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Novel 11

When is a good time to read a graphic account of the 1918 flu epidemic? In the middle of a global pandemic, of course! As coronavirus has gripped the world in 2020, obvious parallels are being drawn. This graphic nonfiction book, published long before this pandemic broke out, is eerie indeed. Even 100 years later, modern medicine lacks the ability to understand and control the spread of such a virus. The illustrations in this book are stark and bleak, perfectly matched to the tone of despair that accompanied that flu. Many millions of people were stricken, ill beyond measure, not caring whether they lived or died, once they were in its grip. By all accounts, Covid-19 is no less horrible, its death rate on par. It is good to have these accounts of history, so we can learn from them... even if we can't stop viruses from devastating humanity, exactly. ( )

Very interesting, informative and scary.... ( )

A lot of information on the 1918-1919 flu. The author did tons of research and presented it in a graphic novel format. It didn't work very well for me, though, because as a story, the plot (i.e. 1918-1919 flu wreaking havoc on humanity) seemed a hopeless problem with the medical knowledge available for people at that time. There was no one to root for. And the problem was resolved through the virus dying away on their own after some time-- not the most satisfying resolution. ( )