The Plague Year: America in the Time of Covid
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- Create Date：2021-06-20 06:51:33
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Lawrence Wright
- ISBN：0593320727
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Summary
From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Looming Tower， whose best-selling thriller The End of the October all but predicted our current pandemic， comes another momentous account， this time of COVID-19: its origins， its myriad repercussions， and the ongoing fight to contain it
Beginning with the absolutely critical first moments of the outbreak in China， and ending with an epilogue on the vaccine rollout and the unprecedented events between the election of Joseph Biden and his inauguration， Lawrence Wright's The Plague Year surges forward with essential information--and fascinating historical parallels--examining the medical， economic， political， and social ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic。
Wright takes us inside the CDC， where the first round of faulty test kits cost America precious time; inside the halls of the White House， where Deputy National Security Advisor Matthew Pottinger's early alarm about the virus was met with great skepticism; into a COVID ward in a Charlottesville hospital， with an idealistic young woman doctor from Little Africa， South Carolina; into the precincts of prediction specialists at Goldman Sachs; and even inside the human body， diving deep into the science of just how the virus and vaccines function， with an eye-opening detour into the history of vaccination and of the modern anti-vaxxer movement。
In turns steely eyed， sympathetic， infuriated， comical， and always precise， Wright is a formidable guide， slicing through the dense fog of misinformation to give us a 360-degree portrait of the catastrophe we thought we knew。 His full accounting does honor to the medical professionals around the country who've risked their lives to fight the virus， revealing America in all its vulnerability， courage， and potential。
Beginning with the absolutely critical first moments of the outbreak in China， and ending with an epilogue on the vaccine rollout and the unprecedented events between the election of Joseph Biden and his inauguration， Lawrence Wright's The Plague Year surges forward with essential information--and fascinating historical parallels--examining the medical， economic， political， and social ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic。
Wright takes us inside the CDC， where the first round of faulty test kits cost America precious time; inside the halls of the White House， where Deputy National Security Advisor Matthew Pottinger's early alarm about the virus was met with great skepticism; into a COVID ward in a Charlottesville hospital， with an idealistic young woman doctor from Little Africa， South Carolina; into the precincts of prediction specialists at Goldman Sachs; and even inside the human body， diving deep into the science of just how the virus and vaccines function， with an eye-opening detour into the history of vaccination and of the modern anti-vaxxer movement。
In turns steely eyed， sympathetic， infuriated， comical， and always precise， Wright is a formidable guide， slicing through the dense fog of misinformation to give us a 360-degree portrait of the catastrophe we thought we knew。 His full accounting does honor to the medical professionals around the country who've risked their lives to fight the virus， revealing America in all its vulnerability， courage， and potential。
Reviews
Muriel Benedict
，
I found this a difficult read。 There’s a lot of detail here about the possible origins of the virus and the excruciatingly slow response of the US on every level。 He also covers all the social and political upheavals of 2020 which are an important part of the story。 Somehow though everything seems diluted and I was looking for a bit more of a deep dive into what we’ve all just lived through。 Still some important background here and worth reading。 Definitely changed my view of Deborah Birx - for I found this a difficult read。 There’s a lot of detail here about the possible origins of the virus and the excruciatingly slow response of the US on every level。 He also covers all the social and political upheavals of 2020 which are an important part of the story。 Somehow though everything seems diluted and I was looking for a bit more of a deep dive into what we’ve all just lived through。 Still some important background here and worth reading。 Definitely changed my view of Deborah Birx - for the better。 。。。more
Mike Green
，
Wow 2 fictional books about pandemics in one year！ WHO/DNC approved and authorized！ Typically a fan of Wrights work but TDS has gotten to him。
La Crosse County Library
，
"The figure that will haunt America is that the U。S。 accounts for about 20 percent of all the COVID fatalities in the world， despite only having 4 percent of the population。" --Lawrence Wright， p。 241Author and journalist Lawrence Wright's latest book， The Plague Year: America in the Time of COVID （2021） is a comprehensive account of America's pandemic experience through 2020 and early January 2021。 Undoubtedly， it will be one of the many COVID-19 books to follow， but The Plague Year stands "The figure that will haunt America is that the U。S。 accounts for about 20 percent of all the COVID fatalities in the world， despite only having 4 percent of the population。" --Lawrence Wright， p。 241Author and journalist Lawrence Wright's latest book， The Plague Year: America in the Time of COVID （2021） is a comprehensive account of America's pandemic experience through 2020 and early January 2021。 Undoubtedly， it will be one of the many COVID-19 books to follow， but The Plague Year stands out with early COVID histories in its thoroughness。While Michael Lewis's The Premonition: A Pandemic Story （2021） largely focused on those figures working against COVID-19 on the fringes of the economic， health， and political institutions of the country， The Plague Year gives us more of an insider's perspective of the pandemic， that of a government that knew the dangers of the novel coronavirus outbreak early on but was unable or unwilling to act until COVID-19 was beyond containment。 "COVID-19 has deeply affected nearly every part of American society， including politics， race， science， the economy， and the culture at large，" Wright observes at the conclusion of The Plague Year （p。 272）。 As Wright took readers on a journey through 2020， how COVID seemed to reveal the many inequalities present in American society， such as the disproportionate amount of COVID deaths among the communities of people of color， the protests and political rallies that further spread COVID around the country。 The overwhelming sense that the virus was tearing everything apart， which seemed to abate when a new president was inaugurated after the 1/6 attack on the Capitol， that new vaccines for COVID would be administered for the larger population beginning in January。 A potential light at the end of the tunnel， or at least a welcomed light within it to help us orient ourselves。I appreciated Wright's clear-eyed view of 2020， a year which to many may be remembered largely as a blur of anger， anxiety， fear， and death。 Likewise， I am thankful for the cautious optimism expressed in the epilogue， that of Americans getting access to effective vaccines even as many parts of the world are ravaged by deadlier and highly contagious variants of COVID-19。But overwhelmingly， I finished The Plague Year thankful for Wright's calm and clear-eyed presentation of the facts surrounding the first year of the COVID pandemic for historians， scientists， and the lay reader alike。 For bearing witness alongside all of us and for history。At the risk of sounding cliché， the next chapter of the COVID-19 pandemic has yet to be written。 Let's make it better than the first。Until next time， stay safe， get vaccinated， and wash your hands！-CoraFind this book and other titles within our catalog。 See also:Living History: Holmen Eighth Grade Students Respond to 2020 （2021） by Holmen Middle School Eighth Grade Students， published with help by the Holmen Area Historical SocietyThe Premonition: A Pandemic Story （2021） by Michael LewisThe End of October （2020） by Lawrence Wright 。。。more
Brian
，
There will doubtless be many histories written about the COVID-19 pandemic。 Some academic and dry and some popular and narrative-driven。 The first two of the latter variety are written by excellent authors: Michael Lewis with The Premonition and this book by Lawrence Wright。 Wright writes in a rueful tone about the missed opportunities， lack of national leadership， and disinformation campaigns。 He heaps the most scorn on former president Trump， and his behind-the-scenes reporting of the White Ho There will doubtless be many histories written about the COVID-19 pandemic。 Some academic and dry and some popular and narrative-driven。 The first two of the latter variety are written by excellent authors: Michael Lewis with The Premonition and this book by Lawrence Wright。 Wright writes in a rueful tone about the missed opportunities， lack of national leadership， and disinformation campaigns。 He heaps the most scorn on former president Trump， and his behind-the-scenes reporting of the White House and Coronavirus Task Force is fascinating。 I took away a star for meandering chapters and occasionally woke social commentary， but don’t let that deter you from this fine book。 We’ll be reading and referring to it for years。 。。。more
Paul
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Some interesting info on how the US response to Covid developed。
Renee （itsbooktalk）
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3。5。。。。review coming soon
Kathleen
，
Wright has written a wide-ranging overview of our COVID pandemic year。 He includes the ‘tic-toc’ of cases from Wuhan to the rest of the world， including the United States。 He covers the science as to how the virus attacks humans and how prior research of coronaviruses allowed the rapid development of an effective vaccine。 Why did the United States respond so poorly to the pandemic when it should have responded the best？ Wright discusses the politics of America’s pandemic response at the White Ho Wright has written a wide-ranging overview of our COVID pandemic year。 He includes the ‘tic-toc’ of cases from Wuhan to the rest of the world， including the United States。 He covers the science as to how the virus attacks humans and how prior research of coronaviruses allowed the rapid development of an effective vaccine。 Why did the United States respond so poorly to the pandemic when it should have responded the best？ Wright discusses the politics of America’s pandemic response at the White House， the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention， and the National Institutes of Health。 How did mask-wearing become so politicized？While Wright includes an abundance of statistical information， he does not forget the fact that there is a personal story behind each of the 600，000+ COVID deaths recorded so far。 Despite my being an avid reader of COVID-related news， Wright managed to include data and perspectives I was totally unaware of。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
Anne
，
“Science is a process of learning from mistakes…”This book is a dissection of the discoveries， actions， non-actions and mistakes taking place as the facts of Covid were being learned。 Often stymied by decisions made at the highest levels， this country stumbled on multiple occasions compounding the effect of the virus on the population。 With this book Wright has delivered a post-mortem on the crisis。The book goes far beyond covid and even outside the boundaries of 2020 to cover topics like the Tu “Science is a process of learning from mistakes…”This book is a dissection of the discoveries， actions， non-actions and mistakes taking place as the facts of Covid were being learned。 Often stymied by decisions made at the highest levels， this country stumbled on multiple occasions compounding the effect of the virus on the population。 With this book Wright has delivered a post-mortem on the crisis。The book goes far beyond covid and even outside the boundaries of 2020 to cover topics like the Tulsa Massacre， HIV/AIDS and other somewhat related topics。 It was interesting material just a little beyond the description in the title。 。。。more
Jill Mackin
，
Lawrence Wright delivers a comprehensive account of the first year of the pandemic。 An excellent account by an excellent journalist/author。
Ray
，
Having lived through， and still living through the COVID-19 pandemic， I didn't expect to need much of a refresher on the origin and the spread of the virus across the U。S。 and other nations。 But Lawrence Wright proved me wrong， and his book "The Plague Year" reminded me of things about COVID-19 which I'd forgotten， and taught me a few things I didn't know about the virus。 In this second year of the pandemic， as the rate of infections and deaths begin to ebb， Wright reminds us of the early unkno Having lived through， and still living through the COVID-19 pandemic， I didn't expect to need much of a refresher on the origin and the spread of the virus across the U。S。 and other nations。 But Lawrence Wright proved me wrong， and his book "The Plague Year" reminded me of things about COVID-19 which I'd forgotten， and taught me a few things I didn't know about the virus。 In this second year of the pandemic， as the rate of infections and deaths begin to ebb， Wright reminds us of the early unknowns associated with the disease， the fears we dealt with， the lack of needed equipment， the uncertainty of treatment methods， and the lack of hospital beds early on。 One part which mentions and bears repeating is the unselfish heroism of the first line medical teams dealing with the initial surge of patients。 Often lacking protective equipment during the initial phase of the pandemic， medical personnel continued to treat patients to the best of their ability， stayed at their posts to the point of exhaustion， and unfortunately， several thousand health care workers lost their lives during the process。 Wright praises those who did well， like so many health care workers， but doesn't hold back in his criticism of those individuals， agencies， leaders， and Countries whose lapses allowed the virus to spread as much as it did。 That would include the Chinese， the President， and individuals who refused to follow the medical guidance。 So be prepared for some political / ideological commentary by the author as well。 。。。more
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，
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Ownbymom Ownby
，
4。5 I've never read anything by Lawrence Wright that I didn't enjoy。 And， I've read quite a few of his books。 4。5 I've never read anything by Lawrence Wright that I didn't enjoy。 And， I've read quite a few of his books。 。。。more
Christine
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Masterful writing！
Robert P。 Hoffman
，
A well written account of the origins of the pandemic and how the health establishment and the political leaders responded to the pandemic。 While there is not a whole lot here that hasn't been written about in other places （although the writer writes so well about the events）， it is good to be reminded of how fragile our health care system is， how much research helped in the development of the vaccines， and how utterly and completely incompetent the Trump administration was。 They were criminally A well written account of the origins of the pandemic and how the health establishment and the political leaders responded to the pandemic。 While there is not a whole lot here that hasn't been written about in other places （although the writer writes so well about the events）， it is good to be reminded of how fragile our health care system is， how much research helped in the development of the vaccines， and how utterly and completely incompetent the Trump administration was。 They were criminally negligent。 Just go through some of the stories and see how they failed to take into account the scientific evidence and pursued policies that resulted in deaths that could have been avoided。 Just one example: researchers realized that asymptomatic people could transmit the virus which meant that it would be too late to deal with people once they showed symptoms。 In areas where masks were mandated the transmission rates went way down （in Vietnam and Taiwan masks were mandated early on and both countries had low rates of infections）。 Once that was known the scientists around Trump began to change their perspective on masks but not Trump and Fox News which continued to attack the wearing of masks， opposed mandates， mocked people who wore masks and sent out an email saying that for an upcoming meeting of the White House virus task force， masks would not be permitted。Wright also does a good job of showing the devastating toll the virus took on people and how awful it was for people in hospitals and nursing homes who died without being given sufficient care and were not treated with dignity。 。。。more
Ang
，
I don't know that I personally learned anything from this book， given how much reading I've done in the past year about COVID。 Wait， I take that back， I did learn more about the search for the origins for COVID that I haven't paid much attention to。And then， of course， there are the personal stories in the book that really make it so engrossing。 It's a good chronicle of what the year has been， without going too deep in the weeds。 I don't know that I personally learned anything from this book， given how much reading I've done in the past year about COVID。 Wait， I take that back， I did learn more about the search for the origins for COVID that I haven't paid much attention to。And then， of course， there are the personal stories in the book that really make it so engrossing。 It's a good chronicle of what the year has been， without going too deep in the weeds。 。。。more
Michael Asen
，
My ONLY complaint is this book could have been twice as long and it left me wanting more。 I cannot imagine anyone synthesizing the events of the year 2020 any better than Wright has done here。 This is non-fiction at it's best。 It goes back and forth between talking of people we know（Birx， Fauci，Pottinger， Trump） and people we do not but who either played a large role in fighting the pandemic or were deeply affected by it。 If you havent read Wright before he is the modern day Halberstam。 Hard boo My ONLY complaint is this book could have been twice as long and it left me wanting more。 I cannot imagine anyone synthesizing the events of the year 2020 any better than Wright has done here。 This is non-fiction at it's best。 It goes back and forth between talking of people we know（Birx， Fauci，Pottinger， Trump） and people we do not but who either played a large role in fighting the pandemic or were deeply affected by it。 If you havent read Wright before he is the modern day Halberstam。 Hard book toput down。 。。。more
Jo Middlesworth
，
History as we lived itI have been waiting for this book for weeks and it is everything I hoped for。 A review of familiar events but with a good deal more of the backstory。 There was an interesting digression to the Tulsa Massacre that was fascinating and well worth the side trip too。
Clif Hostetler
，
A very good collection of excerpts & comments about this book:https://www。goodreads。com/notes/56894。。。 A very good collection of excerpts & comments about this book:https://www。goodreads。com/notes/56894。。。 。。。more
Johnett
，
Very well done。 Made me swear out loud at times。 🤬
Nona Scott
，