The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time

The Great Mortality is a wonderful book, full of fascinating stories about life in the 14th century Europe that was devestated by the black plague. We are presented with Europe one community or city at a time and view the citizens going about their lives unaware of what is about to descend upon them, and we learn an important lesson: our lives depend on interconnected variables, and the black plague was the "perfect storm" of things going wrong with climate, weather, trade, politics, and religion, to say nothing of science which as the author points out came into being as a result of empirical study of plague victims. I was struck by how similar we are today to the Europe of 6 centuries ago -- we are no smarter, even with our computers and technology, and we are just as arrogant and vain. I recommend this book to anyone interested in global warming, pandemic disease, human fashion, politics, or the effect of trade on history. Cynthia Wyatt

John Kelly has written a masterpiece of popular history that deserves a widespread readership, particularly in this age of anxiety about "global bio-terrorism." Yes, his tale is often gruesome and disturbing, but so was the reality of bubonic plague. (Note: If the same epidemic hit today, more than 2 billion humans would die.) I've read several scholarly histories about social disintegration, including Barbara Tuchman's wonderful "A Distant Mirror" and the less convincing "Guns, Germs and Steel" by Jared Diamond. These other books are often enlightening, but can get bogged down in scholastic pretention (one such book has 78 pages of footnotes -- yikes!). Not so Kelly's new work. It mixes science, legend, investigative reporting, achaeology, demographics, grass-roots history and about a dozen other disciplines into a fast-paced narrative that will hold you captivated for hours. In "The Great Mortality," you'll learn not only about the plague itself, but also about the psychology of Medieval Europe. Why, for example, did the people of Basel, Switzerland, blame the plague on local Jews and ultimately burn them alive on an island outside of town? Why did the cowardly Pope of that time flee Avignon while his best physician stayed behind? Where did the plague come from originally and what long-term effects did it have on our culture, right up to this day? If you enjoy world history, and you have a strong stomach, this is a must-read book for 2005. Don't miss it.

More than just a book about the plague this is a very well written history in a number of areas... First- a very intimate look at the plague itself- where it came from, how it spread in minute details... Second- a very detailed account of everyday life during this period throughout each affected geographic area. This information is both amazing and important to an overall understanding of the course of history... Third- the aftereffects and the learnings that all of us can take from this very devestating time in history. The key is that the text is extremely easy to read and very well documented. Its a history that reads as a great story unfolding.

Today the news reports are about a new avian flu recently discovered in asia. The new flu has a mortality rate of 72%. Depending on the version of the plague you are talking about, the mortality was just about the same. Six centuries ago medicine knew nothing about the bacteria that caused plague, now we know little about the virus causing the avian flu. This book almost seems to be several books in one. First it's a history, drawing on original source material -- contemporary letters, diaries, and chronicles. It's a history, not only of the 1300's, but of Shiro Ishii and his experiments as commander of the Japanese Army's biological warfare unit during World War II that deliberately infected the Chinese city of Changteh. Second it's a text, the nature of the plague, how it spreads, where, why, and how. It has a discussion of the various types of plague, and some discussion that the disease may not have been plague at all but possibly anthrax or an Ebola-like filovirus. Third, it's a warning. With modern day transportation, not only of people on airplanes, but thousands of containers coming in with products made almost anywhere in the world. And that doesn't take in the possibility of deliberate attacks. The writing style in this book is fascinating, a delight to read and the information content is very high and unfortunately it coule be timely.

Reading this book was like tumbling down a rabbit hole into the Middle Ages. It was enthralling, but also very precise and easy to follow in its explanation of exactly how a tiny rat flea came to cause such death and destruction all over Europe and Asia. The cities come alive, like they're characters in their own right, and even though what is being described happened centuries ago, it felt like something like it could happen again. I read it in one sitting! FIVE STARS