Customer Reviews

An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 (Newbery Honor Book)

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It is an indisputable fact that disasters are a lot more fun to read about than they are to live through. Sure, we might enjoy flipping through a tale covering the potato famine or the crash of the Hindenburg, but would you really want to experience them first hand yourself? Not likely. Author Jim Murphy has always been particularly talented at writing about the disaster genre. His "The Great Fire" is one of the finest non-fiction glimpses into the devastating 1871 Chicago conflagration ever produced. To my mind, however, he seems to make his various projects particularly difficult for himself. The Great Chicago Fire did not have any photographs to include for interest, though it did contain copious newspaper illustrations and documents. Such is the case with Murphy's more recent creation, "An American Plague". Delving deeply into the Yellow Fever epidemic of the late 18th century, Murphy attempts the near impossible: Make colonial America interesting. Worse, make colonial American interesting to kids. And dang it if he doesn't pull it off.

Framing the tale as a kind of mystery, Murphy starts slowly. He introduces us to some of the characters that would become important during the disease's height. As we read we find ourselves in the hot steamy smelly streets of Philadelphia. President Washington is having some difficulties with his Proclamation of Neutrality regarding the French. The Reverend J. Henry C. Helmuth is proclaiming that soon the city will be feeling God's displeasure due to Philly's rampant debauchery. And in a small boarding house on North Water Street, a French sailor has come down with a fever. The plague has begun.

Murphy's excellent at picking up the pace in this story. Quickly, the situation escalates from a disease affecting only the poor to one touching a variety of different citizens. Quick as a wink Washington and his compatriots flee the city and hole up in different areas. Rich citizens, or those with family not in Philadelphia, get out lickety-split. Suddenly our focus concentrates on Doctor Benjamin Rush. Placing himself in constant peril, Rush works tirelessly to find a cure for the disease. Rich men like Stephen Girard and (gotta love the name) Israel Israel take on the jobs of ministering to the sick and poor. Most remarkably of all, however, are the members of the Free African Society. A group of freed blacks, this group is led by the formidable and eloquent Richard Allen and Absalom Jones. With little regard for their own safety, this group nurses the people of the town when no one else will. They take on the most disgusting cases and emerge as the real heroes of this tale. And anyone who thinks the Free African Society got so much as a whisper of thanks for their efforts, by the way, needs to study up on their history a little more.

By the book's end Yellow Fever abates with the arrival of autumn. Though it would pop up periodically over the years, it wasn't until 1900 that the true culprit was discovered. Tiny mosquitoes were, and remain today to be, the carriers of the disease. The book ends with the chilling comment that despite years of research, "there is still no cure for yellow fever". As Duane Gubler, a director at the Centers for Disease Control notes, yellow fever is, "a modern-day time bomb. We're just sitting here waiting for it to happen". The end!

Having successfully turned this book into a tale of true terror (fun!), Murphy had to accompany his words with arresting visual images. If someone were to offer you your weight in gold if you could come up with five interesting images from 1793, I doubt you'd have much success. Murphy, however, is cunning. He begins his chapters with newspaper selections as they were printed during the height of the fever. He draws upon paintings of the major players (not, interestingly enough, easy ones like Washington). He even goes so far as to cull prints from other plagues and diseases (like England's Black Plague of 1664) to give the reader some kind of an idea of what the streets of Philadelphia must have resembled. From early American advertisements (personally my favorite print in the whole book) to political cartoons where Uncle Sam condemns Amos Quito (put the words together) for crimes against humanity, Murphy bends over backwards trying to fill his book with visually engaging scenes and visions. Be sure to read the book's acknowledgements and note about the illustrations for further fascinating information.

If you have a teen that needs to read a non-fiction book from a colonial time period, this book's your best bet. Honestly, it makes a time period interesting that has forever been buried in dull repeated facts. Oh, it's still going to bore certain people. No doubt. I mean, books of this nature are bound to enthrall only types of kids. But for those who stick with it and read it through, it's an eye opening look at a disease that couple wipe us out as easily today as it did back then. And if that doesn't run a finger down your spine, I don't know what will.

In August 1793, the capital of the new United States, Philadelphia, was in the grip of a heat wave. Suddenly, in the poorer quarters of the city, the poor began to sicken and die in the most horrible of ways. Many people fled, while other worked to stem the tide of illness. Armed with an archaic (and downright wrong) theory of medicine, the city could do little but suffer as this disease raged throughout the city, carrying off some 4-5,000 people (out of a population of 51,000). This is the story of that plague (Yellow Fever), its effects on the country, and its possible future.

This book was written for younger readers, but is detailed and informative enough to interest even the oldest of readers. I found the book to be quite fascinating, and learned a good deal about the state of medicine at the time. The final chapter, which attempts to scare the reader with the idea of a return of Yellow Fever, I found to be a bit out-of-focus. Nonetheless, I found this to be a fascinating book, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the early days of the American Republic.

This dramatic account of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 is riveting. It is packed with historical facts and presents the horror of the disease, the implications for the city of Philadelphia and neighboring areas, and the reaction of both the townspeople as well as those in power with vivid detail.
Politicians, the medical community, common people, orphans, the poor are all brought to life before our eyes and we feel their pain, we share their misery, and we gain insight into what life was like for them during this terrifying time.
Author Jim Murphy chronologically follows the beginning of this epidemic, making us feel as if we were actual witnesses to this American Plague, using quotes from those who were there, newspaper clippings, period engravings and portraits.
Additionally, we are shown true acts of courage and selfless behavior as Mr. Murphy tells us of great men and woman who risked their lives to help their fellow people, and some who ultimately sacrificed their lives. He also unravels the controversies, particularly among the medical community in regards to the reaction to the disease and discusses bloodletting, ingesting poisons, bathing in vinegar, purging air with gunpowder, inhaling black pepper as well as other practiced modes of treatment.
Some people may find the descriptions of the disease and the progression of the illness horrifying, but it is truth nonetheless, Yellow fever is nothing short of horrific. I believe this fascinating book is truly deserving of the many awards it has earned. This very visual and brilliantly written book is a great tool for you to use in teaching this part of our nation's history to your children.

Murphy tells a captivating story about Philadelphia's yellow fever epidemic of 1793 in this young adult tome. First, he provides a compelling narrative of the epidemic itself, replete with first-hand accounts of witnesses. Then, he tells us something of what happened in Philadelphia after this particular epidemic, illuminating the important impacts this event had on such diverse aspects of life as a public water system and whether the U.S. President can call Congress outside of the capital city.

He goes on to explain the unfortunately major role of yellow fever as a U.S. killer for over a century. We then learn how scientists eventually discovered the cause (mosquitos carrying the virus) and a vaccine.

Murphy's inclusion of relevant details adds to the evocative account of the tragedy itself. For example, we feel the irony when - in the midst of doctors and quacks expounding a range of potential ways to avoid the fever - an unknown author submits a letter to a newspaper suggesting that city residents kill the mosquitoes hatching in their yards. The remedy is not heeded. Likewise, in the midst of the panic that the epidemic created, a meteorite actually lands in the middle of the city, adding to the apocalyptic frenzy.

This book is an excellent introduction to the importance of public health issues in U.S. and world history. I sent a copy as a gift to a young friend with a taste for history today.

(Special note on the audio version narrated by Pat Bottino: he sounds too much like sportscaster Howard Cosell for my taste, with every sentence delivered as a sharp staccato.)

This book is a great read for several reasons:
1. It tells a compelling story.
2. It is written in an informal style that helps makes you feel like you are there as events unfold, and without academic historical jargon or obscure references.
3. The use of archival images and newspapers is terrific.
4. It made me interested to read some of the source documents consulted by the author, such as first person diaries of the time.
5. Lots of fascinating facts for people interested in how American started out as goverment and the challenges it faced.
6. It shows how relatively ignorant science and medicine was back then (bloodletting was still basic medical practice).
7. The book does a good job of giving the details of the story from many different perspectives--from the pauper in the street, to George Washington's frustration.
8. It makes you think about how our goverment now to a big epidemic.
9. It shows how heroic and noble the first African-Americans were at that time, and what a vital service they provided this country through their skill, dedication, compassion and piety.

A few minor quibbles with the editing: I found a glaring typo in a chapter heading, and some of the narrative is repetitious.

On the whole a very good book for young and older people alike.

A disclaimer: It turns out that the author of this book lives in my relatively small town, but I have never met him, don't know what he looks like, but thank him just the same.

Jim Murphy's award winning book is a wonderful example of literary nonfiction for young people that's every bit as compelling and well-researched as that for adults. Other recent noteworthy books are Candace Fleming's innovative Ben Franklin's Almanac, Russell Freedman's In Defense of Liberty, and Deborah Hopkinson's fascinating book on immigrants in New York City, SHUTTING OUT THE SKY.

This is extraordinary history about an extraordinary time and a little known chapter in American History -- America's first medical epidemic. Half of Philadelphia (temporary capital of US) fled, 5000 died, streets ran with blood from all the bloodletting and free blacks were left to nurse the dying and were then despised for their efforts. (This is astounding history I knew nothing about: George Washington's fleeing Philadelphia set off a constitutional crisis. Additionally, the heroism of the Free Blacks and their ultimate vilification is is a little known and very disturbing chapter in African-American history.)

It makes you think about today's epidemics and today's newspaper headlines: SARS and West Nile Virus (also a mosquito born disease). In fact, Murphy thoughtfully explores epidemics today, our continuing battle against the mosquito and continuing abuse of pesticides.

Murphy captures such detail and writes with such passion that you feel like you are right there in 1793. I'm a middle school social studies teacher and I intend to use the book come Fall. In fact, I'm also going to introduce it to my own children. This is the kind of book that could get anyone hooked on history. I found it riveting.

I'm a real fan of Jim Murphy. His books make history come alive!

Jim Murphy amazes, educates and horrifies with his wonderful Siebert Award winning and Newberry Honor Book, AN AMERICAN PLAGUE. Murphy deftly describes the political, social, medical and economic conditions that allowed the yellow fever epidemic to devastate Philadelphia in the 1790s in a way that is truly terrifying but nonetheless intriguing.
I couldn't put it down.

The book, "An American Plague" is about the disease, Yellow Fever, in Philidelphia, and how doctors tried to find a cure. It has great disease specifics, and I like how it tells about how people acted when the disease arrived. There are a couple passages from page 13-14, where it tells all about how the disease went from bad to worse in one day."The sickness began with chills, headache, and painful aching in the back, arms, and legs. A high fever developed, accompanied by constipation.This stage lasted around three days, and then the fever suddenly broke and the patient seemed to recover. But only for a few short hours. The next stage saw the fever shoot up again. The skin and the eyeballs turned yellow, as red blood cells were destroyed, causing the bile pigment bilirubin to accumulate in the body...". I learned all about Yellow Fever, how it came to Philly, how the people reacted to it, and how they treated it back then. I would never have known that if I hadn't read the book. There is only one thing I would change: I would try to make it a little more interesting. I mean yeah, it doesn't put you to sleep, but it doesn't exactly keep you totally awake. I would reccomend this book to people who want to know more about diseases, epidemics, or Yellow Fever back then. It has a lot of great info and if you need a reference book about Yellow Fever, then this is the one you want.

American Plague was a wonderful book full of horror and true stories of survivers, doctors, and frightened family members. This story is about Yellow fever and its hit on Philadelphia in the mid-year of 1793. It is written in such a way that it makes you sick. For instance, "The blood letting to the death's of innocent lives." Jim Murphy uses great detail in this book and captures your interest, from Bush Hill to the shabby houses and cramped streets. Some of the sentences in the book used detail, voice, and wonderful personality such as "The spread of the disease and a fear among the citizens had one immediate consequence; people began leaving the city. Clothes were packed in haste, windows slammed and shuttered, doors locked tight. Sometimes servants were ordered to stay behind to guard the house against thieves; sometimes everyone living under a roof fled".
I would change this book by putting more true stories of others because even though the story of Benjamin Rush was very interesting, the life of a doctor is not always what we want to hear. All in all, this book was beautifully written and was filled with artifacts, quotes, poems and sayings.