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4.3 AVERAGE
4.3 AVERAGE
Another gem from one of the world's great writers. Just fantastic storytelling. Sadly, it's not fiction.
Michael Lewis knows how to write a page-turner. My views on the people and institutions who were front and center during the pandemic have forever been changed after reading this book. I only wish I could say I was left more optimistic.
Writing was solid. I felt with an author with the story telling skills of Michael Lewis, this could be been much more.
I wonder how much of mediocre rating for this book was the subject matter .... the poor handling of the US in handling COVID. It was painful and sad watching the US fumble and bungle their way.
Writing-wise ... it was just wasn't crisp. There were too many people, too many stories.
I wonder how much of mediocre rating for this book was the subject matter .... the poor handling of the US in handling COVID. It was painful and sad watching the US fumble and bungle their way.
Writing-wise ... it was just wasn't crisp. There were too many people, too many stories.
A very narrow slice of the workings of a couple of health officials before and during the pandemic. A bit too full of government politics and intrigue, sometimes dragging the narrative out unnecessarily. Classic lewis "underestimated unorthodox tiger team wins the game" plotline. Somehow all his stories are the same story.
WOW! Somehow, you knew it was bad, but you didn't know how BAD. Is it better not to know, or to be thankful you survived. Everything in this country is based on GREED. So sad.
challenging
dark
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
In college I took a class about medical history (I later declared a second major in History of Science/Public Health) that assigned the essays of Berton Roueché. He wrote essays for The New Yorker about the medical detectives of the epidemiology division of the CDC. These stories much later inspired the TV show "House MD" (verrrry loosely, I might add). I read and reread everything Roueché wrote, and idolized the CDC's epidemiologists to the point that I wanted to work there.
Charity Dean, Carter Mecher and the rest of the rogue “Wolverines” efforts point out the long slow decline of the CDC and our country's commitment to public health and the fractured impact of all of our systems despite being run by smart people. The failure of the response to the Covid pandemic laid bare the ugly truth about a governments' will to take care of its people: there really isn't one. And that's an indictment not just of the evil Trump but even of our idol Obama. We must also recognize with surprise that George W should have been listened to. What a world! It's the lonely rogue public health soldiers out there (the L6, as Lewis points out) that do the work and know the shit that might help.
But will anyone listen to them the next time? Because another pandemic is not NOT going to happen. And if the CDC and the US government can't get their shit together, it'll be worse.
Charity Dean, Carter Mecher and the rest of the rogue “Wolverines” efforts point out the long slow decline of the CDC and our country's commitment to public health and the fractured impact of all of our systems despite being run by smart people. The failure of the response to the Covid pandemic laid bare the ugly truth about a governments' will to take care of its people: there really isn't one. And that's an indictment not just of the evil Trump but even of our idol Obama. We must also recognize with surprise that George W should have been listened to. What a world! It's the lonely rogue public health soldiers out there (the L6, as Lewis points out) that do the work and know the shit that might help.
But will anyone listen to them the next time? Because another pandemic is not NOT going to happen. And if the CDC and the US government can't get their shit together, it'll be worse.
challenging
informative
enjoyed most of it, however; very cringe that the main subject of the latter half lives through the expected incompetency and hostile bureaucracy of the american capitalist healthcare system and strives to make things better and then... forms a company! jk, looking up the company after the fact it seems like it actually does do some good for public health. so go girlboss <3