Ratings16
Average rating3.9
This is a fascinating book, including reflections on the bungled response to the Covid-19 pandemic. My one complaint, which may be a result of having listened to the audiobook, is that it was disjointed in places and it was sometimes difficult to know which plague and which time period he was talking about. I might not have had that problem if I'd had access to a printed copy.
I normally don't write reviews but I felt so compelled to leave a short note since I so thoroughly enjoyed this book. I really appreciated how well the author wove together history and public health, making this content accessible to someone who is not an expert in either. I didn't know a ton about these topics, especially the older time periods, but the more recent topics were reminiscent of my medical geography course in college (although more engaging and interesting). Highly recommended!
I really enjoyed this book even though I do feel that it is an oversimplification of some parts of history and tragically leaves out some rather important people in favor of mentioning those that we hear about the most (I was crossing my fingers we'd hear about Lady Mary Wortley Montagu during the discussion of Edward Jenner). Kennedy's argument is an interesting one so I did enjoy hearing about his perspective.