Name: Pierke Bosschieter's review of Pale Rider by Laura Spinney
Item: Pale Rider
Rating: 5
Author: Pierke Bosschieter

Laura Spinney

With a death toll between fifty and one hundred million people across the globe, the Spanish flu of 1918-1920 was one of the greatest human disasters of all time. Nevertheless, it exists in our memory as a mere footnote to World War I In Pale Rider, Laura Spinney recounts the story of this overlooked pandemic, tracing it from Alaska to Brazil, from Persia to Spain, and from South Africa to Odessa. Through the point of view of those who lived through it, she shows how the flu was shaped by the interaction of the virus with the humans it encountered and how this devastating natural experiment put both the vulnerability and the ingenuity of mankind to the test. Drawing on the latest research in history, virology, epidemiology, psychology, and economics, Laura Spinney narrates a catastrophe that changed humanity for decades to come. In doing so, she reveals that the Spanish flu was as significant--if not more so--as the two world wars in shaping the modern world by disrupting, and often permanently altering, global politics, race relations, family structures, and ingenuity across medicine, religion, and the arts. With a death toll between fifty and one hundred million people across the globe, the Spanish flu of 1918-1920 was one of the greatest human disasters of all time. Nevertheless, it exists in our memory as a mere footnote to World War I. In Pale Rider, Laura Spinney recounts the story of this overlooked pandemic, tracing it from Alaska to Brazil, from Persia to Spain, and from South Africa to Odessa. Using firsthand accounts, Spinney's vivid narrative shows how the Spanish flu evolved as a result of the humans it encountered and how this devastating virus exposed our vulnerability and put the ingenuity of mankind to the test. Drawing on the latest research in history, virology, epidemiology, psychology, and economics, Laura Spinney narrates a catastrophe that changed humanity for decades to come. In doing so, she reveals that the Spanish flu was as significant--if not more so--as the two world wars in shaping the modern world by disrupting, and often permanently altering, global politics, race relations, family structures, and ingenuity across medicine, religion, and the arts.

The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World

Pale Rider

Joana Ribeiro

The author traces the pandemic that killed up to 100 million people, from India to Brazil, from Persia to Spain, and from South Africa to Ukraine. She demonstrates that the Spanish flu was a very significant event in creating the modern world.

The Spanish Flu of 1918 and how it Changed the World

Pierke Bosschieter

The story of the Spanish flu expertly told from contrasting perspectives, which kept me captivated throughout. It gave me tons of new information and tiny tidbits to treasure.

Jeremy Anderberg

In the last few months I’ve tried out a few different books on the 1918-1920 pandemic; reaching back for a better understanding of the past tends to afford some measure of comfort about what’s happening in the present.

The first one I tried was John Barry’s The Great Influenza, which has gotten the lion’s share of attention this year. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get more than a few chapters in before I was lost in the science. I didn’t love his approach or structuring either.

Then I gave The Pandemic Century a shot, but again couldn’t wade through the epidemiology before tossing it aside.

I finally, and thankfully, landed on Laura Spinney’s incredibly readable and accessible account of not only the pandemic, but also its far-reaching after-effects.

Her global perspective was eye opening and the inevitable parallels to today — found on nearly every single page — were disturbing, to say the least. While there is some hope to be found within Pale Rider’s pages, the unifying reality of pandemics is their long-term nature. It may sound bleak, but knowing that this strange time period won’t magically end come fall or winter may help you think more about the long run, which can counterintuitively alleviate some of the anxiety you’re feeling about the unknowability of things.

When the dust clears from this novel virus, our world will be different, just as it was 100 years ago after that flu ran its course. Rather than yearn for the “before,” we’d do well to recognize the reality of change. I understand the pessimism of that, but at the same time, humans — and our relationships with each other — are adaptable. We always find a way to turn lemons into lemonade. We’ll miss some things, to be sure, but some aspects of life will be better, too; I don’t yet know what, but I am sure of it. (Quick update: Taylor Swift’s new album is one of those things.)

We’re all in this together. The Spanish flu didn’t bring the world to an end and neither will COVID-19.

Emily S

Maybe I was really distracted or maybe I should have read it in print, not audio. But I felt like the same content could have been done better. But still not bad.

Joana Ribeiro &
Pale Rider by Laura Spinney

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Joana Ribeiro &Pale Rider by Laura Spinney

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Join the club

Joana Ribeiro &
Pale Rider by Laura Spinney