MNA Online Book Club — The Wisdom of Plagues by Donald McNeil
Details
Join us online Sunday May 10th at 2 p.m. to discuss The Wisdom of Plagues by Donald McNeil.
The Wisdom of Plagues is Donald McNeil’s account of what he learned over a quarter-century of reporting in over sixty countries. Many science reporters understand the basics of diseases—how a virus works, for example, or what goes into making a vaccine. But very few understand the psychology of how small outbreaks turn into pandemics, why people refuse to believe they’re at risk, or why they reject protective measures like quarantine or vaccines. The COVID-19 pandemic was the story McNeil had trained his whole life to cover. His expertise and breadth of sources let him make many accurate predictions in 2020 about the course that a deadly new virus would take and how different countries would respond.
By the time McNeil wrote his last New York Times stories, he had not lost his compassion—but he had grown far more stone-hearted about how governments should react. He had witnessed enough disasters and read enough history to realize that while every epidemic is different, failure was the one constant. Small case-clusters ballooned into catastrophe because weak leaders became mired in denial. Citizens refused to make even minor sacrifices for the common good. They were encouraged in that by money-hungry entrepreneurs and power-hungry populists. Science was ignored, obvious truths were denied, and the innocent too often died. In The Wisdom of Plagues, McNeil offers tough, prescriptive advice on what we can do to improve global health and be better prepared for the inevitable next pandemic.
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Our book for June is That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America by Amanda Jones
Tentative future books:
Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization by Neil deGrasse Tyson
White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo
If you are interested in any of these titles, or have other book suggestions, please message me or leave a comment below.
Please note: The link for joining the meeting is only visible to those on the attending list. If you are on the wait list you will not see the link unless a spot opens up and you are moved to attending.