AnyBook4Less.com
Find the Best Price on the Web
Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Developed by Fintix
Home  |  Store List  |  FAQ  |  Contact Us  |  
 
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money

An American Plague : The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793

Please fill out form in order to compare prices
Title: An American Plague : The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793
by Jim Murphy
ISBN: 0-395-77608-2
Publisher: Clarion Books
Pub. Date: 23 June, 2003
Format: Hardcover
Volumes: 1
List Price(USD): $17.00
Your Country
Currency
Delivery
Include Used Books
Are you a club member of: Barnes and Noble
Books A Million Chapters.Indigo.ca

Average Customer Rating: 4.6 (5 reviews)

Customer Reviews

Rating: 5
Summary: An Intense and interesting read
Comment: 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.

Rating: 5
Summary: Shining example of nonfiction for young people
Comment: 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.

Rating: 4
Summary: Worth reading
Comment: 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.

Similar Books:

Title: Olive's Ocean
by Kevin Henkes
ISBN: 0060535431
Publisher: Greenwillow
Pub. Date: 12 August, 2003
List Price(USD): $15.99
Title: Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread (NEWBERY MEDAL BOOK)
by Kate Dicamillo, Timothy B. Ering
ISBN: 0763617229
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Pub. Date: September, 2003
List Price(USD): $17.99
Title: The Man Who Walked Between The Towers
by Mordicai Gerstein
ISBN: 0761317910
Publisher: Millbrook Press
Pub. Date: 18 July, 2003
List Price(USD): $17.95
Title: What Do You Do with a Tail Like This?
by Robin Page, Steve Jenkins
ISBN: 0618256288
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co
Pub. Date: 25 March, 2003
List Price(USD): $15.00
Title: Ella Sarah Gets Dressed
by Margaret Chodos-Irvine
ISBN: 0152164138
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Pub. Date: 01 May, 2003
List Price(USD): $16.00

Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!

Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments

Powered by Apache