Rating: 
Summary: The great influenza pandemic of 1918
Review: Gina Kolata is a science reporter for "The New York Times." In "Flu" she does a fine job of reporting on the great influenza pandemic of 1918-19, and on the search for the virus that caused twenty to a hundred million deaths: "The epidemic affected the course of history and was a terrifying presence at the end of World War I, killing more Americans in a single year than died in battle in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War."According to this author, the origin of the 1918 flu virus is a still-unsolved medical mystery, as is the mystery of its virulence. A 'normal' flu epidemic kills thousands every year, mainly the elderly, the very young, and the immuno-suppressed. The 1918 virus killed people in their prime. Whether the virulence of the virus is still a mystery is up for debate (something Kolata neglects to mention). In "Evolution of Infectious Disease (published in 1994)," Paul Ewald theorizes on why the virus was so virulent and why it killed young to middle-aged adults: "The environmental conditions associated with the trench warfare of World War I could hardly have been more favorable for the evolution of increased virulence of airborne pathogens like influenza. Soldiers in the trenches were grouped so closely that even immobile infecteds could transmit pathogens. When a soldier was too sick to fight, he was typically removed from his trenchmates. But by that time trenchmates often would have been infected because rates of shedding are highest at the onset of illness, which typically occurs two to three days after exposure (Cate 1972, Berlin 1980)." If it was indeed the conditions of war that made the flu so virulent (Ewald makes a very good case), it is also true that the flu helped to end the war. Kolata quotes German General Erich von Ludendorff as saying: "The flu...contributed to the failure of his July offensive, a battle plan that nearly won the war for Germany." The flu was brought to the United States by a group of sailors who docked in Boston, in August, 1918. From there, it spread to the crowded army camps and into the civilian population. Kolata's descriptions of how people died and how the bodies had to be disposed of is quite gruesome and compelling. The author doesn't end her story in 1919, when the flu pandemic finally died away. She continues on with the search for the killer virus. Many different theories on the origin and virulence of the virus are presented in the course of the search---and most of them are finally discarded. The only slow spots in "Flu" are a couple of chapters on the 'Swine flu' vaccination program and the resulting litigation. "Flu" is a quick, exciting read, but you might also want to check out Paul W. Ewald's "Evolution of Infectious Disease" for alternate hypotheses on the origin of the 1918 flu, and the reasons for its virulence.
Rating: 
Summary: A good story, poorly written
Review: The subject matter is fascinating, and Kolata makes the topic very understandable by non-medical readers. But she overall does not write the story very well. She skips erratically backwards and forwards in time so frequently I was often left not knowing what year it was. And though she makes an effort to string compelling details through the plot, she does an awkward job of tying up those strings toward the end. I was left unsure of how it ended, and what was discovered vs. unknown, leaving with a sense of a mystery half-solved. I certainly have gained a much stronger understanding of the influenza virus and a greater respect for pathology through this reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely gripping
Review: In August of 1918, the flu returned after its summer hiatus. However, something had seriously gone wrong after the mild flu of the preceding winter. Soldiers, and other young, healthy people started dying of a terrible pneumonia. The leading doctors of the era slaved to find a cure, but the disease seemed resistant to every step they took. Finally, after having carried away some 100 million people(!), the disease simply disappeared. This book tells the tale of that last great pandemic, and the subsequent search to identify the virus, to see to it that the disease never returns. Among the biggest events that it covers are the plague year of 1918, the Swine Flu fiasco of 1976, and the 1997 race to stop the spread of a deadly avian flu that was spreading in Hong Kong. I found this book to be nothing short of gripping! I had read several references to the 1918 flu, but have never really understood the matter. Indeed, the author's treatment of the 1976 Swine Flu and 1997 Hong Kong chicken flu (both of which I do remember) made a number of things suddenly come quite clear. I deeply enjoyed reading this book, and give it my highest recommendation. If you want to read a gripping whodunit, or a medical-type history book, or want to under current events pertaining to diseases, then I strongly suggest that you read this book!
Rating:
Summary: A Real Eye-Opener
Review: It amazed me how thoroughly the 1918 pandemic penetrated American life but how quickly it was forgotten. I first heard about it on an PBS's American Experience, and was given the book shortly thereafter as a gift. "Flu" has all the scientific details you might expect to be included in such a study: how the disease spread, how it mutated, and how scientists went about identifying it. This is all done in a really interesting way and read like a detective story, which is what it was in fact. More interesting was the book's treatment of the human factor in the efforts to fight the disease. "Flu" shows how political concerns, personal experience of politician and scientist alike, and even interpersonal relationships shape the effectiveness of finding a cure. Overall, "Flu" is a fascinating study of a little-known episode in American history.
Rating:
Summary: A Real Eye-Opener
Review: It amazed me how thoroughly the 1918 epidemic penetrated American life but how quickly it was forgotten. I first heard about it on an PBS's American Experience, and was given the book shortly thereafter as a gift. "Flu" has all the scientific details you might expect to be included in such a study: how the disease spread, how it mutated, and how scientists went about identifying it. This is all done in a really interesting way and read like a detective story, which is what it was in fact. More interesting was the book's treatment of the human factor in the efforts to fight the disease. "Flu" shows how political concerns, personal experience of politician and scientist alike, and even interpersonal relationships still shape the odds of finding a cure. Overall, "Flu" is a fascinating study of a little-known episode in American history.
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Summary: FLU: The story of the Great Pandemic of 1918
Review: This book was so riviting and powerfully descriptive that I encouraged my teenage daughters to read it also and they loved it! My mother, my neighbor and a few friends have also loved it. This book sparked an avid search for related books, anything that deals with the CDC, viruses, and mystry illnesses.
The Coming Plague and The Hot Zone have also been excellent reads.
Rating:
Summary: An unanswerable dilemma
Review: An investigative medical novel that takes the reader on journey to search for the whys and hows of a dangerous virus. The influenza virus that obliterated millions didn't get much press at that time. Just think how this story would be covered today in the news!!! I think mass hysteria would be an understatement. I look at the flu in a more serious light now after reading this story!!!
Rating:
Summary: Good but lacking
Review: As an undergrad molecular/cellular biology student with a primary interest in pathogenic microbiology I snatched this book up with the hopes of learning about the mentioned pandemic in the book's title. I was at first captivated by the author's writing style and her delving into the historical time period but I was soon dismayed by how the story jumped around. I like having the background info of the principles in the story because it helps one to understand why they are on the quest, but their biographies seemed to be placed at odd intervals. It was soon evident that the actual history wasn't going to get much book space and that in itself was disappointing. I also understand that the author was trying to make the scientific procedures understandable to people of all educational backgrounds, but I felt much was missing in that arena--some parts seemed to be actual protocols while other parts were missing steps in procedure. I agree with other reviewers who stated that the book ended adruptly--I wasn't expecting the mystery to be completely solved because that just doesn't happen in science, but I felt the current issues part could've been expanded. On the whole, I enjoyed the book, but I have to admit that I'm still on the look out for a more concise history of influenza and the 1918 pandemic--I suppose that means I need to check out Crosby's book since Kolata mentioned him so much.
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Summary: A Fine Account Of The Infamous 1918 Influenza Pandemic
Review: This is a well researched, often riveting account of the 1918 influenza pandemic and of ongoing efforts to identify the viral strain that was responsible for causing millions of deaths across the globe. It reads like a medical thriller, especially when it recounts the chronology of the 1918 pandemic and describes the scientific scramble for publishing the latest discoveries pertaining to the 1918 pandemic. Those interested in academic battles might find Kolata's description of this scramble fascinating. Unfortunately, this well written book falls short in describing possible future encounters with virulent viral strains such as the one which produced the deadly 1918/1919 flu outbreak.
Rating:
Summary: Well researched
Review: This book presents several stories connected to the influenza epidemic of 1918. Kolata begins by listing the statistics of that terrible disease, how many dead, orphaned, etc. The statistics are quite impressive, but Kolata presents so many numbers that they actual get a little tedious after a while. Following the summary of the impact the disease had on society, Kolata goes on to describe in detail various research projects that sought to determine why this particular strain of flu was so deadly. She explains how the 1918 seems to have been passed on to pigs and goes on to write extensively about the swine flu non-epidemic of 1976 and its aftermath. In the last part of the book, she tells the stories behind several quests for tissue samples from people who died of the 1918 flu, drawing on interviews with the major researchers. Her description of the behind-the-scenes scramble necessary to get published in major scientific journals is quite illuminating. This book would be of interest to anyone attracted to science or medicine.
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