3.5
An American Plague
ByPublisher Description
1793, Philadelphia: The nation's capital and the largest city in North America is devastated by an apparently incurable disease, cause unknown…
This dramatic narrative describes the illness known as yellow fever and the toll it took on the city's residents, relating the epidemic to the social and political events of the day and eighteenth-century medical beliefs and practices. Drawing on first-hand accounts, Jim Murphy spotlights the heroic role of Philadelphia's free blacks in combating the disease, and the Constitutional crisis President Washington faced when he was forced to leave the city—and all his papers—to escape the deadly contagion. The search for the fever's causes and cure provides a suspenseful counterpoint to this riveting true story of a city under siege.
Winner of multiple awards, this thoroughly researched book offers a look at the conditions of cities at the time of our nation's birth, and draws timely parallels to modern-day epidemics.
"A lavishly illustrated book, containing maps, newspaper columns and period illustrations…unflinchingly presents the horrors of the event as well as its heroes."—
"Pair this work with Laurie Halse Anderson's wonderful novel
and you'll have students hooked on history."—
"History, science, politics, and public health come together in this dramatic account of the disastrous yellow fever epidemic that hit the nation's capital more than 200 years ago."—
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesAn American Plague Reviews
3.5
“Why the hell did I read this book in my English class 8th grade. Traumatizing and disgusting AS FUCK.”
About Jim Murphy
Jim Murphy's nonfiction books have received numerous awards, among them two Newbery Honors, the Sibert Medal, three Orbis Pictus awards, the Margaret A. Edwards award, the James Madison Book Award, and a National Book Award nomination. Born and raised in New Jersey, Jim lives in Maplewood, NJ, with his family. jimmurphybooks.com.
Other books by Jim Murphy
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