Purple Death : The Mysterious Flu of 1918 (Hardcover)

by David Getz (Author), Peter McCarty (Illustrator) "Late in September 1918, a few army officers decided to celebrate..." (more)
Key Phrases: flu patients, flu victims, flu pandemic, Camp Sherman, United States, Johan Hultin (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 3-6-This medical history begins by describing how the influenza of 1918 spread across the world, infecting 2 billion people and killing 20 to 40 million. Once symptoms began, death could take place within three hours, mostly from lack of oxygen that caused victims to turn purple when their lungs filled with blood due to the virus. The second half of the book is devoted to the efforts of scientists, once the pandemic subsided, to determine its cause. In 1918, no one had a microscope powerful enough to see a virus. Finding a sample of it was a challenge, and in 1951 scientists went to Alaska and Norway where diseased bodies were buried and preserved in permafrost. The author successfully relays the significance this epidemic had upon the world and the importance of continued study to prevent another occurrence. Black-and-white photographs enforce the reality of the crisis and soft, charcoal-pencil drawings capture the somber mood. The format of the book features large, inviting print with lots of white space on quality paper. The painstaking and heroic deeds scientists must take on in order to identify a disease and develop a cure will be interesting to budding scientists.-Jean Gaffney, Dayton and Montgomery County Public Library, Miamisburg, OH

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 3-5. Like Virginia Aronson's The Influenza Pandemic of 1918 [BKL O 15 00], but for a younger audience, this account of the 1918 flu outbreak is like a horror story as well as a factual account of scientific research. "It was the deadliest six months in history. The flu infected nearly 2 billion people, just about everybody on the planet." In discussing what made this flu so deadly, Getz draws on his personal talks with several scientists, and his bibliography lists adult books as well as numerous recent newspaper articles. Without sensationalizing, he writes clearly and dramatically, whether he's describing how vaccines work, how pneumonia was treated before the discovery of antibiotics, or what today's researchers are doing to find the flu virus preserved in the lungs of frozen bodies. There are occasional illustrations by David McCarty, as well as documentary photographs. And always there's the question, What if there's a pandemic today? Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); 1st edition (November 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080505751X
• ISBN-13: 978-0805057515
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #594,249 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent children's book about 1918 Flu, October 17, 2005

By	zoomer "goldrocket" (USA) - See all my reviews

I have a copy of this book in my library. It is an accurate and well written book that explains in detail the Pandemic Influenza that gripped our world in 1918-1919.

If you purchase this book for a child, be aware of the nature of the topic presented. Between 20 million and 100 million people perished from the great Spanish Influenza.

Since the book is simple to understand and easy to read, I strongly urge you buy copies for politicians at every level of government.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I hope it never ends, March 27, 2003

A Kid's Review

This is one of the books I took out of the library yesterday, and I am so glad I did! This book its one of the best medical books geared for children I have ever read! I wish for tw othings, one, it will never end, and two, that there were more books in this series of unknown viruses. Thanks fo r a great read!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, May 27, 2008

By	Mrs. Shannon M. Potter "Science Nerd" (Bedford, IN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Ok, so I ordered this book because I'm an idiot and didn't read the product description and see that it was actually a children's book. But, that doesn't mean I didn't read it.... I actually loved the book. It's a quick read for an adult, but it's also a great book. The information is accurate and well written. It would be easy for a child that is interested in science or history to understand. So, if you're a middle school science teacher or history teacher this would be a great assignment for a book report.