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A review by gigireadswithkiki
Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World by Laura Spinney
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.25
An insightful dive into the epistemology of the Spanish Flu, it was so jarring reading this book in the post-height of the COVID-19 virus; the rumors of the disease originating from China, the lack of governmental procedures in which to control the spread, the lack of knowledge in which to control the disease, all facets that mirrored I have since learned heavily mirror the way in which the Spanish Flu was treated in 1919.
I really enjoyed the many facets that this book explores in terms of epidemics and disease history as a whole. While I did feel that the history of disease control felt constrained to the ways in which European powers deigned to control diseases through blood letting and more recently the vaccination process, it was fascinating to learn that the principles of universal healthcare came about as a result of the Spanish Flu, as well as the history of large scale diseases, specifically with the Plague and tuberculosis. I did not appreciate the random throwaway line that seemed to compare having Autism Spectrum Disorder to having Tuberculosis, but thankfully this seemed to be a one-off line.
And though there was a lack of variance in the history of disease, I really appreciated seeing the nuance of disease spread during the Spanish flu, both culturally and virally. Spinney takes time to explain how much of the rampant spread of the disease was strongly linked to the effects of colonization, specifically citing how colonizing peoples oftentimes blamed the Indigenous peoples for the disease and how they would offer the weakest form of cures to the Indigenous peoples. The highlight into the difference in how American Samoa controlled the spread of the flu in comparison to Western Samoa was particularly insightful, if also devastating to hear about.
Final concluding chapters of nonfiction books are usually pretty hit or miss for me, but with "Pale Rider" Spinney's final thoughts are so ominous, especially with the consideration that this book was published in 2017. She warns that, with historical trend data, a new pandemic is due to hit society soon; that governments and health agencies seem to be woefully unprepared for a new viral disease, and that preparations must be made. It was definitely eerie reading these words in 2025, and though I did have some small problems with the book, I still enjoyed my read and would read more from Laura Spinney in the future.
I really enjoyed the many facets that this book explores in terms of epidemics and disease history as a whole. While I did feel that the history of disease control felt constrained to the ways in which European powers deigned to control diseases through blood letting and more recently the vaccination process, it was fascinating to learn that the principles of universal healthcare came about as a result of the Spanish Flu, as well as the history of large scale diseases, specifically with the Plague and tuberculosis. I did not appreciate the random throwaway line that seemed to compare having Autism Spectrum Disorder to having Tuberculosis, but thankfully this seemed to be a one-off line.
And though there was a lack of variance in the history of disease, I really appreciated seeing the nuance of disease spread during the Spanish flu, both culturally and virally. Spinney takes time to explain how much of the rampant spread of the disease was strongly linked to the effects of colonization, specifically citing how colonizing peoples oftentimes blamed the Indigenous peoples for the disease and how they would offer the weakest form of cures to the Indigenous peoples. The highlight into the difference in how American Samoa controlled the spread of the flu in comparison to Western Samoa was particularly insightful, if also devastating to hear about.
Final concluding chapters of nonfiction books are usually pretty hit or miss for me, but with "Pale Rider" Spinney's final thoughts are so ominous, especially with the consideration that this book was published in 2017. She warns that, with historical trend data, a new pandemic is due to hit society soon; that governments and health agencies seem to be woefully unprepared for a new viral disease, and that preparations must be made. It was definitely eerie reading these words in 2025, and though I did have some small problems with the book, I still enjoyed my read and would read more from Laura Spinney in the future.