Reviews

Ebola '76 by Amir Tag Elsir

mierke's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I wavered over this rating quite a bit. There were parts I liked. I definitely think that if Tag Elsir had leaned more into the idea of using Ebola as its main character - which is how it seemed to go at the beginning, and then it kinda lost its way - this book would have been better. Mostly because none of the human characters were actually all that interesting. Misogyny and sexism were rampant throughout, both in the way the story is told (none of the women are allowed to be any sort of interesting) and in the way the characters behave. What really clenched the rating for me, though, was the ending; it felt like Tag Elsir lost interest in the story and decided to stop there, instead of writing an actual ending. 

disreputable_dog's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

3.25

adelinade's review against another edition

informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

bluedijon's review against another edition

dark informative reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I really loved this novella. It does the difficult job of humanizing and sticking really, really closely to the lives and reactions of those in Nzara, the town that was ground zero for the 1976 Ebola epidemic. With a sensationalist/terrifying backdrop based in real life it's SO easy to focus only on either the sensationalist details of the disease or ignore the disease entirely as a backdrop for some other narrative. But Tag Elsir threads the needle perfectly, showcasing the full range of human reaction while highlighting the public health context shaping those experiences.

lilly71490's review against another edition

dark emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

istaisa's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

kbiz_md's review

sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

caro1uk's review against another edition

challenging dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

caoimhemia's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence and Pandemic/Epidemic

lizzyymackay's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Gave me a very good understanding of how Ebola works and where it originated. Was also fascinating to talk about in seminars… for a short book there’s definitely a lot to say!