redrobinbookreviews

The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History   John M. Barry
Embarrassingly over-written, sensationalized account of the 1918-1920 influenza pandemic. I guess that’s what happens when you’re telling an “epic” story rather than just a history. Wasted a lot of time plowing through Barry’s verbosity. Interesting, very short, account of how viruses work, especially the H1N1, in particular. Book is at least twice as long as it needed to be. Excruciating by the end, and nearly nothing to show for it. Too bad.