I couldn't get through this title. It ended up not being for me, but I hope it finds a hope with other readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This is a highly readable book covering the history of infectious disease in humans - everything from the plague to polio to Ebola to COVID-19. It’s a whirlwind introduction to these diseases and how they’ve shaped the world (as well as how our world has shaped them.)

I really enjoyed the emphasis on the social and historical context of the plagues Kenny discussed - disease doesn’t happen in a vacuum, and understanding this context can help us avoid the mistakes of the past. As he’s explaining past outbreaks, Kenny connects back to current events, helping the reader draw parallels.

Kenny doesn’t mince words about the skewed priorities in medicine - we have multiple medicines for erectile dysfunction but no malaria vaccine. His commentary on neglected diseases/populations will be eye-opening to many readers.

This book is much more digestible than other history of medicine books I’ve read - I feel comfortable recommending this to family and friends even with little science background. The sections on vaccines and antibiotics are especially relevant for today.

Thank you to Scribner for providing an ARC of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Plague Cycle: The Unending War Between Humanity and Infectious Disease by Charles Kenny is a highly recommended overview of the history of infectious diseases with some discussion of them in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The good news is that recent history suggests "humanity’s response to the new threat can be rapid and effective if we so choose. And that reassures us that humanity in the twenty-first century is in a considerably better position in the fight against infection than earlier generations. Because for most of humanity’s time on the planet, effective responses never came." For most of history plagues and diseases were the leading cause of death. Today it is heart attacks and strokes.

As Kenny points out, humanity is very resilient even in the face of even the most incredible stress created by large scale epidemics, pandemics and plague outbreaks. People lived through numerous epidemics over the years- the Black Death, typhus, measles, small pox, without resorting to social chaos and throwing morality aside. Agriculture and civilization set off a global firestorm of disease, especially once urbanization started. Before we started taking sanitary practices seriously, the only effective way to exposure to diseases was to quarantine the sick or refuse their entry to your area. Then, once we understood hygiene, it became possible to have more urbanization, which was further helped by medical advancements (sterilized medical treatment, antibiotics, vaccinations, etc.) and the understanding of how to combat infectious diseases.

As our world is becoming more globally connected, it is now more important to address our vulnerabilities to new emerging infectious diseases and potential plagues. For example, we need to address the overuse of antibiotics which has led to a strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The global reaction to Covid-19 showcases the need for international cooperation on several different areas.

As someone who has read many books of various infectious diseases, plagues, and epidemics it should be noted that this is not meant to be a complex or complete history of infectious diseases. It is a nice overview for the general reader who wants more information on the subject and the text flows smoothly from one chapter to the next. It is a well-rounded overview written for the lay person. For more information, Kenny has a bibliography of his sources or look at the notes included in the text for subjects you might want to pursue further. Kenny is the director of technology and development at the Center for Global Development.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Scribner.
After publication the review will be posted on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

This is a fascinating journey reaching from the conditions necessary for infectious diseases to impact human groups to the present day where, despite many advances, the battles against contagion continues. The book is not at all technical, but is very thorough. Kenny recounts several of the best known discoveries, with lesser known detail filling in the story. He also points out that some moves didn't need science - humans avoid the 'icky' in ways that aid survival without knowledge of germ theory. He also explains why some diseases are more easily controlled than others. For solutions to be successful they need to be simple, cheap and easily obtained. And, as we are seeing today with Covid, the willingness of individuals to wear masks and distance from others affects the rate of infection. Yes, this book is very timely, but would be interesting without an active pandemic.

Perfect last book in 2020, a year of the plague. Here you will find every possible information about infectious diseases, a topic that suddenly became in vogue: from how microbes and viruses influenced human history to the inventions that allowed us to fight back to a warning what can happen if we won’t change our behavior towards antibiotics and global health care. It also mentions Covid-19 and its aftermath, but this knowledge is essential not only because of this recent pestilence.

If you are interested in the topic and devoured as many books about infectious diseases as I, you rather won’t find much new information here. Nonetheless, it is an enjoyable reading and a neat summary of many different aspects of this topic. And if you are new to this and just want to get some orientation, it is a perfect beginner's guide.

Thanks to the publisher, Scribner, and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book.

Read if you: Are fascinated by medical history, but are intimidated by the larger tomes in the field. It may seem a bit daunting at the very beginning, but press on--it's very accessible to the general reader.

Librarians/booksellers: Purchase if your older titles on pandemics have resurged in popularity during this COVID-19 period.

Many thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.