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Reviews tagging 'Death'
Pathogenesis: A History of the World in Eight Plagues by Jonathan Kennedy
5 reviews
flyingryndeer's review
dark
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Medical content
gretchenplz's review
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
I never thought I would be so riveted by a book about plagues...
I'm gonna say something nasty and say that all those bemoaning, "I thought I was going to read about plagues, not history," either lack reading comprehension or just refuse to Get It. This was such an in-depth look at how it's not JUST plagues — it's our world and our systems and how it was built and how it is transitioning in the future.
Really a fascinating look at history through the lense of the diseases that shaped us.
I'm gonna say something nasty and say that all those bemoaning, "I thought I was going to read about plagues, not history," either lack reading comprehension or just refuse to Get It. This was such an in-depth look at how it's not JUST plagues — it's our world and our systems and how it was built and how it is transitioning in the future.
Really a fascinating look at history through the lense of the diseases that shaped us.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Medical content, and Death
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Police brutality, Racism, and Genocide
rebelbelle13's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
sad
slow-paced
3.75
Pathogenesis is a fascinating look at human history and how it has been shaped by disease. I would say that the introduction/first chapter is by far the most interesting, with general knowledge dispensed about virus and bacteria. After that, the author takes the reader on a tour through history, beginning with pre-historic man and leading up to the present with the coronavirus.
I picked up several important points here, and they are worth repeating. Firstly, disease probably was responsible for the survival of homo sapiens over neanderthals. Secondly, only so much credit can be given to conquerors, generals, and other political leaders for winning wars and broadening their empires- much of their success had to do with widespread disease and devastating loss on the opposing side. Thirdly, racism and slavery (primarily in the United States) has its roots in malaria, and those who were immune to it, and those who were not. Finally, poverty has much to do with the spreading of disease, and eliminating poverty by providing healthcare, employment, and sanitary living conditions would dramatically decrease deaths and save trillions in healthcare.
At times this reads like a textbook, and I found my attention drifting- however, the research done for this novel, the points it makes and the importance of the author's findings cannot be denied.
This is a whole new way of looking at our past, and anticipating the future. It's at times frightening, and incredibly sad, and others hopeful and intriguing.
I picked up several important points here, and they are worth repeating. Firstly, disease probably was responsible for the survival of homo sapiens over neanderthals. Secondly, only so much credit can be given to conquerors, generals, and other political leaders for winning wars and broadening their empires- much of their success had to do with widespread disease and devastating loss on the opposing side. Thirdly, racism and slavery (primarily in the United States) has its roots in malaria, and those who were immune to it, and those who were not. Finally, poverty has much to do with the spreading of disease, and eliminating poverty by providing healthcare, employment, and sanitary living conditions would dramatically decrease deaths and save trillions in healthcare.
At times this reads like a textbook, and I found my attention drifting- however, the research done for this novel, the points it makes and the importance of the author's findings cannot be denied.
This is a whole new way of looking at our past, and anticipating the future. It's at times frightening, and incredibly sad, and others hopeful and intriguing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Terminal illness, Death, and Colonisation
Minor: War
aileron's review
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Genocide, Medical content, Pandemic/Epidemic, Colonisation, and Death
Moderate: Classism, Antisemitism, and Chronic illness
Minor: Animal death, Blood, Alcoholism, Drug use, Excrement, Rape, Police brutality, and Vomit
haljonesy's review
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
4.25
Pathogenesis truly is a history of the world. It encompasses ancient history, with Greeks and Romans, and advances up to the present-day. Kennedy examines the effects of epidemics on human society and demonstrates how certain events in history were, at least in part, caused by a viral disease.
One of the most interesting parts of Kennedy's analysis was the way he connected the resistance that some societies had to certain diseases, such as malaria and yellow fever, and how those resistances led to institutions such as slavery. I have generally been taught that one of the main reasons that Africans were enslaved by Europeans and Americans was because of scientific racism, but Kennedy suggests that scientific racism arose as a way to justify enslavement that was already ongoing, and that Africans were preferred as slaves because of their resistance to such diseases as malaria that wreaked havoc in southern states, which indentured Europeans had no immunity against.
Kennedy also drew clear connections between viruses and poverty, demonstrating ways in which people in power (i.e., people with money) took advantage of those who had no easy way out of their destitution, which in turn bred diseases due to poor sanitation and health conditions. Cholera was extremely well covered in relation to people living in poverty, especially in England. Particularly poignant was Kennedy's examination of post-colonial African nations, and how long-lasting the effects of colonialism are.
The main focus of this book is on the United Kingdom and United States, as well as the peoples they colonized. Ancient Greece and Rome are fairly well analyzed, as well as parts of Africa, and China. I listened to the audio version of this book, and did enjoy the narrator, though I somewhat wish I'd read the print book so that I could make notes about certain points that interested me.
One of the most interesting parts of Kennedy's analysis was the way he connected the resistance that some societies had to certain diseases, such as malaria and yellow fever, and how those resistances led to institutions such as slavery. I have generally been taught that one of the main reasons that Africans were enslaved by Europeans and Americans was because of scientific racism, but Kennedy suggests that scientific racism arose as a way to justify enslavement that was already ongoing, and that Africans were preferred as slaves because of their resistance to such diseases as malaria that wreaked havoc in southern states, which indentured Europeans had no immunity against.
Kennedy also drew clear connections between viruses and poverty, demonstrating ways in which people in power (i.e., people with money) took advantage of those who had no easy way out of their destitution, which in turn bred diseases due to poor sanitation and health conditions. Cholera was extremely well covered in relation to people living in poverty, especially in England. Particularly poignant was Kennedy's examination of post-colonial African nations, and how long-lasting the effects of colonialism are.
The main focus of this book is on the United Kingdom and United States, as well as the peoples they colonized. Ancient Greece and Rome are fairly well analyzed, as well as parts of Africa, and China. I listened to the audio version of this book, and did enjoy the narrator, though I somewhat wish I'd read the print book so that I could make notes about certain points that interested me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Religious bigotry, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Medical content, Medical trauma, Police brutality, Racism, Islamophobia, Antisemitism, and Slavery
Moderate: Xenophobia, Terminal illness, Mental illness, War, Excrement, Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal death, and Blood
Minor: Drug use, Violence, Vomit, Chronic illness, Hate crime, Suicide, Cancer, Child death, Genocide, and Gore
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