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The Great Influenza
by John M. Barry • 2004
Modern medicine was just being born. Then the deadliest pandemic hit and killed the young first.
3.98
43k+
The Great Influenza Summary
The Great Influenza 90%
Modern medicine was just being born. Then the deadliest pandemic hit and killed the young first.
by John M. Barry 2004
3.98
43k+ ratings
The Orphan Collector
by Ellen Marie Wiseman • 2020
In 1918 Philadelphia, a girl's twin brothers vanish; she must hunt a woman who collects orphans.
4.24
61k+
The Orphan Collector Summary
The Orphan Collector 89%
In 1918 Philadelphia, a girl's twin brothers vanish; she must hunt a woman who collects orphans.
by Ellen Marie Wiseman 2020
4.24
61k+ ratings
World War C
by Sanjay Gupta • 2021
We simulated this exact pandemic. It went exactly as predicted. Why wasn't anyone ready?
4.04
904
World War C Summary
World War C 89%
We simulated this exact pandemic. It went exactly as predicted. Why wasn't anyone ready?
by Sanjay Gupta 2021
4.04
904 ratings
The Premonition
by Michael Lewis • 2021
A handful of outsiders saw COVID-19 coming and built the warning system the CDC refused to.
4.32
43k+
The Premonition Summary
The Premonition 88%
A handful of outsiders saw COVID-19 coming and built the warning system the CDC refused to.
by Michael Lewis 2021
4.32
43k+ ratings
Crisis Averted
by Caitlin Rivers • 2024
Public health saves millions; why do we starve it until a crisis hits?
4.16
247
Crisis Averted Summary
Crisis Averted 88%
Public health saves millions; why do we starve it until a crisis hits?
by Caitlin Rivers 2024
4.16
247 ratings
Pathogenesis
by Jonathan Kennedy • 2023
Microbes, not men, wrote history. Eight plagues that toppled empires and built the modern world.
3.94
12k+
Pathogenesis Summary
Pathogenesis 88%
Microbes, not men, wrote history. Eight plagues that toppled empires and built the modern world.
by Jonathan Kennedy 2023
3.94
12k+ ratings
Quarantine Life from Cholera to COVID-19
by Kari Nixon • 2021
Quarantine backfires without consent. History's real defenses: distancing and community.
3.85
169
Quarantine Life from Cholera to COVID-19 Summary
Quarantine Life from Cholera to COVID-19 88%
Quarantine backfires without consent. History's real defenses: distancing and community.
by Kari Nixon 2021
3.85
169 ratings
Deadliest Enemy
by Michael T. Osterholm • 2017
Microbes evolve in 20 minutes; humans take 25 years. That gap is our deadliest vulnerability.
4.33
3k+
Deadliest Enemy Summary
Deadliest Enemy 88%
Microbes evolve in 20 minutes; humans take 25 years. That gap is our deadliest vulnerability.
by Michael T. Osterholm 2017
4.33
3k+ ratings
In the Shadow of Blackbirds
by Cat Winters • 2013
During the 1918 flu, a girl's photograph captures her dead soldier's ghost begging for the truth.
3.85
13k+
In the Shadow of Blackbirds Summary
In the Shadow of Blackbirds 88%
During the 1918 flu, a girl's photograph captures her dead soldier's ghost begging for the truth.
by Cat Winters 2013
3.85
13k+ ratings
Foreign Bodies
by Simon Schama • 2023
How smallpox, cholera, and plague shaped the modern world, and why we keep repeating the mistakes.
3.58
580
Foreign Bodies Summary
Foreign Bodies 87%
How smallpox, cholera, and plague shaped the modern world, and why we keep repeating the mistakes.
by Simon Schama 2023
3.58
580 ratings
Uncontrolled Spread
by Scott Gottlieb • 2021
Every part of America's pandemic defense was designed for a different war.
4.06
1k+
Uncontrolled Spread Summary
Uncontrolled Spread 87%
Every part of America's pandemic defense was designed for a different war.
by Scott Gottlieb 2021
4.06
1k+ ratings
COVID-19
by Michael Mosley • 2020
Why this virus spreads before symptoms, and the science-backed ways to strengthen your defenses.
3.91
224
COVID-19 Summary
COVID-19 87%
Why this virus spreads before symptoms, and the science-backed ways to strengthen your defenses.
by Michael Mosley 2020
3.91
224 ratings
Year of Wonders
by Geraldine Brooks • 2001
A widow fights plague, superstition, and witch hunts to keep her quarantined village alive.
4.01
177k+
Year of Wonders Summary
Year of Wonders 87%
A widow fights plague, superstition, and witch hunts to keep her quarantined village alive.
by Geraldine Brooks 2001
4.01
177k+ ratings
Booster Shots
by Adam Ratner • 2025
Measles erases immune memory. It also erases societal memory, and that amnesia is more dangerous.
4.33
577
Booster Shots Summary
Booster Shots 87%
Measles erases immune memory. It also erases societal memory, and that amnesia is more dangerous.
by Adam Ratner 2025
4.33
577 ratings
The Wisdom of Plagues
by Donald G. Mcneil Jr. • 2024
Pandemics are human-made disasters. COVID proved it, and 25 years of reporting shows exactly how.
4.11
343
The Wisdom of Plagues Summary
The Wisdom of Plagues 87%
Pandemics are human-made disasters. COVID proved it, and 25 years of reporting shows exactly how.
by Donald G. Mcneil Jr. 2024
4.11
343 ratings
How to Prevent the Next Pandemic
by Bill Gates • 2022
Most of COVID's suffering was avoidable. The blueprint to ensure nothing like it happens again.
3.76
2k+
How to Prevent the Next Pandemic Summary
How to Prevent the Next Pandemic 87%
Most of COVID's suffering was avoidable. The blueprint to ensure nothing like it happens again.
by Bill Gates 2022
3.76
2k+ ratings
Patient Zero
by Lydia Kang • 2021
The hunt for patient zero almost always finds a scapegoat, not a cause.
4.13
3k+
Patient Zero Summary
Patient Zero 87%
The hunt for patient zero almost always finds a scapegoat, not a cause.
by Lydia Kang 2021
4.13
3k+ ratings
Against the World
by Tara Zahra • 2023
Globalism was not undone by accident. Voters, left out of its gains, dismantled it on purpose.
3.96
254
Against the World Summary
Against the World 86%
Globalism was not undone by accident. Voters, left out of its gains, dismantled it on purpose.
by Tara Zahra 2023
3.96
254 ratings
The Hot Zone
by Richard Preston • 1994
Ebola turns organs to liquid, kills nine in ten. In 1989, it surfaced in suburban Virginia.
4.16
122k+
The Hot Zone Summary
The Hot Zone 86%
Ebola turns organs to liquid, kills nine in ten. In 1989, it surfaced in suburban Virginia.
by Richard Preston 1994
4.16
122k+ ratings
What Really Happened in Wuhan
by Sharri Markson • 2021
A Wuhan lab studying bat viruses had sick workers in November; then the pandemic began.
4.19
1k+
What Really Happened in Wuhan Summary
What Really Happened in Wuhan 86%
A Wuhan lab studying bat viruses had sick workers in November; then the pandemic began.
by Sharri Markson 2021
4.19
1k+ ratings
A Planet of Viruses
by Carl Zimmer • 2011
Viruses aren't just enemies. They built our DNA, rule the oceans, and may have sparked life.
4.06
5k+
A Planet of Viruses Summary
A Planet of Viruses 86%
Viruses aren't just enemies. They built our DNA, rule the oceans, and may have sparked life.
by Carl Zimmer 2011
4.06
5k+ ratings
A State of Fear
by Laura Dodsworth • 2021
The UK government orchestrated fear to secure pandemic compliance. How it worked, and what it broke.
4.31
793
A State of Fear Summary
A State of Fear 86%
The UK government orchestrated fear to secure pandemic compliance. How it worked, and what it broke.
by Laura Dodsworth 2021
4.31
793 ratings
Fever 1793
by Laurie Halse Anderson • 2000
1793 Philadelphia: a teen must survive the fever and rebuild her family's coffeehouse.
3.93
134k+
Fever 1793 Summary
Fever 1793 86%
1793 Philadelphia: a teen must survive the fever and rebuild her family's coffeehouse.
by Laurie Halse Anderson 2000
3.93
134k+ ratings
Everything Is Tuberculosis
by John Green • 2025
Tuberculosis is curable. Its persistence reveals not biology but a record of whose lives are valued.
4.32
279k+
Everything Is Tuberculosis Summary
Everything Is Tuberculosis 86%
Tuberculosis is curable. Its persistence reveals not biology but a record of whose lives are valued.
by John Green 2025
4.32
279k+ ratings
Plagues and Peoples
by William H. McNeill • 1976
Athens and Rome fell to a force their strategists ignored: disease, not decadence.
3.87
5k+
Plagues and Peoples Summary
Plagues and Peoples 86%
Athens and Rome fell to a force their strategists ignored: disease, not decadence.
by William H. McNeill 1976
3.87
5k+ ratings
Curse of The Narrows
by Laura M. MacDonald • 2005
Before Hiroshima, the largest manmade blast leveled a Canadian city. Oppenheimer studied its ruins.
3.99
1k+
Curse of The Narrows Summary
Curse of The Narrows 86%
Before Hiroshima, the largest manmade blast leveled a Canadian city. Oppenheimer studied its ruins.
by Laura M. MacDonald 2005
3.99
1k+ ratings
2020
by Eric Klinenberg • 2024
COVID exposed America's preexisting condition: broken trust, racial inequality, willful forgetting.
3.89
439
2020 Summary
2020 86%
COVID exposed America's preexisting condition: broken trust, racial inequality, willful forgetting.
by Eric Klinenberg 2024
3.89
439 ratings
Deception
by Rand Paul • 2023
The lab-leak evidence the NIH buried and the scientific establishment's campaign to dismiss it.
4.47
549
Deception Summary
Deception 86%
The lab-leak evidence the NIH buried and the scientific establishment's campaign to dismiss it.
by Rand Paul 2023
4.47
549 ratings
The Plague Year
by Lawrence Wright • 2020
American exceptionalism met a virus that didn't care. How the most prepared nation on earth lost.
4.12
3k+
The Plague Year Summary
The Plague Year 86%
American exceptionalism met a virus that didn't care. How the most prepared nation on earth lost.
by Lawrence Wright 2020
4.12
3k+ ratings
The Murmur of Bees
by Sofía Segovia • 2015
A Mexican family adopts a bee-covered orphan whose visions shield them from revolution and plague.
4.23
76k+
The Murmur of Bees Summary
The Murmur of Bees 86%
A Mexican family adopts a bee-covered orphan whose visions shield them from revolution and plague.
by Sofía Segovia 2015
4.23
76k+ ratings
Mosquito
by Andrew Spielman • 2001
Smaller than a fingernail, deadlier than all wars combined: the insect that decided empires.
3.89
436
Mosquito Summary
Mosquito 86%
Smaller than a fingernail, deadlier than all wars combined: the insect that decided empires.
by Andrew Spielman 2001
3.89
436 ratings
My Fellow Soldiers
by Andrew Carroll • 2017
Pershing built an American army; the soldiers' letters reveal a victory that shattered the world.
4.22
379
My Fellow Soldiers Summary
My Fellow Soldiers 86%
Pershing built an American army; the soldiers' letters reveal a victory that shattered the world.
by Andrew Carroll 2017
4.22
379 ratings
Nemesis
by Philip Roth • 2010
In 1944 Newark, a rejected soldier channels his duty into protecting children from a polio epidemic.
3.86
19k+
Nemesis Summary
Nemesis 86%
In 1944 Newark, a rejected soldier channels his duty into protecting children from a polio epidemic.
by Philip Roth 2010
3.86
19k+ ratings
Longshot
by David Heath • 2022
338 days from sequence to shot. The twenty years of failure that made it possible.
4.16
140
Longshot Summary
Longshot 86%
338 days from sequence to shot. The twenty years of failure that made it possible.
by David Heath 2022
4.16
140 ratings
Tiny Blunders/Big Disasters
by Jared Knott • 2020
History turns on unopened letters, wrong turns, and badly designed ballots, not grand strategy.
4.01
2k+
Tiny Blunders/Big Disasters Summary
Tiny Blunders/Big Disasters 86%
History turns on unopened letters, wrong turns, and badly designed ballots, not grand strategy.
by Jared Knott 2020
4.01
2k+ ratings
The Memory of Animals
by Claire Fuller • 2023
A marine biologist enters a vaccine trial and wakes to a world that has already ended.
3.57
6k+
The Memory of Animals Summary
The Memory of Animals 86%
A marine biologist enters a vaccine trial and wakes to a world that has already ended.
by Claire Fuller 2023
3.57
6k+ ratings
The Book of the Unnamed Midwife
by Meg Elison • 2014
After a plague kills most women, a midwife hides as a man to walk the ruins of America.
4.14
28k+
The Book of the Unnamed Midwife Summary
The Book of the Unnamed Midwife 86%
After a plague kills most women, a midwife hides as a man to walk the ruins of America.
by Meg Elison 2014
4.14
28k+ ratings
Blindness
by José Saramago • 1995
An epidemic of blindness sweeps a city, but inside the quarantine, one woman still sees.
4.18
344k+
Blindness Summary
Blindness 86%
An epidemic of blindness sweeps a city, but inside the quarantine, one woman still sees.
by José Saramago 1995
4.18
344k+ ratings
The Ghost Map
by Steven Johnson • 2006
London, 1854: a doctor maps the cholera dead while a reverend hunts the outbreak's first victim.
3.89
57k+
The Ghost Map Summary
The Ghost Map 86%
London, 1854: a doctor maps the cholera dead while a reverend hunts the outbreak's first victim.
by Steven Johnson 2006
3.89
57k+ ratings
American Midnight
by Adam Hochschild • 2022
The war fought to secure democracy abroad nearly destroyed it at home, and America forgot.
4.20
5k+
American Midnight Summary
American Midnight 86%
The war fought to secure democracy abroad nearly destroyed it at home, and America forgot.
by Adam Hochschild 2022
4.20
5k+ ratings
Dissolving Illusions
by Suzanne Humphries • 2013
Infectious disease death rates fell before vaccines. Credit goes to sanitation, not shots.
4.62
2k+
Dissolving Illusions Summary
Dissolving Illusions 85%
Infectious disease death rates fell before vaccines. Credit goes to sanitation, not shots.
by Suzanne Humphries 2013
4.62
2k+ ratings
No One’s Coming
by Kevin Hazzard • 2026
Two doctors catch Ebola in Liberia. Every government refuses. One crew of outlaw pilots flies in.
4.45
820
No One’s Coming Summary
No One’s Coming 85%
Two doctors catch Ebola in Liberia. Every government refuses. One crew of outlaw pilots flies in.
by Kevin Hazzard 2026
4.45
820 ratings
Commune
by Joshua Gayou • 2017
After a plague, a lone survivor leads three strangers across a dead America to Wyoming.
4.18
3k+
Commune Summary
Commune 85%
After a plague, a lone survivor leads three strangers across a dead America to Wyoming.
by Joshua Gayou 2017
4.18
3k+ ratings
The Rules of Contagion
by Adam Kucharski • 2020
Why tweets go viral and banks collapse: the hidden math that governs what spreads.
3.86
2k+
The Rules of Contagion Summary
The Rules of Contagion 85%
Why tweets go viral and banks collapse: the hidden math that governs what spreads.
by Adam Kucharski 2020
3.86
2k+ ratings
So Very Small
by Thomas Levenson • 2025
How humanity finally saw the invisible world, defeated it, and may now lose the rematch.
4.30
213
So Very Small Summary
So Very Small 85%
How humanity finally saw the invisible world, defeated it, and may now lose the rematch.
by Thomas Levenson 2025
4.30
213 ratings
In Memoriam
by Alice Winn • 2023
In 1914, two schoolboys cannot speak their love, so they go to war instead.
4.50
80k+
In Memoriam Summary
In Memoriam 85%
In 1914, two schoolboys cannot speak their love, so they go to war instead.
by Alice Winn 2023
4.50
80k+ ratings
Doomsday Book
by Connie Willis • 1992
A historian stranded in a medieval village faces the Black Death with no way home.
4.03
65k+
Doomsday Book Summary
Doomsday Book 85%
A historian stranded in a medieval village faces the Black Death with no way home.
by Connie Willis 1992
4.03
65k+ ratings
Dear Mr. Kilmer
by Anne E. Schraff • 1999
An Iowa boy writes to poet Joyce Kilmer, then must defy his town's war-fueled prejudice.
3.96
272
Dear Mr. Kilmer Summary
Dear Mr. Kilmer 85%
An Iowa boy writes to poet Joyce Kilmer, then must defy his town's war-fueled prejudice.
by Anne E. Schraff 1999
3.96
272 ratings
To End All Wars
by Adam Hochschild • 2011
A general led Britain's army. His sister led its pacifists. The Great War as family feud.
4.14
9k+
To End All Wars Summary
To End All Wars 85%
A general led Britain's army. His sister led its pacifists. The Great War as family feud.
by Adam Hochschild 2011
4.14
9k+ ratings
Regeneration
by Pat Barker • 1991
An officer's war protest is declared insanity. A psychiatrist must now return him to the front.
4.01
34k+
Regeneration Summary
Regeneration 85%
An officer's war protest is declared insanity. A psychiatrist must now return him to the front.
by Pat Barker 1991
4.01
34k+ ratings
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