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laurieb755 's review for:
The Premonition: A Pandemic Story
by Michael Lewis
This was a quick read because I could not put it down. If you are familiar with Michael Lewis then you know he writes stories. The stories are about real people dealing with real situations. And as a reader it is difficult to ignore their plights.
The pandemic in question is the one we are still grappling with - COVID-19. The premonition refers to the people who had an inkling, figured out what could be done, and busted their chops only to be cut off at the knees by a government, both federal and state, that was inept.
The words that came to mind as I read this book – frustrating, blinded by politics, irritating, damning, demoralizing, a lot of stupidity, irritation, feeble… And I lost any respect for the CDC that might have lingered, though frankly I had begun to lose respect for and faith in them back in 2020. My initial list of adjectives was longer and more intense. The possibility existed for minimizing what has turned out to be catastrophic, but because of politics - POLITICS damn it – catastrophe won out over everything else.
This book deals with the response (or initial lack of response) by the United States. There are true heroes in it, the "Wolverines" and their compadres who did everything in their power to prepare and provide support. Read it to be encouraged by them and have hope.
The Public Health Company arose from the ashes of the pandemic response. It was created by, staffed by and advised by people who knew what to do to manage the pandemic, people who were not sufficiently listened to, people who dealt with the frustration of a political system that was mostly inert. I hope the Public Health Company succeeds, because there surely will be another type of pandemic and someone will at least be prepared!
The pandemic in question is the one we are still grappling with - COVID-19. The premonition refers to the people who had an inkling, figured out what could be done, and busted their chops only to be cut off at the knees by a government, both federal and state, that was inept.
The words that came to mind as I read this book – frustrating, blinded by politics, irritating, damning, demoralizing, a lot of stupidity, irritation, feeble… And I lost any respect for the CDC that might have lingered, though frankly I had begun to lose respect for and faith in them back in 2020. My initial list of adjectives was longer and more intense. The possibility existed for minimizing what has turned out to be catastrophic, but because of politics - POLITICS damn it – catastrophe won out over everything else.
This book deals with the response (or initial lack of response) by the United States. There are true heroes in it, the "Wolverines" and their compadres who did everything in their power to prepare and provide support. Read it to be encouraged by them and have hope.
The Public Health Company arose from the ashes of the pandemic response. It was created by, staffed by and advised by people who knew what to do to manage the pandemic, people who were not sufficiently listened to, people who dealt with the frustration of a political system that was mostly inert. I hope the Public Health Company succeeds, because there surely will be another type of pandemic and someone will at least be prepared!