I won't list the author's credentials as others have done that, but I will try and sum up this book without giving away spoilers.
That seems a funny thing to write about a non-fiction book, but this is a book with cliff-hangers, twists and turns, and surprises. Given the subject matter, it's terrifying as you would expect it to be, but also funny.

We are introduced to the book with the wonderful Albrecht Durer etching: "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalyse:" Plague, Famine, War, and Death who have stalked mankind from our inception. The first three acting "in the service of Death." From this broad view, Froude segues into what he terms "The Ponies of the Apocalypse:" viruses, bacteria, and protists, and their roles in our demise and, paradoxically, our survival. Many of the chapters begin with a tight focus, often on an individual, and then the lens is pulled back to view the bigger picture before tightening in again on that individual and the outcome of their story. Throughout the book we meet those geniuses who hit on causes or solutions only to be met with hubris, jaded ignorance, and dismissal by their peers; some don't live to enjoy their vindication and others get it belatedly but not before many lives are unnecessarily lost. No doubt history will have more such stories to add from this pandemic. The book ends with diary entries on Dr. Froude's direct experience as the infectious disease specialist in the ICU of Kingston Hospital in upstate New York entitled "Dispatches from Pandemicville: Covid-19." Here he is careful to give credit where it's due - this section is peppered with plaudits for the nursing staff and the indispensable and dangerous parts they play in this and all epidemics and pandemics.

It was so cool to read about the relationships between man, animals and pathogens and it was throughly entertaining.

This is a very interesting book. Some of the viruses are gross.

I received an ARC from the publisher for an honest review.

Packed with information yet fun to read…

I know, I can hear you. How can a book about the plague – about pandemics – possibly be fun to read? I’m not sure either but this author found a way. The information presented was done in a way that had me hooked. Like a whodunit, it was dense with details but told conversationally, with illustrations that were equally inviting…

This book covered the centuries, the gamut of so many different afflictions that struck humanity over the years. From bubonic plague to Covid-19 (though light on that last topic), each topic details included disease origin and the profound effect they had on lives and society. Told from his medical perspective, it brought warmth and humanness to a topic that affected life profoundly but otherwise may have been a solid but dense read.

If you are looking for details, you will find them here. Don’t look for a dry, textbook-y read though – you will not find it that here.

Informative and intensely readable, Froude writes in a way that is entertaining. I learned a lot that I didn't know about the history of diseases and the way that people have historically responded to them.

Since COVID-19 looks like it will be endemic, I thought it would be useful to know a bit more about pandemics in general. Which is why the book Plagued by John Froude attracted my attention – I thought it would be useful.

As its title says, Plagued is a book about plagues and it covers:

The Black Death (Bubonic Plague)
Cholera
Typhus
Tuberculosis
Syphilis
Malaria
Smallpox
Yellow Fever
Spanish Flu
HIV
West Nile Virus/Zika/Ebola (this is all one chapter)
SARS, MERS, COVID-19 (this is all one chapter)
Each chapter contains an overview of what caused the particular plague and how it broke out/its impact on the human population. Where relevant, the author added his own experience – for example, treating patients with cholera and his experience with COVID-19 (this was a whole chapter by itself). There’s also a lot of interesting facts inside; I didn’t know that India had practiced inoculation for a thousand years!

For the most part, each chapter is relatively short and it feels like a lot of information is being packed inside. While I generally appreciated the overview, I did think that the book just skipped over things at times – for example, as someone who remembers how scary SARS was for my country, the sentence stating that “it came and went” irked me a little. It might have just come and gone for people in the West, but I distinctly remember schools in Singapore shutting down over it. It also affected a few other countries, mostly in Asia, but it was definitely a big thing to us.

Another thing I noticed about the book was that the chapters seemed to be relatively self-contained. While that allowed me to dip in and out of the book as I wanted, it also meant that the book felt a bit disjointed at times, like a collection of essays around the same theme. I had thought it would increase my general understandings of plagues and pandemics, so this was a bit of a disappointment.

Overall, this is an interesting book that provides a good overview of some of the most famous plagues that have affected us. If you’re interested in reading about any of the above pandemics, you may be interested in picking up this book.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley but all opinions in this book are my own.

I would like to thank NetGalley, and BenBella books for my complimentary copy of "Plagued: Pandemics from the Black Death to COVID-19 and Beyond". I enjoyed this book even though it was a little more science based than I am used to reading. The book provides an in-depth overview of how pandemics have changed and shaped humanity throughout the world over the years.

I have read a lot books focused on COVID-19 and the isolation surrounding our present pandemic. This book was a refreshing change and focused more on the viruses and pandemics themselves as opposed to the impact directly imposed on us through isolation.

I particularly enjoyed the many Shakespeare quotes and poetry sections throughout the book. It was an additional bonus for readers in a book with a scientific nature.

If you enjoy stories about the science and the history of pandemics this book is definitely for you.

What role have viruses, bacteria, epidemics and pandemics played, have played and will play in the evolution of our species? Are politics and science able to stop them, or are they a worse remedy than the evil? This and much more in this text of extreme scientific rigour, historically documented and written in such a way as to be a real fun for the reader. A text that one would like to carve on the foreheads of the various negationists and plotters, and of politicians capable of speaking to the gut but usually lacking in brains, so that they might read its words every morning and, who knows, sooner or later learn something.

Among my set of friends and family members, I am known as a science nerd. For example, when my husband asked what i was reading and I told him, he said, "Yeah, that sounds like something you would enjoy." They're not wrong. I am a science nerd. I am fascinated by Medical history especially. I was enthralled the entire time I was reading this book. It was not dry or long-winded (as many medical history books tend to be). I enjoyed learning about the different types of pathogens humans have had to survive and still have to fight to this day. The COVID 19 pandemic was a perfect time for this book to come out. While there wasn't a great deal of information about the current panademicm (as little was known at the time), it was touched upon and I imagine more will be added in later editions.

Thank you to the publishers, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book. I found this book fascinating! I love anything to do with history. High school history classes barely touch all there is to learn. This book was well researched. It was hard to follow at times but overall I enjoyed it!

I was intrigued and captivated by this book. As a microbiologist with a long time passion for Epidemiology, I love reading books like these. The author does a wonderful job talking about the plagues that have overcome us and how humanity as adapted and learned from these diseases. It is very informational and keeps the readers attention. It is a great read for both scientists and non scientists alike.

I received a free e-ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Plagued, by John Froude, is the exact kind of popular science book that I like. I've always found infectious diseases kind of fascinating, and in another life, I would have been a medical researcher. Alas, the best laid plans and all that.

Plagued is a book about pathogens. It is about the science behind them, the effects they have had on human history, and about human's responses to them, including how to treat and prevent them. Twelve of the chapters focus on a specific pathogen: cholera, syphilis, tuberculosis, malaria, typhus, bubonic plague, smallpox, yellow fever, HIV, Spanish flu, zika/ebola, and COVID-19.

I found the writing easy to read, and the exploration of different pathogens absolutely fascinating. I also appreciated how there was a chapter about COVID, although I think that it would be appropriate to include an update in future versions of the book in a few years time.

On the whole, a great read. I look forward to purchasing a copy for myself when it is published.

John Froude, an infectious disease specialist, has written this book about various pandemics that have affected humans over the years, and what caused them. The book has 18 chapters, most of which are devoted to information about one specific pathogen. There are chapters about Bubonic plague, cholera, typhus, tuberculosis, syphilis, malaria, smallpox, yellow fever, Spanish flu, HIV, zika/ebola, and of course Covid-19. With each one, Froude tells some interesting stories about the history of the pathogen, and how it affected humanity. He describes the method of infection, how the virus or bacteria operates, and what we eventually did to try to fight against it.

The first chapter starts with an introduction to the immune system. Froude describes the layers of defense in the human body, and how the parts of the immune system work together to fight off invaders, and create antibodies to prevent future infection. He then describes the devastating effect that infectious diseases had on native peoples when European settlers came to their lands. Without the antibodies to protect from infection, various viruses and bacteria decimated indigenous populations for hundreds of years.

The second chapter goes on to discuss bacteria, and the role that bacteria has played in the history of life on Earth. Then Froude goes on to discuss individual plagues throughout history; focusing on a new one in each chapter and describing the cause and history of each.

Overall this book was very educational, and Froude was able to keep the book interesting with a series of dramatic stories, and a bit of a sense of humor. I enjoyed reading this book, and I feel like I learned quite a bit.

This is a very good book describing about the 12 pathogen types that have devastated mankind in the past and present. The author brought us back in time when and where each of these pathogens were discovered, and how it goes on to infect so many people in the world. The author who is a medical doctor also describes his experiences in treating patients infected with some of these pathogens; particularly the SARS-CoV-2. I like the last part where the biology of how

Plague has defined humanity. It win wars. It killed local population. It pushed humans towards periphery. From plague and cholera to new viruses, it has pushed limits of human endurance. Plagues have also taught us how to fight back and reclaim our place in biosphere. A renowned scientist takes us through all the plagues that we have seen and what we can learn from them. A wonderful science book.

This is one of those weird history books you buy your dad for Father's Day and then he teaches you about the random facts he's learned while he reads it so that you don't have to actually read it. Not that it's a bad thing, but not a book that everyone wants to read. Obviously, as this was published during the COVID 10 pandemic, there was limited information there. But the other historical information was fantastic.

Thanks to #NetGalley and publishers for the ARC of #Plagued in exchange for the honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley, BenBella Books & John Froude, MD for an ARC of this book.

This book is brilliant! I loved it so much, that I’m going to be buying it in paperback, when it is released!

Written in a way that makes it accessible to the general public, Dr. John Froude does an amazing job at describing the biggest pandemics throughout history!

From their suspected origins and the mechanism through which the microorganism acts, to their impact on society and even in genetics!

Quoting the author “This book describes eleven infectious plagues that have scourged mankind and the one through which we are living, COVID-19”.

Along the information, the author gives are tidbits of curious facts that make for an entertaining read, like the origin of Malaria’s name “Bad air circulating from the Pontine Marshes in Italy gave the disease its name, mal’aria-bad air.”

Concerning the Black Death the author had this to say, that I believe it still applies today: “The death of one person is a tragedy. The saying goes on to say, the death of a million is a statistic. It isn’t. It is a million tragedies. We can neither quantify nor encompass the human suffering that is the greater part of each plague. Emperors fell, empires collapsed, armies disintegrated, famine and more war followed. The history of mankind was changed forever because of a bacteria secreted a sticky protein that blocked up the esophagus of a flea.”

And did you know that the placenta could not have evolved without retrovirus? And that our DNA is 50% virus?

It is also both reassuring and depressing that, despite the success of vaccines, there has always been some opposition to their use.

All of this is approached and explained in a way easily accessible to the general audience, making for a fun and informative read!

Will definitely be recommending this to everyone!

“We enter the rain forest where the pathogens live, we live in large cities where we incubate them, and we fly around the world disseminating them.”

“When a plague begins, look for the animals and remember your own animal nature.”

This book it's about the different pandemics that have occurred in the world over the years, taking a historical, social, and biological approach. Each chapter refers to a disease and, in turn, this is divided into three parts; history, impact, and the causal microorganism: its physiology and in some instances mechanism of action.

First of all, I really liked the beginning, as soon as it started it caught my attention and kept it throughout the book. I am pleased that, although it presented a historical approach to each pandemic, it wasn't the main point, with this, the structure of each chapter made the reading fluid and not boring. I should mention that personally, I don't feel that it's necessary to have a high level of prior knowledge, since, the "complicated" would be the biological/biochemical explanation of the microorganism and I feel that it's explained very clear, but I leave that to the consideration of each person.

It explains the bases of immunology to understand what happens in the body when attacked by microorganisms i.e. Virus and bacteria. Also, it not only focuses on the physiological point of view but how it affects society socially and economically, considering the religious points of view of some people.

I liked that mentions the reality that different races and ethnic groups have suffered from the pandemic, making special mention of the colonization that America suffered and how the colonizers brought different diseases, as well as the racial discrimination that hundreds of Asians have suffered in America for decades due to various pandemics, dating from the Black Death to the present day with Covid-19. It's necessary to talk about how racism, ignorance, poverty, and political greed influence and affect the control of pandemics on a global level.

In the same way, the importance of the use of sterile and new instruments in treatments is discussed, especially the correct development of laboratory techniques. It was interesting to read how humanity was advancing technologically and, with this, acquiring knowledge of a great variety of microorganisms. The experiments carried out, although questionable, are those that helped to understand and study microbes in their day.

Personally, my favorite chapters were those focused on viruses and bacteria, it had a lot of interesting information which I was unaware of, so it was very pleasant to learn something new. I loved the mention of how misinformation greatly affects the course of pandemics, I think this has become very in this age. With this, the author makes mention of the different types of coronavirus and explains in a general way how vaccines work, for people who don't trust them, what is rescued from these chapters is: currently there is a great variety of databases; genes, proteins, research, etc. That helps scientific knowledge to advance even more and, with the help of biotechnological technologies, this task becomes easier and more efficient, in conclusion, get vaccinated.

"Literate educated societies behaved in the 21st century as illiterate uneducated societies did in the 17th. Man, the impossible primate, must understand that compulsions to denial, tribalism, xenophobia, conspiracy theories, and scapegoating in a plague will only increase the number who die."

To finish, I honestly entered without great expectations but it definitely surprised me, I loved it, the book is incredible, it's quite complete, educational, and entertaining, I definitely recommend it.

My thanks to the author John Froude, BenBella Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to get this ARC for an unbiased review

<i>“Even flies get the plague.”</i>

This is a fascinating book about diseases and pandemics. I loved all the information about outbreaks and diseases, viruses and other outbreaks that I knew little to nothing about. It gave interesting historical information, case information and how we discovered how to "get better" from whatever it was.

But if you are picking this up for COVID-19 information, it's a little light there. The smaller chapter was, again, interesting because it was a firsthand account from the author (and I really appreciated the perspective) but I don't know that it added anything new I didn't already know.

It's easy to read, easy to digest and I really appreciated how the information was given out without getting bogged down in confusing details. I really found this one fascinating!

<i>A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.</i>

Clearly well researched and considered as well as broad ranging. Couldn't be much more timely. This book does a nice job of explaining how pandemics arise and why as well as looking at some of their historical impact. All this and in highly readable form. An excellent read to put our current travails with COVID-19 in perspective and address some of the misconceptions surrounding it.

A little too niched for putting the entire book into my general curriculum, but I will undoubtedly use some of what I learned and might use some sections. I also have students who do independent projects on this topic and would definitely recommend the book for them.