Scan barcode
Reviews
Black Death at the Golden Gate: The Race to Save America from the Bubonic Plague by David K. Randall
missfortune99's review
5.0
A devastating disease, an apathetic and greedy local government, and an unlikely hero.
Black Death at the Golden Gate is a shocking tale of a plague outbreak in turn of the century California, an event that had previously been buried in America's history. David K. Randall paints a vivid picture of the chilling events from San Francisco, using a multitude of sources to give the readers a true understanding of who these men facing the Black Death were, and what they stood for.
Randall does an amazing job at pointing out that history isn't just black and white; no person is either "good" or "bad." You learn each character's strength, but also their faults. I am often frustrated that authors leave the less pretty information out to make a more compelling hero. Randall absolutely came through, providing the whole picture.
This read is fascinating, shocking, chilling, and in the end, encouraging. It is an absolute must read!!
Black Death at the Golden Gate is a shocking tale of a plague outbreak in turn of the century California, an event that had previously been buried in America's history. David K. Randall paints a vivid picture of the chilling events from San Francisco, using a multitude of sources to give the readers a true understanding of who these men facing the Black Death were, and what they stood for.
Randall does an amazing job at pointing out that history isn't just black and white; no person is either "good" or "bad." You learn each character's strength, but also their faults. I am often frustrated that authors leave the less pretty information out to make a more compelling hero. Randall absolutely came through, providing the whole picture.
This read is fascinating, shocking, chilling, and in the end, encouraging. It is an absolute must read!!
paduckling's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
anovelobsession's review
4.0
The pandemic has spurred my interest in the history of viruses and plagues and how we have handled and survived them throughout history and I’ve looked for books to satisfy my curiosity. This tells the story of a couple of bubonic plague outbreaks in the San Francisco area in the early 1900s. Most interesting was learning that there has always been a kind of head in the sand approach from some public officials about the severity of some public health issues while the true heroes (medical professionals and scientists) are relentless in their efforts to protect us all. Recommend for anyone who is interested in epidemics, public health, early 20th century politics and government.
christie_esau's review
4.0
A slow but interesting read, though--unsurprisingly--not for the faint of heart/queasy. I'll admit I had absolutely no idea that the plague ever existed in North America, so point to this book for being informative and worth my time.
ameyawarde's review
4.0
Interesting to hear how much worse a place can screw up their contagious disease response than America is currently! I never knew the story about how the plauge that exists among wildlife in the western US came here, nor did i realize there was a plague outbreak in SF at all. This is a good read if you're interested in medical or american/California history!
shoob3's review
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Death