Flu: The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918By Carrie Fry, SPU librarian
From the bubonic plague, which spread across Europe in the 1340, to modern diseases such as SARS and Bird Flu, the tiniest organisms have a major effect on society. Pandemics, infectious diseases that spread over a wide area, shape those that survive the disease, changing the economy, family structure, and even faith.
Flu: The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and the Search for the Virus That Caused It, by Gina Kolata, a reporter for The New York Times, is a page turner that looks into the history and the science of a particularly deadly version of the flu — a disease almost all of us have caught at least once. In 1918 almost 20 percent of the world’s population caught the flu, and 2.5 percent of those that did died. Before it was finished, the flu had reached every corner of globe including remote Eskimo villages and had killed more American soldiers than died in battle during World War I (1914-18).
If you prefer to get your science with a dose of fiction, I also recommend Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson. This young-adult book is based on the true story of the yellow fever outbreak in Philadelphia in 1793.
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Hometown: Seattle, Washington
Expertise: Health Sciences and Library Technology
Favorite book: Bellwether by Connie Willis
Best part about working at Seattle Pacific: SPU is like family for me, my mother has been a professor here since before I was born, I attended SPU for my undergraduate degree and after working elsewhere for a few years, I came “back home” as a librarian.
Favorite part of campus: While not technically “on campus,” I love the foot path beside the canal. Rain or shine, it is a wonderful place to stroll and reflect.
Favorite part of the Library: The Library web pages, (which I maintain.) Some people may not think of the website as being part of the Library, but I see it as a second branch … so much information is there, even access to a librarian using chat or email.
Hobbies: knitting, sewing, and reading
Meet more SPU Librarians.
Flu: The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and the Search for the Virus That Caused It, by Gina Kolata, a reporter for The New York Times, is a page turner that looks into the history and the science of a particularly deadly version of the flu — a disease almost all of us have caught at least once. In 1918 almost 20 percent of the world’s population caught the flu, and 2.5 percent of those that did died. Before it was finished, the flu had reached every corner of globe including remote Eskimo villages and had killed more American soldiers than died in battle during World War I (1914-18).
If you prefer to get your science with a dose of fiction, I also recommend Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson. This young-adult book is based on the true story of the yellow fever outbreak in Philadelphia in 1793.
Read more reviews.
Meet Carrie Fry
Hometown: Seattle, WashingtonExpertise: Health Sciences and Library Technology
Favorite book: Bellwether by Connie Willis
Best part about working at Seattle Pacific: SPU is like family for me, my mother has been a professor here since before I was born, I attended SPU for my undergraduate degree and after working elsewhere for a few years, I came “back home” as a librarian.
Favorite part of campus: While not technically “on campus,” I love the foot path beside the canal. Rain or shine, it is a wonderful place to stroll and reflect.
Favorite part of the Library: The Library web pages, (which I maintain.) Some people may not think of the website as being part of the Library, but I see it as a second branch … so much information is there, even access to a librarian using chat or email.
Hobbies: knitting, sewing, and reading
Meet more SPU Librarians.
