Reviews: The Pandemic Century (10)

In The Pandemic Century: A History of Global Contagion from the Spanish Flu to Covid-19, Mark Honigsbaum traces a century of pandemics from the 1918 Spanish influenza to SARS, Ebola and Zika, and a very recently added chapter on Covid19.

This a well-written, detailed and informative book that has given me a lot of food for thought. Highly recommended to anyone interested in understanding more about the broader context of Covid19 and pandemics more generally.

Sadly I am only one chapter in because this is a book that requires calm and thoughtful reading. Therefore I dip into it when feeling on top intellectual form.
It is well written in a language that is easy to follow for a layman with very basic medical and scientific knowledge. It is not patronising.
But it is scary because it shows that often humanity refuses to learn from what has gone before especially if it is not politically convenient.
And what is eminently clear from this book is that we DO know about viruses and about the unknown unknowns, the known unknowns and the unknown knowns but we would rather not talk about it because it scares us.
And yet as the book makes clear the pandemic century should really wake us up to how we live in this world and ensure that we take environmental and climate issues seriously because it is when we damage the world that we open the way for viral pandemics.
The book should be required reading for all politicians, medical people and scientists!

An informative read about the terrible pandemics that have occurred over the last century. Some unusual ones like Parrot Fever which I have never heard of. The book has been updated to include Covid-19. It really brings home the fact that despite medical advancements and science research we are still being plagued by these pandemics.

Sadly the print of this book was too blurry to read and I had to return it!

Absolutely fascinating albeit there is more to come as the world navigates the COVID-19 pandemic. Fact based and thorough - there are common themes that run through each pandemic. You would hope that those who are in charge have taken time to read this...

Potentially a very interesting book but the print was so small that it was too difficult to stay focused.

The Pandemic Century is such a timely read for the current circumstances, recently released with an additional section on Covid-19. I was fascinated to read about the surprisingly large history of pandemics the world has witnessed in the past 100 years alone, from the Spanish Flu in 1918 to the more recent outbreaks of Ebola and Zika virus. For someone interested in general knowledge or scientific history and progress, this book will continue to feed your curiosity.

Each chapter, focussing on a different pandemic, was written with clear expertise and well structured to give a defined chronological overview of events. Occasionally these recounts could be bogged down in the detailing of minor developments, therefore the pacing was relatively slow. I had also expected more of a focus on the social aspect of pandemics, whereas the book gives decidedly more time to the science and governmental policies used to overcome the outbreaks. These were interesting perspectives, but they seemed to depersonalise the events in certain chapters, making these stories of great targedy feel very matter-of-fact. Of course, this is a science book at heart, and therefore this is much more of a personal preference than a detriment to the book itself.

Reading this book in a period of pandemic helps to put Covid-19 into a historical and scientific context, whilst also giving some vital insight into the dos and don'ts of disease management. A great read for anyone with an interest in social or scientific history.

I have wanted to read a straightforward book that helps me understand pandemics. Honigsbaum covers the perfect balance in this educational and interesting book. He is a medical historian and journalist and succeeds to educate without entangling the reader with complicated scientific explanations.
The book doesn't cover the Coronavirus, but you do gain a considerable understanding of the circumstances required for these diseases to achieve pandemic status.
I want to thank NetGalley, Penguin Random House UK, Ebury Publishing and author Mark Honigsbaum for a copy to review.

Written by a medical historian and journalist, this is a complex and highly detailed examination of pandemics that have affected humankind over the last century. From the devastating Spanish flu to AIDS, SARS to plague, each pandemic is looked at in its historical context. Cultural, political, economic and environmental factors are all included and while at times the science was a little over my head, I found it a fascinating book. What is beyond doubt, is that the way humans have changed the world, is a key factor in the spread and mutation of viruses and bacteria. With cheap flights, environmental damage, urban crowding and intensive factory farming, it is clear that nature is the biggest threat to mankind's survial, but a threat that has been influenced by an all too often callous disregard and disrespect for the world in which we live.

The author explains how humans cause pandemics and then each chapter is a case study of a epidemic / pandemic. The book is concise and everything is well explained, no prior knowledge of epidemiology, Biology etc is needed. Great food for thought on how new diseases are caused, how they spread and become pandemics and what role humans have in our own downfall. The book is also very entertaining.
Re previous comments this issue does include a new chapter on Covid 19.
Well worth reading.