Very, Very, Very Dreadful: The Influenza Pandemic of 1918 by Albert Marrin

 

4 Star

In the beginning of 1918 World War I was being fought when troops began coming down with influenza.  By the summer, a second wave of the epidemic was traveling around the world, through the troops and civilians alike.  Influenza killed more millions more soldiers than the war had.  In the space of eighteen months 500 million people contracted influenza.  They can only estimate the lives lost was between 50 and 100 million. 

This book was so intriguing.  It combines historical information with science.  It also looked at the impact that was had on the world due to the epidemic.  This is written for a young adult audience which makes it more readable then some other books on the subject.  I really liked seeing the different pictures Marrin selected for the book.  It helps enhance what you’re reading.  It was interesting to see how disease was handled in the early 20^th century.  If you’re looking for a quick but informative read this definitely one you should pick up.

Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women by Kate Moore

 

5 Star

In the early 20^th century, the best jobs young women could get were in the factories.  These women were told radium was harmless.  One of best uses of radium was to paint the watch faces with it so it would glow.  The way the women would do this to get the crisp lines was to moisten the tip of the paint brush in their mouth and dab into the radium.  They would do this throughout their shift.  When they started to die, and others became ill it was brushed off.  This is the true story of the women who fought against big business to find financial relief and assistance.  It wasn’t just big business who denied the consequences of radium but also government.  With mounting lawsuits against companies using radium public support swung in the women’s favor and government had to step in and create new regulations to protect workers.

This was a horrifying book to read but in a good way.  It was well written, and I couldn’t put it down.  It was incredibly upsetting to read about what the girls and women went through and how they were disregarded by so many.  It felt like it was well researched and showed a different subject that isn’t talked about.  Moore balances telling the individual stories of the people vs business cover-up and corruption very well.  You never lose sight of the victims.  Highly recommend reading this book.

The Answer is ... Reflections on my Life by Alex Trebek

 

3 Star

Alex Trebek talks about his life.  What shaped his life and lead him to Jeopardy.  

Don't hate me for not loving this book.  I am a very picky nonfiction reader.  It has to be engaging and on a topic I enjoy and usually young adult.  This book came highly recommended so I thought I would give it a shot since I love Alex Trebek.  It was an ok book.  Each chapter was a snap shot of an experience in his life.  It jumped around in his timeline which means I was constantly trying to figure out the answers to some of the information he put in like his parents separating.  Did they divorce or just separate.  It was several chapters later he talked about visiting his mom in the US and eventually she moved to Florida.  It was all very interesting and some people will absolutely love learning about his life from him.  I like my biographies and autobiographies to be more linear.  I was born here and then this happened ect. This was not how the book was laid out and so it didn't work well for me.  It was still an interesting story and I did finish it because I wanted to keep reading it just wasn't the best biography/autobiography I've read.