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ktmp2112's review
5.0
This is one of the best books I have read in a really long time! I HIGHLY recommend!!!!!
a_reader_obsessed's review
5.0
5 Stars
No one is more shocked than I for thoroughly enjoying this because I don’t even come close to being a history buff nor even the occasional dabbler in various such things.
To put it succinctly, the real terror is the devastation disease can wreak on the human population, and this highlights some really truly scary awful times and what went oh so wrong but also thankfully, what went right.
To say the least, this was highly entertaining in all its gory horror. It was delivered with smarts, humor, and wit, throwing in pop culture references and apt comments, never making this a tedious lesson to be learned but one that was fascinating in all its revelations.
Wholeheartedly recommended, this was a rare gem indeed!
No one is more shocked than I for thoroughly enjoying this because I don’t even come close to being a history buff nor even the occasional dabbler in various such things.
To put it succinctly, the real terror is the devastation disease can wreak on the human population, and this highlights some really truly scary awful times and what went oh so wrong but also thankfully, what went right.
To say the least, this was highly entertaining in all its gory horror. It was delivered with smarts, humor, and wit, throwing in pop culture references and apt comments, never making this a tedious lesson to be learned but one that was fascinating in all its revelations.
Wholeheartedly recommended, this was a rare gem indeed!
ixthus68's review
4.0
What an interesting book! Here is what I liked:
The length and design of the chapters
The crafting of the stories around each plague.
The authors humor, primarily sarcasm
The way the book moved me emotionally-usually in very sad ways.
What I learned
Here is what I didn’t like:
The author’s humor. Sarcasm wears on you if done too much or not right on point.
The book could move me so much that I had to stop listening to process what I was hearing.
I learned so much reading this book. I also enjoyed how an author with a much different slant of her politics challenged my thinking in good ways
The length and design of the chapters
The crafting of the stories around each plague.
The authors humor, primarily sarcasm
The way the book moved me emotionally-usually in very sad ways.
What I learned
Here is what I didn’t like:
The author’s humor. Sarcasm wears on you if done too much or not right on point.
The book could move me so much that I had to stop listening to process what I was hearing.
I learned so much reading this book. I also enjoyed how an author with a much different slant of her politics challenged my thinking in good ways
lazy_raven's review against another edition
5.0
Almost ironic that this book was published 2 years before Covid-19 was taking over our lives. Loved how this isn't just a nerdy book, the author puts in their own opinions in a creative way. I now have a few books she referenced that I now want to read. Also the audio narrator is stellar (as expected from Zackman).
mogffm3's review
5.0
Loved this book!
Listened to the audio book, great narration, a funny dry sense of humor.
Listened to the audio book, great narration, a funny dry sense of humor.
greenbean_1's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
The prose is witty and passionate. The book is best when discussing the kindness, compassion, and community that occured during certain plagues as well as their subsequent "heros". Unfortunalty the book almost exclusivly disscussed the western world and ventures very very briefly into Asia and Africa (if only to discuss global stats and effects).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism and Misogyny
Minor: Racism
R slur and F slur said once each.le_corbeau_romantique's review
5.0
Books are here for different reasons. Most of us read for pure entertainment or education. This book, however, is in the rare category that makes you a better person by the time you finish it. It is now at the top of my most favorite books I have ever read. As odd as this may be, judging by the title, this is a comforting book. This is one I will pick up when I'm sad/discouraged with myself or people as a whole. I loved listening to it so much I bought a hard copy.
Wright humanizes history:
What I want to carry in my heart forevermore: Father Damien's bravery, ingenuity, and compassion for the people of the Molokai leper colony, the community of Strasbourg, Germany, who showed how we're supposed to take care of our neighbors during the 1518 Dancing Plague, and Jonas Salk's generosity and the American people during the Polio epidemic.
Get Well Soon is a glorious reminder to learn history so we don't repeat it and to treat EVERYONE with dignity, compassion, and respect (whether they are sick or not): be good, do better. Wright's own compassion, love, and HOPE for humanity is achingly beautiful in her writing but does not overshadow the information and stories in this wonderful entry in social/science history. I'm definitely looking forward to more from Jennifer Wright.
Wright humanizes history:
"Shaming people for contracting a disease that we don't have a cure for is still common today. In part we want to believe that those people are not like us. We like to believe that people somehow brought diseases on themselves, but diseases are mindless and do not judiciously pick the worst people in the world to murder. The more we distance ourselves from diseases and their victims, the harder it becomes to educate people about or raise funds for a cure (because why would you want to cure something only monstrous people get?). Portraying the afflicted in a way that acknowledges their suffering but also shows them to be brave and humorous and able to joke make them seem like any one of us. ...Diseases don't ruin lives just because they rot off noses. They destroy people if the rest of society isolates them and treats them as undeserving of help and respect." (p.105-6)
What I want to carry in my heart forevermore: Father Damien's bravery, ingenuity, and compassion for the people of the Molokai leper colony, the community of Strasbourg, Germany, who showed how we're supposed to take care of our neighbors during the 1518 Dancing Plague, and Jonas Salk's generosity and the American people during the Polio epidemic.
Get Well Soon is a glorious reminder to learn history so we don't repeat it and to treat EVERYONE with dignity, compassion, and respect (whether they are sick or not): be good, do better. Wright's own compassion, love, and HOPE for humanity is achingly beautiful in her writing but does not overshadow the information and stories in this wonderful entry in social/science history. I'm definitely looking forward to more from Jennifer Wright.