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A review by madi_mairee
Crisis in the Red Zone by Richard Preston
I received an uncorrected proof of this book thanks to NetGalley.
Crisis in the Red Zone focuses on the deadliest Ebola epidemic (2013-2014) as well as the Ebola outbreak in 1976. The reader is given some history of the Ebola Virus and the ongoing fight to find a cure or vaccine. But, this is so much more than just a book about a virus. Richard Preston really focuses on human nature and the compassion of the people who were fighting this virus and the many who died. This is about the physical, emotional and ethical conflicts that were taking place across continents.
Due to there being two timelines of Ebola outbreaks, I naturally found myself more interested in one than the other. I worked for a medical company during this epidemic in 2014, so that was the one I found myself far more invested in. I'm more familiar with it and it's one of the biggest reasons I picked this book up. So the numerous sections about the 1976 outbreak I found myself losing interest slightly. They needed to be there and they were written about very well, but it's a lot of information and characters to keep track of and I definitely didn't pay as close attention to those parts.
I wish there had been more about the mass panic the media was able to stir up surrounding this crisis. Overall, though, I thought Preston did a great job portraying the difficult decisions that needed to be made in the midst of this devastating and chaotic epidemic where people have very little information. Those human moments are what make this book so well done!
Emerging diseases are only going to become more prevalent. With the current Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo and WHO announcing this as an international concern, I can’t think of a book more important right now.
Crisis in the Red Zone focuses on the deadliest Ebola epidemic (2013-2014) as well as the Ebola outbreak in 1976. The reader is given some history of the Ebola Virus and the ongoing fight to find a cure or vaccine. But, this is so much more than just a book about a virus. Richard Preston really focuses on human nature and the compassion of the people who were fighting this virus and the many who died. This is about the physical, emotional and ethical conflicts that were taking place across continents.
Due to there being two timelines of Ebola outbreaks, I naturally found myself more interested in one than the other. I worked for a medical company during this epidemic in 2014, so that was the one I found myself far more invested in. I'm more familiar with it and it's one of the biggest reasons I picked this book up. So the numerous sections about the 1976 outbreak I found myself losing interest slightly. They needed to be there and they were written about very well, but it's a lot of information and characters to keep track of and I definitely didn't pay as close attention to those parts.
I wish there had been more about the mass panic the media was able to stir up surrounding this crisis. Overall, though, I thought Preston did a great job portraying the difficult decisions that needed to be made in the midst of this devastating and chaotic epidemic where people have very little information. Those human moments are what make this book so well done!
Emerging diseases are only going to become more prevalent. With the current Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo and WHO announcing this as an international concern, I can’t think of a book more important right now.