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  • The Great Influenza

  • The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History
  • Written by: John M. Barry
  • Narrated by: Scott Brick
  • Length: 19 hrs and 26 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (142 ratings)

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The Great Influenza cover art

The Great Influenza

Written by: John M. Barry
Narrated by: Scott Brick
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Publisher's Summary

In the winter of 1918, at the height of World War I, history's most lethal influenza virus erupted in an army camp in Kansas, moved east with American troops, then exploded, killing as many as 100 million people worldwide. It killed more people in 24 weeks than AIDS has killed in 24 years, more in a year than the Black Death killed in a century. But this was not the Middle Ages, and 1918 marked the first collision between modern science and epidemic disease.

Magisterial in its breadth of perspective and depth of research, The Great Influenza weaves together multiple narratives, with characters ranging from William Welch, founder of the Johns Hopkins Medical School, to John D. Rockefeller and Woodrow Wilson. Ultimately a tale of triumph amid tragedy, this crisis provides us with a precise and sobering model as we confront the epidemics looming on our own horizon.

©2004, 2005 John M. Barry (P)2006 Penguin Audio

What the critics say

"Monumental...powerfully intelligent...not just a masterful narrative...but also an authoritative and disturbing morality tale." (Chicago Tribune)

"Easily our fullest, richest, most panoramic history of the subject." (The New York Times Book Review)

"Hypnotizing, horrifying, energetic, lucid prose...." (Providence Observer)

What listeners say about The Great Influenza

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Temper your expectations

I normally love this type of book but this one was a slog for me to get through! The reader receives a very, very, very (yes, it deserves 3 'verys') thorough background of how epidemiology progressed leading up to the great influenza and highlights the main players/scientists/doctors involved. What I struggled with: Whenever the author actually began speaking of the influenza outbreak, he'd then stop and go back in time to give you yet more historical context which goes on until you almost forget about influenza before the author once more gets back to the original topic... this happens repeatedly. (Twice during these 'interruptions of giving context' I actually paused the audiobook and checked the book's description to ensure I had truely downloaded the right book.) Other readers/listeners may not find any fault with this: give this book a chance. Just be prepared/temper your expectations of how this book is put together. It's not just focusing on telling a clear/smooth/linear story of The Great Influenza but, rather, a detailed historical context on the development of medicine, epidemiology and influenza in the USA.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Tragic Story

I would highly recommend this and I found it easier than reading the book. There are many lessons to learn . I will listen to it again at some point.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Good but tends to meander

There are aspects of the book which are very interesting but it tends to lose its fluidity at times. The research completed is bar none, however it sometimes seems to be input simply for the sake of warranting the research completed. Decent read but could have been 100-200 pages shorter.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

It was only Influenza...

Great book. Fantastic balance between the history, epidemiology, research and important figures. Excellently read with the gravity and tone it deserved. I'll be enjoying this book more then once.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Packed full of prescient information.

An excellent information source to understand how history can inform us about managing today’s pandemic.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

“Chance favours the prepared mind.”

Well written and well researched.

An excellent educational opportunity for those interested. So much information to soak up and delivered in an manner for all to grasp.

Prepare to bookmark as you go. Second listen will be required.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

How timely and prophetic

This is the longest audiobook I have ever listened to and it is very detailed but it never got boring. I enjoyed the story immensely. I am writing this review in February 2021 as we are in the middle of another pandemic

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

a story of censorship propaganda

I found it very well written and easy to listen to.
the most compelling part was the censorship and propaganda that Woodrow Wilson imposed on the USA in WW1.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great way to compare and contrast to COVID-19

Great analysis of the issues the US faced during the outbreak, and interesting to see the similarities and contrasts to Covid-19 today. While the detailed look at the lives of some of the main scientists involved was interesting, the story followed these lines too long and it distracted from the main points.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A sobering look at the lessons of a pandemic in light of Covid-19

See how the lessons of the past were learned the hard way...and how medicine in the US transformed from anecdotal folk remedies to a scientific approach just before and during the pandemic. Leadership was shown to be and still is the key to getting through pandemics. Foundations and then Governments in the US stepped up to meet the demands of public health at the turn of the 20th century... Johns Hopkins University is a legacy still paying dividends today. A great exploration of key figures in medicine as well. Sad to see the predictions and warnings of this book and history were unheeded and ignored and now we are paying the price with Covid-19. Maybe we will now learn something to forestall the grave consequences of the next influenza pandemic...

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