Scientists believe that the Spanish flu pandemic, largely absent from history books, may have killed 100 million people in just two short years, making it more deadly than the Great War raging at the time. Ironically, it was troop movements around the globe that facilitated the virus’s spread. The audiobook is narrated primarily by MacLeod Andrews; Adenrele Ojo has the difficult task of breathing life into the timelines and appendices. The story explores the connections between WWI and the Spanish flu, and the historical impact of other pandemics. The statistics surrounding the flu are shocking; however, the audiobook's fact-heavy, nonsequential approach makes it difficult for Andrews’s narration to shine. While it is a compelling story, presented with perfect pacing, listeners may find their minds wandering. This year marks the pandemic’s 100th anniversary. L.T. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

04/02/2018
Davis (In the Shadow of Liberty) immediately sets the urgent tone of his forthright chronicle, citing staggering statistics: the Spanish Flu pandemic that began in spring 1918 claimed the lives of more than 675,000 Americans in a single year and left a worldwide death toll estimated at 100 million. The author structures his exhaustive account of the origins, transmission, and consequences of the pandemic within the framework of WWI, underscoring the lethal concurrence of these “twin catastrophes.” The first recorded flu outbreak in the U.S. occurred at a military training camp in Kansas; infected soldiers then spread the virus on Europe-bound transport ships and delivered it to frontline barracks and trenches. Davis puts a human face on the pandemic, interlacing tales of political, military, and civilian luminaries struck by the flu, and also connects with readers through contemporary analogies, likening German propaganda to “fake news,” and a sneeze’s emission of fast-flying, virus-carrying droplets to “a video game with space invaders.” Davis also assiduously documents modern medical research and puts the pandemic in the context of medical history. Patriotic posters and photos illuminate both the spirit and devastation of the period. Ages 10–14. (May)

A Washington Post Best Children's Book of the Month

A Junior Library Guild Selection!

"Davis deftly juggles compelling storytelling, gruesome details, and historical context. More Deadly Than War reads like a terrifying dystopian novel—that happens to be true." —Steve Sheinkin, author of Bomb and Undefeated

"More Deadly Than War is a riveting story of the great influenza pandemic of 1918, packed with unforgettable examples of the power of a virus gone rogue. Kenneth C. Davis's book serves as an important history—and an important reminder that we could very well face such a threat again." —Deborah Blum, New York Times bestselling author of The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York.

"With eye-popping details, Kenneth C. Davis tracks the deadly flu that shifted the powers in World War I and changed the course of world history. In an age of Ebola and Zika, this vivid account is a cautionary tale that will have you rushing to wash your hands for protection." —Karen Blumenthal, award-winning author of Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different

* "Davis once again makes history accessible for students from the middle grades through high school." —VOYA, STARRED review

"Engaging and illuminating." —Booklist

"The smooth narrative excels at connecting the epidemic and the war . . . informative." —Kirkus Reviews

"Davis’ account untangles the scientific advances, international conflicts and cultural currents that shaped this catastrophic event." —The Washington Post

"Davis puts a human face on the pandemic, interlacing tales of political, military, and civilian luminaries struck by the flu, and also connects with readers through contemporary analogies, likening German propaganda to “fake news,” and a sneeze’s emission of fast-flying, virus-carrying droplets to “a video game with space invaders.” Davis also assiduously documents modern medical research and puts the pandemic in the context of medical history." —Publishers Weekly

"A fascinating account of the devastating, history-altering Spanish flu pandemic . . . Davis is a fine storyteller, and he weaves dramatic, colorful accounts of the flu’s impact." —The Buffalo News

Praise for In the Shadow of Liberty:

* "This well-researched book offers a chronological history of slavery in America and features five enslaved people and the four U.S. presidents who owned them. . . . A valuable, broad perspective on slavery." —Booklist, starred review

* "Compulsively readable. . . . A must-have selection." —School Library Journal, starred review

* "[A] powerful examination of five enslaved individuals. . . . a thoroughly researched and reasoned account." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

"The premise of this work is unique, and Davis has a very readable storytelling style. . . . An important and timely corrective." —Kirkus Reviews

"Davis’s solid research. . . accessible prose, and determination to make these stories known give young readers an important alternative to textbook representations of colonial life." —The Horn Book

"By exploring the humanity of people held in bondage by early American presidents, Kenneth C. Davis once again turns American mythology into history. Read the book and be grateful." —Marcus Rediker, author of The Slave Ship: A Human History

“The young woman was enslaved, but also privileged. She was part of the household of the nation's first president. This powerful book tells her story, and others, which are surprising and have been unknown to most of us. They will give you insights into our American heritage that you may not have considered before. I hope In the Shadow of Liberty will be widely read. It is important and timely." —Joy Hakim, author of A History of US (Oxford University Press)

"Davis' newest book is fascinating." —Kids' Home Library

04/01/2018
Gr 7 Up—Davis, author of the "Don't Know Much About" series and In the Shadows of Liberty, applies his wide-ranging knowledge to this history of World War I and the Spanish Flu. Davis pulls no punches in his gruesome descriptions of medical wards, of entire families found dead in their homes, of a troop transport ship that became a "floating chamber of horrors," and how doctors were totally at a loss. He includes an abundance of first-hand testimonies, statistics, and a variety of images: a young, uniformed Ernest Hemingway; an advertisement designed by an up-and-coming Walt Disney, who survived the flu; and scenes from the trenches. The details often hit forcefully home, providing context. However, the three narrative threads—the story of war, the evolution of virus, and a history of medicine—are not as tightly woven as in Albert Marrin's Very, Very, Very Dreadful: The Influenza Pandemic of 1918. VERDICT A solid work of nonfiction, but in the light of better options, a secondary purchase.—Blake Holman, St. Joseph County Public Library, IN

Scientists believe that the Spanish flu pandemic, largely absent from history books, may have killed 100 million people in just two short years, making it more deadly than the Great War raging at the time. Ironically, it was troop movements around the globe that facilitated the virus’s spread. The audiobook is narrated primarily by MacLeod Andrews; Adenrele Ojo has the difficult task of breathing life into the timelines and appendices. The story explores the connections between WWI and the Spanish flu, and the historical impact of other pandemics. The statistics surrounding the flu are shocking; however, the audiobook's fact-heavy, nonsequential approach makes it difficult for Andrews’s narration to shine. While it is a compelling story, presented with perfect pacing, listeners may find their minds wandering. This year marks the pandemic’s 100th anniversary. L.T. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

2018-03-04
Facts, quotes, anecdotes, and visual images tell the combined history of the 1918 flu epidemic and World War I, emphasizing the role of disease in changing history. The introduction and nine chapters open with apt quotes, usually followed by a personal story, such as one in which a 16-year-old Walt Disney contracts the flu during Red Cross training. Statistics underscore the power of the epidemic, in which 100 million may have died worldwide. The ties between the war and the epidemic are made clear throughout. The first case was reported in an army camp in Kansas. Troops spread the disease around the U.S. and brought it to Europe, where it killed combatants on both sides of the war. Civilians caught it at schools and parades, and with no cure available, it was devastating. Although most of the medical, political, and military figures introduced are white males, brief sections discuss racism and the flu, relating stories about Native Alaskans on the Seward Peninsula and an Ogala family in Nebraska. Adequate black-and-white photographs break up the text every few pages. The smooth narrative excels at connecting the epidemic and the war but assumes a modicum of background knowledge about the war and occasionally suffers from repetitiveness. A 40-page appendix reviews the role of disease in history. Readable and informative. (notes, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 11-15)