The Premonition: A Pandemic Story
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- Create Date：2022-02-21 06:51:45
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Michael Lewis
- ISBN：0141996579
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Summary
A SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
'Superb 。。。 It is tremendous fun， tremendously told' Tom Whipple， The Times
'A fluid intellectual thriller' Daily Telegraph
From the global bestselling author of The Big Short， the gripping story of the maverick scientists who hunted down Covid-19
'It's a foreboding，' she said。 'A knowing that something is looming around the corner。 Like how when the seasons change you can smell Fall in the air right before the leaves change and the wind turns cold。'
In January 2020， as people started dying from a new virus in Wuhan， China， few really understood the magnitude of what was happening。 Except， that is， a small group of scientific misfits who in their different ways had been obsessed all their lives with how viruses spread and replicated - and with why the governments and the institutions that were supposed to look after us， kept making the same mistakes time and again。
This group saw what nobody else did。 A pandemic was coming。 We weren't prepared。
The Premonition is the extraordinary story of a group who anticipated， traced and hunted the coronavirus; who understood the need to think differently， to learn from history， to question everything; and to do all of this fast， in order to act， to save lives， communities， society itself。 It's a story about the workings of the human mind; about the failures and triumphs of human judgement and imagination。 It's the story of how we got to now。
'Lewis is a master of his form' Sunday Times
'Superb 。。。 It is tremendous fun， tremendously told' Tom Whipple， The Times
'A fluid intellectual thriller' Daily Telegraph
From the global bestselling author of The Big Short， the gripping story of the maverick scientists who hunted down Covid-19
'It's a foreboding，' she said。 'A knowing that something is looming around the corner。 Like how when the seasons change you can smell Fall in the air right before the leaves change and the wind turns cold。'
In January 2020， as people started dying from a new virus in Wuhan， China， few really understood the magnitude of what was happening。 Except， that is， a small group of scientific misfits who in their different ways had been obsessed all their lives with how viruses spread and replicated - and with why the governments and the institutions that were supposed to look after us， kept making the same mistakes time and again。
This group saw what nobody else did。 A pandemic was coming。 We weren't prepared。
The Premonition is the extraordinary story of a group who anticipated， traced and hunted the coronavirus; who understood the need to think differently， to learn from history， to question everything; and to do all of this fast， in order to act， to save lives， communities， society itself。 It's a story about the workings of the human mind; about the failures and triumphs of human judgement and imagination。 It's the story of how we got to now。
'Lewis is a master of his form' Sunday Times
Reviews
Rick
，
4。5 stars … I’ll make this very brief as there are so many more thoughtful reviews already written: • There are some really brilliant people/scientists in the world •。 Many of these brilliant people have little to no voice in helping shape or influence our public health care system • Some of these folks have the courage to speak out & take action， even though they place their careers & even their personal safety at risk by doing so。 • Our public health care system is very broken & at the center 4。5 stars … I’ll make this very brief as there are so many more thoughtful reviews already written: • There are some really brilliant people/scientists in the world •。 Many of these brilliant people have little to no voice in helping shape or influence our public health care system • Some of these folks have the courage to speak out & take action， even though they place their careers & even their personal safety at risk by doing so。 • Our public health care system is very broken & at the center of our ineptitude lies the CDC • The CDC is more interested in perception than action • Government is seriously broken， as if we already didn’t know that • Trump was a horrific President at so many levels， as if we already didn’t know that as well • There’s no money in preventing diseaseInteresting read … well worth the time。 Be prepared to get angry。 。。。more
Paul
，
When I moved to Tampa Bay， Florida in 2004， within 3 weeks we were to get hit by a hurricane: Hurricane Charley。 I recall going to the hardware store and buying plywood to board up the windows and watching the weather on local news around the clock。 Meanwhile， all my neighbors were not reacting in the least bit。 The neighbors on one side of us were in their 70's and they had all their pool supplies and chairs sitting out the morning the hurricane was to hit it us。 I went over to their home and o When I moved to Tampa Bay， Florida in 2004， within 3 weeks we were to get hit by a hurricane: Hurricane Charley。 I recall going to the hardware store and buying plywood to board up the windows and watching the weather on local news around the clock。 Meanwhile， all my neighbors were not reacting in the least bit。 The neighbors on one side of us were in their 70's and they had all their pool supplies and chairs sitting out the morning the hurricane was to hit it us。 I went over to their home and offered to help them out， but the response I got was: "We've been told this before and it won't hit here。" They turned out to be right; it took a sharp turn inland and destroyed Punta Gorda， FL instead。 What could have been。 Next time we had a hurricane threat， however， people all over （except us） boarded up and it wasn't even going to be a direct hit。This is the way I see things happened with COVID。 Even after all the details outlined thoroughly in this book regarding the 1918 Flu Pandemic that got President Bush freaked out and created a task force to come up with an emergency plan， there are plenty of signs prior to the Trump administration that point to no major precautions （or at least what was necessary to stop COVID） were going to happen。 When current President Biden ran for office， he was out of his mind to suggest that had he been President there would have been zero deaths （yes， he said this）。 The truth is， federal governments like ours tend to hope for the best and it takes small voices from the local governments to chain up and hopefully get to someone that can make a difference。 But time is of the essence and it was just too late。 Even Obama dodged a bullet going against the suggestions of the heroes in this book over Swine Flu （who was VP then？）。 But these small voices are who are profiled in this book and Lewis， as usual， makes them all heroes。 If someone ever wrote about my mundane life， I would want it to be Lewis as he finds the hero in everyone。 Ironically， it's the first two-thirds of this book that are most interesting where we learn all about the back story of the main characters。 You would THINK it would be about the COVID pandemic itself that would be the most riveting， but here things are hard to follow chronologically and just aren't that interesting。 Maybe because we already know the story。 And the book pretty much ends when everything goes south。 Those expecting a condemnation of Trump， who is rarely mentioned in the book， will be surprised the vitriol from the main characters is really directed more towards the CDC as being "the authority"。 。。。more
charlotte smith
，
My first Michael Lewis book but I’m hooked。 Such a fantastic write， reminded me of Robert Kolker。 After living through the pandemic for two years now it’s refreshing to hear stories of people who fought to get it handled from the beginning， though it’s definitely adds to disillusioned feelings of government and medical companies。
Melissa
，
One of the best books I've read so far！ One of the best books I've read so far！ 。。。more
Jimmy Rizos
，
I liked reading this book and getting a behind the scenes look at what was going during this recent crisis。 I was a little let down with how abrutly the story finished。
Carolyn Russett
，
for a non fiction book， i ranked this quite high。 I've read a lot of the reviews， both positive and not so much。 The bottom really is there was a lot of things wrong with how we as a country have been handling the pandemic。 This is an honest and frightening look at that。 The system makes me very afraid of how we are going to handle the next incident -- because I truly do believe there will be another and it will be much worse。 for a non fiction book， i ranked this quite high。 I've read a lot of the reviews， both positive and not so much。 The bottom really is there was a lot of things wrong with how we as a country have been handling the pandemic。 This is an honest and frightening look at that。 The system makes me very afraid of how we are going to handle the next incident -- because I truly do believe there will be another and it will be much worse。 。。。more
David Poole
，
"the total breakdown of the government's ability to be useful to its citizens" "the total breakdown of the government's ability to be useful to its citizens" 。。。more
Laura
，
Fascinating and full of information that pertains to pandemics， prediction models and the eventual leadup to the current COVID-19 pandemic。
Chuck McGrady
，
I never thought I'd experience a pandemic， and I never expected to see governments at all levels fail to protect their citizens。 I'm not sure who is to blame for our inadequate response， but it amazing on the one hand how quickly vaccines were developed and it is equally amazing how getting vaccinations became so controversial。 The CDC seemed particularly impotent， and the author certainly reforges that impression。 My concern was that the book might solely focus on the failings of Trump and his I never thought I'd experience a pandemic， and I never expected to see governments at all levels fail to protect their citizens。 I'm not sure who is to blame for our inadequate response， but it amazing on the one hand how quickly vaccines were developed and it is equally amazing how getting vaccinations became so controversial。 The CDC seemed particularly impotent， and the author certainly reforges that impression。 My concern was that the book might solely focus on the failings of Trump and his administration---and their are plenty of those---but the book is more broadly focused on the failures of the public health system and the work of a small group of medical professionals who were focused on stopping the disease。 。。。more
Oleg Marynchak
，
Just a collection of anecdotes relating to the US addressing the possible and actual pandemic。 I expected much more from Michael Lewis。
Carol Bedin
，
An extremely clear retelling of the years before the pandemic and how the dysfunction in public health caused our country’s colossal failure to prepare for or deal with it。
Jennifer
，
A must-read for any American。 The CDC comes off looking like the real fools， with the American public health system being losers in the eyes of the world。 Politics should stay out of medical care — and this has convinced me even more about the necessity of that point to have a chance of surviving the future。 Excellent writing — it read like a thriller instead of a non-fiction。
Suzie
，
Tragic and heartbreakingI came across two quotes while reading this book。 One from Malcolm Gladwell's podcast， "If you have power， what does it mean to use it wisely， and what are the consequences if you don't？" The other， a quote from Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility given to me from my puzzle a day calendar，“It isn't what we say or think that defines us， but what we do。” Both of these quotes could describe the essential concepts of the book and we are tragically living with the reality of o Tragic and heartbreakingI came across two quotes while reading this book。 One from Malcolm Gladwell's podcast， "If you have power， what does it mean to use it wisely， and what are the consequences if you don't？" The other， a quote from Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility given to me from my puzzle a day calendar，“It isn't what we say or think that defines us， but what we do。” Both of these quotes could describe the essential concepts of the book and we are tragically living with the reality of our reliance on a few people having the moral compass and courage to act for the good of others。 I fear we are running short of these individuals as they tire or die。 I'm saddened by the Covid recorded deaths of over 930K Americans， with the excessive deaths estimated to be well over 1 million。 Will enough of us realize our own powers to influence and to act， and how will we be measured by what we do next？ 。。。more
Daria
，
EnlighteningThis is a captivating book， written for easy absorption， about a pandemic with deep roots。Mr。 Lewis uncovered， for me at least， some very interesting individuals who are fighting daily， uphill battles， to make life/health for average people better。 My thanks go out to Mr。 Lewis and his cast of unrecognized heroes。 My hope is that we learn from past mistakes， make corrections where possible， and move productively forward。
Rebecca Glenn
，
Did enjoy this book though it was a little triggering to relive the governmental and public health failures of 2020， that we are still experiencing。 Hopeful that there are people out there who have the answers but discouraging systems are built to undermine， ignore or minimize。 Wish the book would have ended on a more “ok this is the problem but this is what we can do about it” more than starting a private sector business。 Great storytelling of hidden heroes
Maura
，
If you can tolerate reading about pandemics in the middle of the COVID pandemic， this is nonfiction that's totally gripping。 The appeal is in the collection of characters Lewis meets and interviews， all of them health care/public health or tech experts， and all of them incredibly smart， creative， brave thinkers。 This book is a love song to outside-the-box thinkers and those whose talents can cross industry lines。 No surprise that it shows several presidential administrations in poor light， to va If you can tolerate reading about pandemics in the middle of the COVID pandemic， this is nonfiction that's totally gripping。 The appeal is in the collection of characters Lewis meets and interviews， all of them health care/public health or tech experts， and all of them incredibly smart， creative， brave thinkers。 This book is a love song to outside-the-box thinkers and those whose talents can cross industry lines。 No surprise that it shows several presidential administrations in poor light， to varying degrees， and it also seriously undercuts the CDC's prestigious reputation。 The only down side as a narrative is that the book wraps up during the first year of our current pandemic in a less-than-satisfying moment for this crew of noble warriors。 It will be interesting to see what each of the people Lewis profiles will accomplish in the future。 If you love nonfiction that reads like a thriller， and/or fiction that can explain complex scientific ideas in simple ways， this is a great pick。 。。。more
Melissa Colby
，
Very interesting and informative。 At first， you feel like you are reading a sci-fi and then you realize we all lived the sci-fi。 He goes into great detail on the preparations for a pandemic the government took in the early 2000s as well as the first responses to the pandemic by government and health officials。 His conclusions/opinions are fairly evident- the government failed us and the CDC is a joke。 He is clearly a liberal even though all his conclusions are ultimately conservative- don't trus Very interesting and informative。 At first， you feel like you are reading a sci-fi and then you realize we all lived the sci-fi。 He goes into great detail on the preparations for a pandemic the government took in the early 2000s as well as the first responses to the pandemic by government and health officials。 His conclusions/opinions are fairly evident- the government failed us and the CDC is a joke。 He is clearly a liberal even though all his conclusions are ultimately conservative- don't trust the corrupt big government and the individual is better equipped to protect themselves without government aid。 I would love to read a epilogue to this book with 2021 in the picture。 。。。more
Nancy
，
3。5 stars。 This does not paint a pretty picture of the American government， especially the CDC and the trump administration。 Obviously， the pandemic story is still developing so the book seems to just end in the middle。
Melissa
，
I got about 1/4 of the way through before I had to put this book down。 There was a lot of "David vs。 Goliath" type set-up that I wasn't crazy about （from what I understand， this trope is fairly typical for this writer） and it felt like a lot of stuff lacked context。 Everything was SO focused on the U。S。 and at least the beginning could have used a broader perspective， I think。 I got about 1/4 of the way through before I had to put this book down。 There was a lot of "David vs。 Goliath" type set-up that I wasn't crazy about （from what I understand， this trope is fairly typical for this writer） and it felt like a lot of stuff lacked context。 Everything was SO focused on the U。S。 and at least the beginning could have used a broader perspective， I think。 。。。more
Amy
，
Excellent fascinating book about how US did and didn’t prepare for Covid-19。 Written beautifully！
Karen F （Boston， MA area， US）
，
Rx: Read it。
Kiana Caranto
，
Anyone who cares about the pandemic or is interested at all in how COVID-19 works must read this！！！
Gerard Parnacott
，
Michael Lewis is a phenomenal writer as well as a top-notch podcaster （check out his seasons of Against the Rules）。 This book filled me with hope and admiration for the people who saw the pandemic coming， had mapped out the best response years in advance， and showed the courage to proceed in spite of long odds and political roadblocks。 Simultaneously， this book filled me with horror at the sheer ineptitude of our political systems at all levels。 If you really want to know what went on behind the Michael Lewis is a phenomenal writer as well as a top-notch podcaster （check out his seasons of Against the Rules）。 This book filled me with hope and admiration for the people who saw the pandemic coming， had mapped out the best response years in advance， and showed the courage to proceed in spite of long odds and political roadblocks。 Simultaneously， this book filled me with horror at the sheer ineptitude of our political systems at all levels。 If you really want to know what went on behind the COVID curtain， read this book！ 。。。more
Suresh
，
Through engaging stories and looking through the eyes of amazing people like Ms Dean， Michael Lewis has done a great job of weaving together a compelling story of the Pandemic response。 It's incredible that a secret group of seven are looking at the pandemic response rather than venerated institutions like the CDC。 Through engaging stories and looking through the eyes of amazing people like Ms Dean， Michael Lewis has done a great job of weaving together a compelling story of the Pandemic response。 It's incredible that a secret group of seven are looking at the pandemic response rather than venerated institutions like the CDC。 。。。more
Uzma
，
It read like an action thriller but one character out of them all annoyed the shit out of me。 I'll let you guess which one。 What I hated was that they made one of the minor political healthcare official sound like she was a diversity hire all while largely ignoring the part the federal administration played in tying the hands of every official and being one massive obstacle to anyone attempting to even do the right thing。 The spotlight in the book was also on the wrong person in the entire story It read like an action thriller but one character out of them all annoyed the shit out of me。 I'll let you guess which one。 What I hated was that they made one of the minor political healthcare official sound like she was a diversity hire all while largely ignoring the part the federal administration played in tying the hands of every official and being one massive obstacle to anyone attempting to even do the right thing。 The spotlight in the book was also on the wrong person in the entire story。。。 At the end of it all the build up fell flat when at the most intense moment， the character reacted in such an anticlimactic manner。 Don't know if it's just my perception of this book but it seemed very biased。 If this book was meant to be uplifting， it didn't do its job。 If it wanted to serve as a warning for the future， it didn't do its job。 If it wanted to shed light on everything that went wrong with this pandemic， again， it failed to do its job。 If it wanted to serve as a reminder for the future to pay attention to the scientists， it did do some of that job but through out focused solely on how siloed the work environment is for health care and technology individuals and focused on only one small county instead of highlighting the many many many people around the country fighting the good fight。 I understand it was for the sake of story telling but I think it fell short and painted heroes out of a few and didn't uphold the many。The writing was quite decent but it was distinctly in two parts。 Most of it was coherent and the second part was far more interesting than the previous， however， it was definitely disjointed and disconnected。 The setup of the initial characters was annoying at best and the book ended quite abruptly。 I was left wondering what the whole point of the book was。 。。。more
Barbara Q
，
The head of the CDC is now a political appointee rather than a person who has political neutrality， intelligence， a respected career in the sciences and the courage to make hard decisions in a timely matter。 So now the director if the CDC can be fired by his/her President and easily replaced when a new President is elected。 I am supremely grateful Dr。 Fauci is not the director of the CDC。 That was one take-away from this book…how cautious and ineffective the CDC had become when COVID-19 arrived The head of the CDC is now a political appointee rather than a person who has political neutrality， intelligence， a respected career in the sciences and the courage to make hard decisions in a timely matter。 So now the director if the CDC can be fired by his/her President and easily replaced when a new President is elected。 I am supremely grateful Dr。 Fauci is not the director of the CDC。 That was one take-away from this book…how cautious and ineffective the CDC had become when COVID-19 arrived in the US。 One of the scientists profiled in this book states that the CDC should be called Center for Observation and Reporting rather than Center for Disease Control。 。。。more
Ellen
，
Living through this most recent pandemic leaves a person with many questions as to why so many mistakes were made during the first months of COVID。 This provides an excellent background and stimulates one's thoughts。 Living through this most recent pandemic leaves a person with many questions as to why so many mistakes were made during the first months of COVID。 This provides an excellent background and stimulates one's thoughts。 。。。more
Ross
，
I have enjoyed every Michael Lewis book and， like the others， this was a fast and enjoyable read。 The trouble for me was the topic。 For some reason I can read about the guys who saw the global recession coming and find it fascinating， but reading about people who anticipated the need for masking and social distancing measures was…well， depressing…as it just further piled on my pandemic fatigue
Toni Elliott
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Written by Michael Lewis of Moneyball Fame， Premonition is crafted to piece together the history of the pandemic and the people behind the scenes trying to stop it before it gets out of control。 The characters （real people！） are likeable and convincing。 My husband and I Loved this book！
Katherine Li
，