More Deadly Than War: The Hidden History of the Spanish Flu and the First World War | 
pickOverall, this MG/YA history book is pretty good. It does a good job of tying together World War I and the 1918 influenza pandemic, and how they affected each other. The timeline pages were oddly inserted and kind of distracting. Would be a good supplement for middle school age, so I‘ll keep it in mind for kiddo‘s next turn through modern history.
January #BookSpin done - second month in a row when what I‘d already started is picked.
“That makes it more important than ever to be cautious or even skeptical about our sources of information. Facts matter. The truth matters. We must safeguard medical facts based on soundly gathered evidence and not allow unsubstantiated opinions to blur scientific knowledge.”
“History and science are fairly clear on this point: another pandemic is a distinct possibility. Viruses are a treacherous enemy.”
This is from 2018.
Sorry, Mr. Davis, historian extraordinaire - but Czechoslovakia was nowhere near the Balkan Peninsula. It was partitioned from land belonging to Austria-Hungary and Germany, in the heart of Europe.
so-soIt was okay. Not much new insight or information.
pickThe so called War to End all Wars is often forgotten or glossed over in Juvenile literature, since the horrors of World War II were even worse. This book details the intertwined history of the end of World War I and the rapid spread of a deadly flu that would eventually wipe out 5% of the world‘s population. The pandemic turned out to be far deadlier than the war. Informative, accessible and engaging!
Wow! I just heard this author on NPR and I had no idea the flu pretty much ended WW1. I am so stoked to read it.
I m a big fan of Davis, so I'll pretty much read anything he writes even if I don't really care about the subject much. Within a few pages I was deeply caring about the Spanish Flu which caused more American deaths than WWI, WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War combined. It then devastated the rest of the world. It was so traumatic, it just wasn't mentioned in history books.
For ages 10-14, but I think anyone would like it. Great writing!
