First published 2018
Albert Marrin examines the 1918 influenza pandemic that killed more people than any disease in human history. He traces how the outbreak began among troops at Fort Riley, Kansas during World War I, then mutated into a lethal second wave by summer 1918. Within eighteen months, the virus infected 500 million people across the globe and claimed between 50 and 100 million lives. Marrin explores both the historical progression and scientific mechanisms behind this catastrophe, showing how it surpassed even the Black Death in scope and devastation. The author connects the science and history of 1918 to contemporary pandemic risks, supported by black and white photographs throughout. This book offers readers a comprehensive understanding of how a single pathogen reshaped world history and continues to inform modern public health responses.
Genres: biography, history, medical, 20th-century, 21st-century, disease, academic, american-history
Vibes: informative, serious, thought-provoking
Tropes: informative-non-fiction
Setting: Fort Riley, Kansas
Period: 1918
208 pages · Library Binding · Knopf Books for Young Readers
Content warnings: death