This is another backlist NetGalley that I waited to read due to my own anxiety surrounding COVID.

I’m glad that I finally picked it up and highly recommend on audio.

A great collection of different voices from around the country during 2020. It covers topics from COVID diagnosis, death, 2020 election, and vaccines.

If you think you can handle listening to some really difficult essays, I highly recommend

VOICES FROM THE PANDEMIC by Eli Saslow is an impressive collection of first-person accounts from about 40 Americans. Saslow, a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter for The Washington Post, notes, "Together these pieces tell the story of a country in crisis, but this book does not attempt to be a comprehensive history of the plague we are still living through." After a brief chronology of the events in early 2020, he begins with commentary from Tony Sizemore, talking about Birdie Shelton's death. I didn't recognize the names, but I remember the faces and the story – sadly, those early deaths seemed so random and unfair and the media relayed them in detail – families not able to be together, not able to say goodbye in person. The next section is about the medical personnel and coroners feeling overwhelmed or more – again, a story that was often repeated – remember the banging of pots at night to say "thank you?" Then it was the lost jobs, no income or savings, the hunger and desperation. There are stories from patients who were intubated or who had long Covid, and from their families. Tales of tracking the numbers, of mask mandates, of eviction moratoriums, remote schooling, and vaccine trials. Covering March 2020 through January 2021, all of these stories are primary sources which future students will read and discuss – hopefully, these "Stories of Crisis, Courage and Resilience" will help to develop more empathy, caring, and pride for each other. VOICES FROM THE PANDEMIC received starred reviews from Kirkus, Library Journal ("an essential resource"), and Publishers Weekly.

I listened to this book on audio through Libby , although I received an ARC from NetGalley, because at the time, we were still heavily in the pandemic; although we still actually are, but listening to it is a bit easier than reading the ARC. I would recommend listening to it, if possible. There are multiple narrators, which made it more enjoyable. The entire book is very well-done in that it covers various viewpoints. Had I read this several years after the pandemic, I think I would have rated it a full 5 stars.

Eli Saslow is the journalist that wrote Rising Out of Hatred, the story of former White Supremacist Derek Black, in 2018. When I was offered the chance to read and review his new book, Voices from the Pandemic, I jumped on it, because I like this author a lot. Once I had it, I avoided it like the plague (pardon the reference) for a couple months, wondering just what I had been thinking, to sign on for something like this. In the end, I am glad to have read it.

My thanks go to Doubleday and Net Galley for the review copy.

Saslow tells us in the introduction that he expected to become depressed, perhaps numbed, by all of these interviews, but ultimately was galvanized by “their empathy, their insight, their candor and emotional courage.” Fair enough, but an awful lot of these stories are gut-wrenching. For whatever reason, he chooses to start with some of the most horrific ones, but as we work our way into the book, there are several that are not about the excruciating, grim death of a loved one, but are interesting for different reasons. There are stories of essential workers, of coroners, and medical professionals. One that has stayed with me is that of a middle aged man, ex-military, who is finally compelled, when everyone in the household loses their livelihoods, to visit a food bank. He gets there two hours before it opens to be on the safe side, and discovers that there’s already a huge, hours-long line.

My favorite story is that of Bruce MacGillis, a wily old man that barricades himself in his room in his nursing home, lets nobody in, throws open his windows in subfreezing weather, and stuffs towels underneath the doorway to keep out other people’s germs. He ends up being one of two residents that are spared, out of eighty-nine residents. (My notes say, “Hell yeah!”) On December 28, he lets a nurse come in to administer his vaccine. I hope that man lives to be a hundred.

There are some stories by vaccine deniers, mask avoiders, included here, but if you are among them, you probably won’t enjoy this book. It leans heavily toward science, and away from conspiracy theories.

After I’d procrastinated reading this thing, I checked out the audio version at Seattle Bibliocommons to give myself a leg up. I thought it might be easier to hear these stories while I was also engaged in some other task, so I fired it up while I was slicing bell peppers and marinating meat. If anything, it was worse that way. Well—to be fair—worse, and also better. There’s a separate reader for each story, and the hard ones are read with such searing emotion that it makes them all the worse. The saving grace is that each person’s story is concisely told, so there was only one time that I hit the stop button and fast-forwarded to the next one. At the outset, I only listened for a few minutes at a go, and then turned to listen to another book, something light and fictional, to restore my mood. By the second half, I no longer needed to do that.

The book only covers the 2020 portion of the pandemic, but I’m not sure it would sound much different had he waited to include the whole horrible thing. (It will be over someday…won’t it?)

Recommended, for those that can do this.

Voices from the Pandemic
Americans Tell Their Stories of Crisis, Courage, and Resilience
Author, Eli Saslow
Publisher: Doubleday
Pub date: September 28, 2021

Thank you NetGalley and Doubleday for my #gifted e- ARC!

~ From Pulitzer Prize- winning Washington Post reporter Eli Saslow, a powerful portrait of a country grappling with the pandemic, told through voices of people from all across America. ~

As we now know, COVID- 19 is an infectious disease that has affected different people in different ways. The virus is spread from person to person contact mainly through aerosol transmission and is spread more commonly when people are in close contact of one another. Infected people have experienced a wide range of symptoms- from mild to severe requiring hospitalization, intubation, and death. As of today, there have been 686, 639 American lives lost from this devastating virus. And around the world and in our nation alone, the individual responses to this pandemic have been vastly different- from social distancing precautions and wearing a mask to medical treatments and vaccination.

Journalist Eli Saslow takes a unique approach to interviewing a wide range of Americans and gives them each a voice, which allows them to be heard in the most compassionate, raw, and heartbreaking ways. These 27 incredibly intimate interviews provide readers with an empathic understanding of their life, experiences, and of their losses. I experienced a wide range of emotions while reading- from sadness, grief, and anger- to happiness, hope, and healing. What is especially compelling about Voices from the Pandemic is its unbiased approach. For example, Lori Wagoner was trying to enforce the NC state requirement to wear masks in her store, while citizens in her rural town were adamant that the pandemic is a hoax and many refused to wear masks while shopping.

From EMT workers, restaurant owners, nurses, doctors, coroners, retail workers, teachers and more, each of us has a story to tell and Saslow empathically interviewed our fellow Americans and shared their courageous stories. These stories will stay with me for a long time- stories to be read by all of us and shared with future generations.

The author is a Pulitzer Prize winner and it shows in this book. During Covid 19 he spoke to people all over the world from all walks of life and the conversations are in the book. It reminded me that we were all in this together even though the mismanagement of the pandemic threatened to tear us apart. Everyone suffered in one way or another.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Eli Saslow is unmatched when it comes to conveying human emotion. I was blown away with his work in 𝑅𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑂𝑢𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝐻𝑎𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑑, and his latest, 𝑽𝒐𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒄 is no exception. This masterpiece was all at once raw and empathetic, gut-wrenching and resilient. He shares the human experience like no other. I just couldn't put this book down. Each of the stories of personal experience throughout the pandemic were so compelling, especially because they're part of our shared journey.

I'll admit, I shed a few tears, but I relished every bit of it. I'm the type that has to go through the emotions to heal, and this book was so incredibly cathartic. Whether you're still struggling with all that Covid has changed in our lives, unsure of where you stand with it all, or just feeling gratitude for all that you've learned from the experience, I highly recommend this collection of stories. They will move you and give you a deeper understanding of what we have endured as a nation. And what a book to share with future generations...

Anne at Penguin Random House, I just cannot thank you enough for reaching out to me with this advanced reader's copy. It is truly one of my most treasured reads of 2021.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for gifting me a digital ARC of this amazing story compilation by Pulitzer Prize winner journalist, Eli Saslow - 5 stars.

This is the story of our country's battle against the Covid-19 pandemic, told through the voices of a cross-section of people. We read about the struggles of the doctors and nurses on the front line, those struggling to breathe, the school personnel faced with no-win situations. Since everything coincided to make this fight so political, we also get both sides of the battle - the people being evicted from their apartments and the landlords evicting them. The deniers, the believers.

This is a vitally important look back over this pandemic from the beginning to the vaccines, from despair to hope. Of course, the story isn't over as we struggle with variants and mandates, but this is a book that should be read by everyone. Highly recommended!

Wow! The stories in this book are as horrific as they are inspirational and raw. Mr. Saslow, through these interviews, manages to capture multiple points of view from a wide range of people. At times I found myself angry and emotional while reading the stories included in the book. But I was also in awe of the courage it took many to tell their stories, knowing that whichever side of the fence they fall they would be opening themselves up to persecution and scorn.
I'm sorry to say I'm not familiar with Mr. Saslow's work but it's not hard to see why he is a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter. I would highly recommend this read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday books for a chance to read and review an advance copy of this publication.

If you are looking to hear from someone other than yourself, or those you know, on how the pandemic has affected them, then this is the book for you. It is defiantly a different set of viewpoints than what is out there in the media. Delve into these interview style stories and hear from very diverse people about their experiences.

This was as disturbing reading it as living it. I’m with the majority of those that what to know what happened to the US and where did all the self-centered people come from that are so concerned with their “rights” they forget about compassion and concern for others. The “I have a right” people forget that I also have a right. But my rights are dismissed because of theirs. I’m still staying at home because I don’t trust those around me. This was an experience in hearing the individual experiences of what this did to everyone.

Amazing and disheartening read but I refuse to give up that we can care for others as much as we do for ourselves.
Thank you NetGalley and Doubleday for an ARC. It was an amazing g read.
#Netgalley #DoubledayBooks

Thought it was excellent views of different walks of life through this crazy time. As someone who worked in NYC up until the end and watched the city empty out, it did give me a bit of anxiety just thinking back to how things were during that scary time, but I think it was well written and compiled nicely.

Eli Saslow is one of the best at explaining things. Traveling around gathering data but also stories of people’s experiences. Some painful, some hopeful, but all true.

Covid-19 snuck up on all of us while we were paying attention to the antics of the administration. And from the start, Mr. Saslow started talking to Americans all over. From all walks of life. This book is the culmination of all of those conversations. From the exhausted health workers to the unemployed facing hardships, his stories are heartbreaking.

What are a teacher’s responsibilities to her students versus her family? How about the people who still think it is a hoax, even on their deathbeds. This pandemic has pitted us against each other. Family members and friends fall by the wayside if they aren’t vaccinated.

Where do we draw a line? The accounts in this book are real and their stories will make you think, cry, and feel just as helpless as the rest of us. I did a lot of crying over this one and I needed that.

Always a pleasure.

NetGalley/Doubleday 28 September 2021

Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for this ARC. Eli Saslow's Rising Out of Hatred was such an excellent book I was looking forward to reading this. Interviews of a cross section of people who have some type of first hand experience in dealing with the COVID pandemic is sure to leave you with high regard for those in the front lines, especially the medical personnel. It's truly an eye-opener and if you are on the fence about this being a true pandemic you won't question it after reading this book. Not for the faint-hearted but a worthy read.

Wow! The stories told in this book really touched my heart. I am an ICU RN, so I am no stranger to the horrors of COVID. The surge in December, January and February, was horrific. I’ve been a nurse for 29 years and have never seen anything like it. Taking care of more patients then we should have, so many people dying despite all of our best efforts. Like some of the people in these stories, many are suffering from depression and PTSD. The stories come from real people’s experiences and that these sad stories are true make it all the more horrible. Maybe these stories can help us see the mistakes that have been made and how we can fix them. Thanks to Mr. Saslow for this book and helping people to have their stories heard.