloeser is quite the storyteller and writer. Highly recommend!
December 7, 2024
This is a fascinating memoir of fighting with the WHO and USAID against small pox and measles in central Africa from the late '60s to early '70s aftermath. From the vantage point of today, this international effort of successful yearslong cooperation seems fanciful. Details here include tech...
..and technique:
Against this backdrop of progress in variola eradication, hints of a polarizing world emerge:
Indeed, in the telling, this story of triumph and altruism turns into a nightmare featuring the psychopathic and authoritarian Francisco Macías Nguema:
Despite this violent environment, smallpox was dealt its final blows, ending the month I was born as it was.
Coming back to 'civilization', the writer saw First World problems differently:
The world they left behind became a Forensic Files
(Chargé d'affaires Alfred Erdos was subsequently found guilty of voluntary manslaughter in a jury trial in Virginia and sentenced to the maximum 10-year term.)
That was no isolated violence as...
Indeed is was all very The Dogs of War. Indeed that author and the plot were instigators, prognosticators, or actors....
This is an intricate tale involving mercenaries and Margaret Thatchers's son...
Some recommended reading from here:
* Equatorial Guinea - the forgotten dictatorship : Forced labour and political murder in Central Africa by Suzanne Cronjé
* Equatorial Guinea: An African Tragedy
The Ped-O-Jet (jet injector) looks like a gun with two tubes hanging from it and a bottle of vaccine sitting on top. The air hose connects it to a foot pedal. When the vaccinator pumps the pedal, a regulated dose of vaccine penetrates the skin by speed and force. No needle! That’s for me! They can vaccinate a thousand people an hour. In one campaign here in Nigeria, in only ten days twelve teams and an army of volunteers vaccinated more than 750,000 people.
..and technique:
When one case is found, everything happens fast. First, immediate quarantine. Then the teams descend on the area to vaccinate or revaccinate all the patient’s contacts. And—the contacts of those contacts. Just like in fighting a forest fire they build a firewall around the virus to contain the outbreak. It’s a real race against the clock.
Against this backdrop of progress in variola eradication, hints of a polarizing world emerge:
The Russian, Chinese and North Korean embassies continue to grow while most others are dwindling. That’s interesting, and I don’t really understand it.
Indeed, in the telling, this story of triumph and altruism turns into a nightmare featuring the psychopathic and authoritarian Francisco Macías Nguema:
Besides his long history of paranoia and sadism, many believed Macias used the hallucinogenic iboga with increasing frequency. He was rumored to have encouraged the secretive Bwiti cult’s reemergence, with iboga known to play a major role in the cult’s rituals.
...
“As early as March 1969, Newsweek reported that in only a few months after independence, the Macias government had brought the country to the verge of ruin . . . . The treasury was empty. The cabinet was rent by violent quarrels. . . . His foreign minister and UN representative were beaten to death.”
...
Africa expert Randall Fegley said, “Macias was a maniac with a record of corruption, sadism and psychiatric disorders. . . . Proportionally his rule equaled that in Nazi-occupied Europe in terms of brutality.”
Despite this violent environment, smallpox was dealt its final blows, ending the month I was born as it was.
Months of continued surveillance in every nomad encampment, teaming marketplace, and all-but-inaccessible pockets of the rainforests would determine that transmission of smallpox in the entire region had been stopped with that May 1970 case in Nigeria.
...
Just a few months after Carl returned home, on a remote Bangladesh island three-year-old Rahima Banu was diagnosed with killer smallpox. She survived what would turn out to be the world’s last naturally occurring case of variola major. Two years later, in October 1977, a young hospital cook in Somalia, Ali Maow Maalin, survived the last naturally occurring case of variola minor.
Coming back to 'civilization', the writer saw First World problems differently:
I faked civility at what I perceived as upside down values all around me. You don’t like your sofa? So what? Your stove is on the blink? That’s nothing! Do you hear—nothing! None of this is important! Don’t you get it? It’s. Not. Im-por-tant! Do you have to walk an hour each way to haul home a bucket of water, and unsafe water at that? Our experiences put material goods in perspective.
The world they left behind became a Forensic Files
"...The unexplained death of American diplomat Donald J. Leahy at a two-man post in the island capital of Equatorial Guinea appears to be “the result of violence,” the State Department said...
That Al Erdos murdered Don Leahy was never in question, was never denied.
...For an unknown length of time after he murdered Don Leahy, Al Erdos remained alone inside the embassy with the body and with the door bolted.
(Chargé d'affaires Alfred Erdos was subsequently found guilty of voluntary manslaughter in a jury trial in Virginia and sentenced to the maximum 10-year term.)
That was no isolated violence as...
Ambassador Hoffacker later reported that Ambassador Watson “had died under grisly torture and may have implicated the United States in some kind of plot.”
Indeed is was all very The Dogs of War. Indeed that author and the plot were instigators, prognosticators, or actors....
In 2005, Adam Roberts, staff writer for The Economist and then Johannesburg bureau chief, was doing research for his book The Wonga Coup, about the 2004 attempt that landed mercenaries in Black Beach Prison.
...
In 2015 Forsyth published his memoir, The Outsider: My Life in Intrigue. The book is a series of vivid stories of his work for MI6, Britain’s equivalent of the CIA. In the chapter titled “Dogs of War,” he says there was no need to “risk” going to Equatorial Guinea to research the novel because many who had been there gleefully shared information.
This is an intricate tale involving mercenaries and Margaret Thatchers's son...
Some recommended reading from here:
* Equatorial Guinea - the forgotten dictatorship : Forced labour and political murder in Central Africa by Suzanne Cronjé
* Equatorial Guinea: An African Tragedy
April 28, 2025
Thank you to Goodreads Giveaways and to author Bee Bloeser for providing me with a Kindle copy of this historical and non-fiction memoir of the author’s experiences supporting her husband Carl’s work with the West Africa Smallpox Eradication/Measles Control Program for the then National Communicable Disease Center (now known as the Center for Disease Control (CDC)) and raising young son, Charles, and infant daughter, Ginger, in Sub-Sahara Africa in 1969 through the early part of the 1970s. The first section of this memoir focused on the family’s experiences living in Kano, Nigeria (the predominantly Muslim section of Northern Nigeria) while the remaining sections of the book focused on the terror and chaos the family experienced in newly independent Equatorial Guinea. I was interested in reading this memoir as my knowledge of history and politics in Sub-Saharan Africa was scant.
The author is the daughter of an Oklahoma minister, who always had an interest in living in and interacting with locals in Africa as she envisioned life in Africa to be exotic and fascinating. In 1969, Bee and her family moved to Kano, Nigeria to support Carl’s work for the CDC and funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). In addition to helping defeat the scourge of smallpox and contain measles outbreaks in Africa, the United States believed inoculation efforts would garner support for the United States and the West as the global powers sought influence in Africa during the Cold War. Though the book provided a brief history of smallpox and how the world united to fight its spread, the primary focus of this memoir is the everyday experiences of Bee and her children living in northern Nigeria and in Equatorial Guinea.
Of the two countries featured in this work, Nigeria was more stable but faced the same challenges of developing nations. The dearth of adequate health care, the lack of sanitation (including vivid descriptions of open sewers), the threat of amoebic dysentery in both food and water together with the procedures that had to be followed to ensure fruits and vegetables were safe to eat and water safe to drink, the common power outages, the lack of schooling for local children, the threats of violence and armed robbery against people in their homes, the prevalence of child marriages, and the risk of religious extremism to cope with the aforementioned issues were all explored in this book. Further, the causes and impacts of the Nigeria-Biafra War, which was called a Nigerian civil war even though most of the fighting and suffering was contained to the southeastern corner of Nigeria, are described in detail to give the reader a better understanding of the ethnic and regional tensions within Nigeria. Coupled with the descriptions of various challenges that Nigeria faced in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Bee described in detail the intricacies of the local markets, the friendliness of the locals hired to assist in running the household, the colorfulness of local clothing and pottery, and the ability of her children to play with local children.
After Carl completed his work in Nigeria, the newly independent country of Equatorial Guinea asked for assistance to address smallpox and measles. Despite a tumultuous political environment, Carl volunteered to go and bring his family along. The family moved from the dry, dusty, and non-aesthetic Kano to the tropical climate of Santa Isabel (now called Malabo), the capital of Equatorial Guinea. Equatorial Guinea faced many of the challenges that Nigeria faced with the added problem that its first democratically elected president, Francisco Macias Nguema (often referred to as just Macias), quickly consolidated power and quashed any dissent by banning independent journalists, prohibiting locals from having any contact with foreigners, destroying all fishing boats and the fledging fishing industry to prevent citizens from fleeing the country, jailing educated locals (often in the notorious Black Beach Prison) without legitimate charges or a trial, encouraging foreigners to leave the country immediately, murdering political opponents, seizing all means of communication, looting the national treasury, suspending the constitution, and creating the Partido Unico Nacional (PUN) as the only legal political party in the country. Through the brutalization of residents by the police, the Juventude (the youth militia), and the Guardia Nacional (the national guard), Macias ruled with an iron fist and is considered one of the worst tyrants in recent history. Bee described in detail the fear of living in such an environment with residents reluctant to walk the streets for concern of arrest and torture by the government.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who has interest in Sub-Sahara Africa generally or Nigeria/Equatorial Guinea specifically, This memoir is easy to read, has short chapters, describes the post-World War II histories of Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea succinctly, and kept my attention throughout. The author contrasts her prior held views of Africa being exotic and remote with the realities that many African countries have faced since 1969, including poor health systems, inadequate communication systems, substandard transportation networks, tribal rivalries and political instability by sharing personal stories and insights from her time living in Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea. As a bonus, the final chapters celebrated Carl’s life and legacy in a touching and well-deserved way.
This book so piqued my interest that I plan to read the 1974 fictional work “The Dogs of War” by Frederick Forsyth, which takes place in a country that Bee noted strongly resembled Equatorial Guinea of the early 1970s.
The author is the daughter of an Oklahoma minister, who always had an interest in living in and interacting with locals in Africa as she envisioned life in Africa to be exotic and fascinating. In 1969, Bee and her family moved to Kano, Nigeria to support Carl’s work for the CDC and funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). In addition to helping defeat the scourge of smallpox and contain measles outbreaks in Africa, the United States believed inoculation efforts would garner support for the United States and the West as the global powers sought influence in Africa during the Cold War. Though the book provided a brief history of smallpox and how the world united to fight its spread, the primary focus of this memoir is the everyday experiences of Bee and her children living in northern Nigeria and in Equatorial Guinea.
Of the two countries featured in this work, Nigeria was more stable but faced the same challenges of developing nations. The dearth of adequate health care, the lack of sanitation (including vivid descriptions of open sewers), the threat of amoebic dysentery in both food and water together with the procedures that had to be followed to ensure fruits and vegetables were safe to eat and water safe to drink, the common power outages, the lack of schooling for local children, the threats of violence and armed robbery against people in their homes, the prevalence of child marriages, and the risk of religious extremism to cope with the aforementioned issues were all explored in this book. Further, the causes and impacts of the Nigeria-Biafra War, which was called a Nigerian civil war even though most of the fighting and suffering was contained to the southeastern corner of Nigeria, are described in detail to give the reader a better understanding of the ethnic and regional tensions within Nigeria. Coupled with the descriptions of various challenges that Nigeria faced in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Bee described in detail the intricacies of the local markets, the friendliness of the locals hired to assist in running the household, the colorfulness of local clothing and pottery, and the ability of her children to play with local children.
After Carl completed his work in Nigeria, the newly independent country of Equatorial Guinea asked for assistance to address smallpox and measles. Despite a tumultuous political environment, Carl volunteered to go and bring his family along. The family moved from the dry, dusty, and non-aesthetic Kano to the tropical climate of Santa Isabel (now called Malabo), the capital of Equatorial Guinea. Equatorial Guinea faced many of the challenges that Nigeria faced with the added problem that its first democratically elected president, Francisco Macias Nguema (often referred to as just Macias), quickly consolidated power and quashed any dissent by banning independent journalists, prohibiting locals from having any contact with foreigners, destroying all fishing boats and the fledging fishing industry to prevent citizens from fleeing the country, jailing educated locals (often in the notorious Black Beach Prison) without legitimate charges or a trial, encouraging foreigners to leave the country immediately, murdering political opponents, seizing all means of communication, looting the national treasury, suspending the constitution, and creating the Partido Unico Nacional (PUN) as the only legal political party in the country. Through the brutalization of residents by the police, the Juventude (the youth militia), and the Guardia Nacional (the national guard), Macias ruled with an iron fist and is considered one of the worst tyrants in recent history. Bee described in detail the fear of living in such an environment with residents reluctant to walk the streets for concern of arrest and torture by the government.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who has interest in Sub-Sahara Africa generally or Nigeria/Equatorial Guinea specifically, This memoir is easy to read, has short chapters, describes the post-World War II histories of Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea succinctly, and kept my attention throughout. The author contrasts her prior held views of Africa being exotic and remote with the realities that many African countries have faced since 1969, including poor health systems, inadequate communication systems, substandard transportation networks, tribal rivalries and political instability by sharing personal stories and insights from her time living in Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea. As a bonus, the final chapters celebrated Carl’s life and legacy in a touching and well-deserved way.
This book so piqued my interest that I plan to read the 1974 fictional work “The Dogs of War” by Frederick Forsyth, which takes place in a country that Bee noted strongly resembled Equatorial Guinea of the early 1970s.
November 23, 2024
A very interesting book about the journey of a young mother, her very dedicated husband and young children as they travel and live in some of the most dangerous areas of Africa. Her husband was a very determined "man with a mission" to eradicate smallpox globally and she and her family followed him during the very late 60's and early 70's. The author bares it all and one can only imagine the true horror and fear of their everyday lives. Even with all that they find a way to find joy and friendship along the way. The book never gets boring and even though I was only 10 at the time this occurred - I can appreciate the strength (as a mom and grandmother now) what it must have taken for her to hold it all together then. Her story is accompanied by her own personal photos. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
November 14, 2024
I won this book in a goodreads drawing.
An old fashioned do-gooder goes to Africa with her husband in order to vaccinate people against small pox, and eradicate the feared disease.
I can't help but think this book was written in part as a response to the backlash against vaccinations that occurred since the pandemic.
It's a pretty interesting account of a sheltered woman moving to Equatorial Africa and learning how things are for millions of people. Most of the book takes place during the Cold War, and there are coups and revolutions and massacres taking place.
Pretty interesting view of the high point of vaccine belief.
An old fashioned do-gooder goes to Africa with her husband in order to vaccinate people against small pox, and eradicate the feared disease.
I can't help but think this book was written in part as a response to the backlash against vaccinations that occurred since the pandemic.
It's a pretty interesting account of a sheltered woman moving to Equatorial Africa and learning how things are for millions of people. Most of the book takes place during the Cold War, and there are coups and revolutions and massacres taking place.
Pretty interesting view of the high point of vaccine belief.
July 14, 2021
Bee Bloeser's memoir of living the fight to end smallpox in Africa is a stunning read.
Bee's journey through West Africa, from Nigeria, then Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon is a love story. She was following her husband Carl as he was accomplishing major breakthroughs in eradicating smallpox. His "superhuman energy and skill", combined with Bee's enduring strength and sense of humor lead them to live sometimes precarious lives especially in Equatorial Guinea. The people they worked with, friends, staff, and diplomats alike are described with generosity, love and respect. Bee grew to marvel at the lives of dedicated ambassadors living on the edge of danger. She depended on the Nigerian help for her very life, and worried at the fate of other African nationals forced to remain trapped in EQ. She and Carl and the children saw the terror of torture, the total collapse of a country ripped by greed and madness. Through it all, Carl was steadfast in his goals, amazing in his endurance and organization, and a crack negotiator in his own right.
Do not think this is just a story about the global eradication of disease. This book is an "edge of your seat" read. told by a woman with clarity of purpose and a global point of view and who wanted the world to know the kind of man her husband Carl was.
The book goes way beyond the end of smallpox. It tells the story of Carl's amazing life winning the battle against disease in other desperately poor countries. It shows Bee's courage as she and her family ease Carl's last days on earth.
There is an extensive bibliography, and a timeline of the life and death of the brutal dictator of Equatorial Guinea, Macias.
Bee's journey through West Africa, from Nigeria, then Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon is a love story. She was following her husband Carl as he was accomplishing major breakthroughs in eradicating smallpox. His "superhuman energy and skill", combined with Bee's enduring strength and sense of humor lead them to live sometimes precarious lives especially in Equatorial Guinea. The people they worked with, friends, staff, and diplomats alike are described with generosity, love and respect. Bee grew to marvel at the lives of dedicated ambassadors living on the edge of danger. She depended on the Nigerian help for her very life, and worried at the fate of other African nationals forced to remain trapped in EQ. She and Carl and the children saw the terror of torture, the total collapse of a country ripped by greed and madness. Through it all, Carl was steadfast in his goals, amazing in his endurance and organization, and a crack negotiator in his own right.
Do not think this is just a story about the global eradication of disease. This book is an "edge of your seat" read. told by a woman with clarity of purpose and a global point of view and who wanted the world to know the kind of man her husband Carl was.
The book goes way beyond the end of smallpox. It tells the story of Carl's amazing life winning the battle against disease in other desperately poor countries. It shows Bee's courage as she and her family ease Carl's last days on earth.
There is an extensive bibliography, and a timeline of the life and death of the brutal dictator of Equatorial Guinea, Macias.
May 3, 2021
What a remarkable story! It’s an overused expression, I know, but I couldn’t put this book down. In my opinion the author skillfully weaves together a rich personal narrative and interesting facts about West African life as she witnessed it with a close-up look at one tiny nation’s little-known, deeply-tragic story and a significant achievement in global public-health — all without giving the reader whiplash. Stylistically it’s “accessible” and even informal where not inappropriate. This should appeal to those who enjoy a good memoir or anyone interested in public health history, in West Africa as experienced through one expat’s eyes or even in Cold-War intrigue. While recently and (I find) thoughtfully and respectfully written, it’s worth noting this is a first-hand account of events (and contains primary sources) half a century old, not a novel, tailor-written to fit a current day lens. There are also some heartbreaking accounts that I found hard to read about (and it is graphic at times), but there’s also humor and hope. It’s got light moments but isn’t a light read. It’s significant, though, and clearly carefully researched. A beautifully and engagingly written memoir by an “ordinary” woman living in an extraordinary place and time. I absolutely recommend it!
December 21, 2024
Now in audio, it's a pleasure to listen again to Bee Bloeser’s vivid account of family life in Africa while her husband Carl was stamping out the scourge of small pox put me right there in the action. Sights, smells, people. Exotic images of harems and camels contrast with the degrading situation of a small African country dealing with independence after the end of Spanish colonial rule. Bloeser’s memoir, based on personal letters, official documents, impeccable research, and keen recollections, provides a valuable record of the international effort to stamp out a virus—small pox—forever. Interwoven with historical detail is a lyrical narrative of travel, social activities, delightful encounters with villagers and house staff, frightening occasions, and issues of raising two young children in a far-off land. Thank you Bee Bloeser for opening me to this history, as well as explaining how viruses spread and why universal vaccinations are necessary to stamp out viral diseases. And thanks to the work your husband Carl and others accomplished for the good of the public health of humanity around the world.
January 18, 2024
This book brought to light something that was definitely missing from my knowledge of history: the reign of terror in Equatorial Guinea amidst one man's calling to rid the world of smallpox and his assignment in 1970's Africa.
As a child, Bee had rose-colored glasses on when it came to Africa. According to what she'd seen, it was a mystical, magical place filled with many beautiful wonders. What she saw when she found herself living there with her husband and two young children verified that vision. It was definitely culture shock at first, but Africa soon enveloped the young family into its loving arms.
While Africa is definitely a beautiful country filled with amazing culture, varying landscapes, and incredible people, Bee was close up and personal during her husband's placement in Equatorial Guinea with a leader who randomly killed his people and terrorized an entire country. Despite that, her husband was very successful in bringing vaccines for smallpox, cholera, and other diseases to that country before they had to quickly escape.
Prior to his placement in Equatorial Guinea, Dr. Carl Bloser served in Nigeria with the same goal in mind: getting vaccines to as many people as possible and stop the spread of smallpox. Their experience in Nigeria was quite the opposite of what they found when he was given the opportunity to service in Equatorial Guinea. Both places had beauty, wonderful people who became lifelong friends, interesting culture, and many positive attributes. However, one would find them witnessing terror in the people who found themselves under the control of a despot who was very much like Hitler and/or Stalin.
This book is extremely inspiring and I highly recommend it.
As a child, Bee had rose-colored glasses on when it came to Africa. According to what she'd seen, it was a mystical, magical place filled with many beautiful wonders. What she saw when she found herself living there with her husband and two young children verified that vision. It was definitely culture shock at first, but Africa soon enveloped the young family into its loving arms.
While Africa is definitely a beautiful country filled with amazing culture, varying landscapes, and incredible people, Bee was close up and personal during her husband's placement in Equatorial Guinea with a leader who randomly killed his people and terrorized an entire country. Despite that, her husband was very successful in bringing vaccines for smallpox, cholera, and other diseases to that country before they had to quickly escape.
Prior to his placement in Equatorial Guinea, Dr. Carl Bloser served in Nigeria with the same goal in mind: getting vaccines to as many people as possible and stop the spread of smallpox. Their experience in Nigeria was quite the opposite of what they found when he was given the opportunity to service in Equatorial Guinea. Both places had beauty, wonderful people who became lifelong friends, interesting culture, and many positive attributes. However, one would find them witnessing terror in the people who found themselves under the control of a despot who was very much like Hitler and/or Stalin.
This book is extremely inspiring and I highly recommend it.
January 12, 2025
This memoir describes the author's experiences traveling to Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon with her husband to help with vaccinating people against small pox and measles. Bee and her husband, Carl, travel to dangerous areas of Africa in the late 60s and early 70s with their young children, with a goal to eradicate smallpox globally. The author gives details descriptions of the challenges faced in their daily lives as well as the vast differences between her life growing up in the US and her experiences in Africa. She also shares interactions with the many people she interacted with, from servants to diplomats to the community members she grew to depend on at different times in her life in Africa. The book also includes personal photos to help tell the story. In a time when we are once again trying to prove the importance of vaccines, this book is relevant and reminds readers that vaccination is the answer to eradicating, or at least minimizing the effects of pandemic and epidemic viruses. More than just a focus on illness as a killer, this book also looks at the fighting occurring during the time period, both in Africa and around the world during the cold war. It is a very detailed and descriptive account and can provide readers with a good understanding of the events at this time. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book.
January 9, 2024
I'm fascinated with exotic viruses for some odd reason. For example, since reading The Hot Zone years ago, I've followed the ebola outbreaks and research. (Yes, I'm weird but prefer "eccentric".)
Spoiler alert:
The author was excellent. It was like she was sharing her often harrowing story while sitting across my table. It was difficult to imagine all that she and her family experienced over a period of only 3 years!
This was a good memoir of the selflessness and bravery of those who provide life-saving vaccines by traveling to countries that are ruled by maniacal sociopaths who think nothing of restricting all info coming in or going out of the country, killing those who dare to disagree-political opponents, families of perceived opponents, those of different religions or ethnic groups, those who make eye-contact with the "wrong" people, even children. He did away with political parties, placing himself as a dictator and controlling the information hotline. His rule was one of vengeance and "payback". This should be a warning to us in our current political environment.
Spoiler alert:
The author was excellent. It was like she was sharing her often harrowing story while sitting across my table. It was difficult to imagine all that she and her family experienced over a period of only 3 years!
This was a good memoir of the selflessness and bravery of those who provide life-saving vaccines by traveling to countries that are ruled by maniacal sociopaths who think nothing of restricting all info coming in or going out of the country, killing those who dare to disagree-political opponents, families of perceived opponents, those of different religions or ethnic groups, those who make eye-contact with the "wrong" people, even children. He did away with political parties, placing himself as a dictator and controlling the information hotline. His rule was one of vengeance and "payback". This should be a warning to us in our current political environment.
January 21, 2025
If you like a page turning memoir (Audio book), Bee Bloeser’s Vaccines and Bayonets: Fighting Smallpox in Africa Amid Tribalism, Terror and the Cold War tells the gripping and inspiring account of Bee and her husband, Carl, as they work for the CDC under a terrifying dictator to eradicate smallpox. The work was done amidst a ban on interaction with the locals on the street. Camaraderie amongst those sent for the task was a life support. Raising two young children in this scenario threw in some complications. Bee and Carl rose above this to embrace the task at hand and to be agents for wiping out the deforming, painful , deadly disease of smallpox. Bee tells of alleyways and compounds she entered and a birthday party with a princess seeking companionship. My husband and I greatly enjoyed listening to the book together.
March 20, 2025
This was a 5* star listen from start to finish.
There is something about reading about things you have heard about but maybe didn't put enough thought into. Pulling back the curtain and getting a real view from someone who lived it, makes it that much better.
A daunting time and real life account of those who were on the front lines trying everything they could to help when the odds were stacked against them.
This is inspiring, it really makes you think about what you've done to help humanity and how much more self less some people are.
I appreciate the author brining her story and this subject to light. She does so in a way that is enlightening and inspirational.
There is something about reading about things you have heard about but maybe didn't put enough thought into. Pulling back the curtain and getting a real view from someone who lived it, makes it that much better.
A daunting time and real life account of those who were on the front lines trying everything they could to help when the odds were stacked against them.
This is inspiring, it really makes you think about what you've done to help humanity and how much more self less some people are.
I appreciate the author brining her story and this subject to light. She does so in a way that is enlightening and inspirational.
March 24, 2025
The author writes with a voice that is both compassionate and practical. You're reading about history and something that actually happened but in the words and experience of someone who lived it and was on the front lines.
Bee Bloeser does an amazing job of allowing us to see her compassion. Through her experience, we learn about the lives and culture while experiencing the heartache and dark times.
At times a difficult read, it also brings such an important topic and time in history to light. It's not just a subject, it's real life that actually happened to real people. Not just those affected by the illness and harshness but those who sacrificed selflessly to help.
Bee Bloeser does an amazing job of allowing us to see her compassion. Through her experience, we learn about the lives and culture while experiencing the heartache and dark times.
At times a difficult read, it also brings such an important topic and time in history to light. It's not just a subject, it's real life that actually happened to real people. Not just those affected by the illness and harshness but those who sacrificed selflessly to help.
February 11, 2025
There is nothing superficial about this carefully detailed yet succinct memoir. It pulls back the curtain on such a devastating time for the African culture.
Bee Bloeser manages to captivate her audience in sharing her story and accomplishments while shedding light on a past that should never be forgotten.
This is a book that is both straightforward and engaging. The author brings so many facts and real life with her words and they come across as both honest and heartfelt.
This production is well done and an easy listen.
Bee Bloeser manages to captivate her audience in sharing her story and accomplishments while shedding light on a past that should never be forgotten.
This is a book that is both straightforward and engaging. The author brings so many facts and real life with her words and they come across as both honest and heartfelt.
This production is well done and an easy listen.
July 16, 2025
This was a really entertaining and interesting read! I read it right after finishing "Autocracy, Inc." and it felt like a real-life illustration of how terrible life in an autocracy can be, even for people who are not citizens of the autocratic nation. That sounds heavy, but the book is also a beautiful commentary on the importance of community, family, and a curious, helpful spirit. The author is a friend and neighbor of my aunt and uncle, which made it even more fun for me; but I would have loved it whether I had those degrees of separation or not.
July 28, 2022
It is the story of smallpox eradication in Equatorial Guinea which completed the world eradication. More about conflict in this African country and how one American family spent their time. I had a hard time finishing it. I was not aware it was about this one country in Africa from the write ups.
March 11, 2025
There is an urgency and honesty in these pages that I think readers will benefit from. Reading history about actual events, really helps put things in perspective.
Subject matter is definitely difficult, but ultimately shows the power of humanity and brings inspirational.
I couldn’t help but feel Bloeser’s frustration and passion.
Subject matter is definitely difficult, but ultimately shows the power of humanity and brings inspirational.
I couldn’t help but feel Bloeser’s frustration and passion.
March 23, 2025
This book is from the perspective of the wife, not the man who performed the vaccinations. Still, the cultural differences are interesting; especially in a brutal dictatorship in Equatorial Guinea. It's particularly timely with the changes in the USA towards fascism and the complete denial of vaccines. Measles has returned and is killing in America.
March 16, 2025
Interesting weaving of a family's story and work in eradicated polio in Africa combined with history and political ups and downs of the areas the family leaved. Enjoyed very much.
April 20, 2024
So interesting to read…the hardships they endured while erasing smallpox - and measles - in Africa makes one realize how fortunate it is to have these selfless scientists.
May 11, 2025
First, a disclaimer: I won this book in a #GoodreadsGiveaway . This is a voluntary and honest review. One of the beautiful things about the Goodreads Givaways is getting books you might not have gotten around to other wise and being so thankful you did. This is an amazing story. Read this book.
This is a well written memoir. Personal and at the same time historical; it is a wonderful example of the half of history that has been missing for most of history – the life of ordinary women. The Because the author was traveling with he husband and children at a time when many American women were still house wives, we learn what it is like settle in a friendly but very different environment and then to settle in another different environment that is anything but friendly.
I liked the author’s storytelling. Happily there were a few pictures and maps. As a memoir there was not index but she did includes sources and suggestions for further reading.
This is a well written memoir. Personal and at the same time historical; it is a wonderful example of the half of history that has been missing for most of history – the life of ordinary women. The Because the author was traveling with he husband and children at a time when many American women were still house wives, we learn what it is like settle in a friendly but very different environment and then to settle in another different environment that is anything but friendly.
I liked the author’s storytelling. Happily there were a few pictures and maps. As a memoir there was not index but she did includes sources and suggestions for further reading.
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