A strong, multifaceted narrative sure to create enthusiasts of science and geopolitics.
An updated young readers’ adaptation of the 2004 adult bestseller by the same name.
This holistic approach to the influenza pandemic that ravaged the planet just over a century ago starts with the development of modern medical institutions in the U.S., documenting the fight for academic rigor and the effort it took for clinicians to implement the scientific method. These scientists met their crucible when a scary new flu mutation arose among World War I soldiers. The volume does a remarkable job of concisely explaining the biology at play (both in the disease and the scientists’ attempts at solving the crisis), the geopolitics of the time, and the role of wartime propaganda in spreading misinformation (such as how the “Spanish flu” misnomer came to be). Throughout, SARS-CoV-2 is used as a relatable touchpoint for readers familiar with the Covid-19 pandemic through the use of hard facts, such as the numbers of people infected and killed and the impact of dangerous mutant swarms of RNA viruses. The engaging text highlights women’s roles in various capacities, though only a few are mentioned by name; the revolutionary scientists were “an exclusive group that included very few women.” The meticulously researched book also mentions factors—both socioeconomic (crowded living spaces) and biological (a population’s previous exposure to influenza)—that resulted in the virus hitting some ethnic groups harder than others.
A strong, multifaceted narrative sure to create enthusiasts of science and geopolitics. (key figures, timeline, glossary, source notes, selected bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 11-15)Pub Date: April 16, 2024
ISBN: 9780593404690
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2024
If Freedman wrote the history textbooks, we would have many more historians. Beginning with an engrossing description of the Boston Tea Party in 1773, he brings the reader the lives of the American colonists and the events leading up to the break with England. The narrative approach to history reads like a good story, yet Freedman tucks in the data that give depth to it. The inclusion of all the people who lived during those times and the roles they played, whether small or large are acknowledged with dignity. The story moves backwards from the Boston Tea Party to the beginning of the European settlement of what they called the New World, and then proceeds chronologically to the signing of the Declaration. “Your Rights and Mine” traces the influence of the document from its inception to the present ending with Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. The full text of the Declaration and a reproduction of the original are included. A chronology of events and an index are helpful to the young researcher. Another interesting feature is “Visiting the Declaration of Independence.” It contains a short review of what happened to the document in the years after it was written, a useful Web site, and a description of how it is displayed and protected today at the National Archives building in Washington, D.C. Illustrations from the period add interest and detail. An excellent addition to the American history collection and an engrossing read. (Nonfiction. 9-13)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-8234-1448-5
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2000
A well-intentioned description of life before birth. The illustrations make use of photographs (including ultrasound) and artist’s drawings, often in the same image, and these are well used to clarify the text. How babies grow and develop inside the womb is both described and illustrated, and while the tone is one of forced cheer, the information is sound. Also offered are quite silly exercises for children to experience what life in the womb might be like, such as listening to a dishwasher to experience the sounds a baby hears inside its mother’s body, or being held under a towel or blanket by an adult and wiggling about. The getting-together of sperm and egg is lightly passed over, as is the actual process of birth. But children may be mesmerized by the drawings of the growing child inside the mother, and what activities predate their birth dates. Not an essential purchase, but adequate as an addition to the collection. (Picture book/nonfiction. 4-8)
Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2000
ISBN: 1-894379-01-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Firefly
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2000
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