Free Outbreak! Plagues That Changed History Ebooks Online
“An engrossing introduction for young adult readers to the chillingly topical subject of man vs. microbe.” —The Wall Street Journal Did the Black Death destroy medieval Europe? Did cholera pave the way for modern Manhattan? Did yellow fever help end the slave trade? Remarkably, the answer to all of these questions is yes. Time and again, diseases have impacted the course of human history in surprisingly powerful ways. From influenza to smallpox, from tuberculosis to yellow fever, Bryn Barnard describes the symptoms and paths of the world’s worst diseases—and how the epidemics they spawned have changed history forever. Filled with fascinating, often gory details about disease and history, Outbreak! is a wonderful combination of science and history.From the Hardcover edition.
Lexile Measure: 1080 (What's this?)
Paperback: 48 pages
Publisher: Dragonfly Books (August 4, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0553522221
ISBN-13: 978-0553522228
Product Dimensions: 9 x 0.2 x 12 inches
Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #167,647 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #11 in Books > Children's Books > Geography & Cultures > Cultural Studies > Sociology #114 in Books > Children's Books > Education & Reference > Science Studies > Anatomy & Physiology #1225 in Books > Children's Books > Education & Reference > History
Age Range: 8 - 12 years
Grade Level: 3 - 7
The authors gives an overview of the biology and spread of different plagues through history. The book is well written and although I fault the author for not citing material throughout the text, he does provide references at the end -- however, it would be hard for the novice (at whom the book is targeted) to find the resources to probe further. The book is written in accessible english (8th grade level perhaps?) and there are, as several other reviewers note, commentary on the socio-political aspects of disease, sanitation, poverty, etc. From my perspective, most of it is accurate, but the lack of in-text citations makes it harder for people to explore his source material to confirm his material, and it thus comes off as opinion.
First, this is not a children's book. The concepts of pathogens is explained simply but the language, syntax, and concepts are for adult readers. It will take about thirty minutes to read but it may put the the reader on a quest for more information from the several interesting directions this small book discusses.From an historical viewpoint, diseases have been the agents of extreme social change. Those changes are discussed in short form in this book with enough detail to make the inquiring reader want to pursue information in greater depth. The section in the back of the book with suggestions for further reading are older, but it's still a good list to get you started. Your local library will have a more updated selection.I recommend this book for anyone looking for a good, quick, down and dirty overview of the process epidemic diseases take to change how society functions, anyone interested in how our healthcare system came to be and the forces behind it, or just your average inquiring mind. But do read it - it's a half hour that will change the way you think about the unseen world of germs, bacteria and viruses and how they could STILL decimate today's world.
I use this book as a way to bring more reading into my science classroom per the new Common Core Standards. It is interesting enough for my 7th graders, but provides enough challenging language to provide discussion. It connects what they are learning in history to a surprising amount of what we learn about in life science. Great illustrations too.
In this interesting book, author Bryn Barnard looks at six diseases that changed history – the Black Death, smallpox (in its effects on the New World), yellow fever, cholera, tuberculosis, and the Spanish Flu of 1918. Each disease is given its own chapter, where its history, causes and effects are all discussed in depth.Now, it is true that the author does allow his political biases to intrude in the narrative – for example condemning British use of smallpox as a weapon, while merely glossing over the Mongol use of bubonic plague as a weapon, or holding up the Cuban health system as a model for future emulation. But, I do not think that it detracted too much from the overall excellent job that the author did in covering the diseases.Now, it must be said that the book should be subtitled “Plagues that changed modern history,” as even the author admits that such pre-modern plagues as Justinian’s Plague of A.D. 542 and the 430 B.C. Plague of Athens changed history. But, that said, I did find this to be a very interesting read, one that is sure to please any reader interested in the history of disease.
This is an exciting and scientificaly accurate description of how the interaction of humans, culture and microbes have changed the world and the course of history through the centuries. It begins with the story of the Black Death (plauge) and brings us up to where the world is now poised on the brink of another flu epidemic like the Spanish flu of 1918. The writing is direct and imaginative with clear relationships established between various illnesses and there affects on human societes. I recommend this to anyone interested in current or past world events. And shouldn't that be all of us?
Yup... we're all surrounded by germs, bacteria, microbes... inside and out, our bodies are forever in battle with these bad boys/girls. Interesting read about the numerous aspects of the viruses/bacteria we interact with. The end results, we will NEVER be free of these microscopic assassins!
My son found this book in his school library and loved it so much I gave it as a Christmas gift. It is unique for its blending of history and science. Well written and illustrated - it will at least get your kids to wash their hands regularly!
Well written page turner that connects the historical dots - interweaving classic outbreaks of disease with historical world events across the human timeline. Very interesting perspective, and not at all dry or pedantic.
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