An American Plague

An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793. by Jim Murphy. 2003. 165p. New York: Clarion Books. 

Genre: non-fiction

Honors and Awards: Newbery Honor, 2004; Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award, 2004; National Book Award Finalist Medal;  Orbis Pictus Award; An ALA Notable Children’s Book; A YALSA Best Book for Young Adults; A SLJ Best Book of the Year; Blue Ribbon, Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books; An Editor’s Choice, Kirkus Reviews

Review: 
Murphy weaves a taut and suspenseful tale of Philadelphia's yellow fever epidemic of 1793, tying in historical, political, religious, social and medical perspectives on how the city dealt with the terrible disease (which was not particularly well, in most cases). Philadelphia, then capital of the nascent country and seat of its government, was devastated by the disease; over 4,000 residents perished and 20,000 fled the city during the months that fever raged within the city. Murphy does a wonderful job of building the setting and pacing the action. The last chapters discuss the medical discoveries concerning yellow fever that were made in the 19th and 20th centuries, and the book ends with a grim warning of the potential for a modern day yellow fever epidemic because there is yet no cure for the disease.

Opinion: 
An excellent addition to curriculum and lessons on the epidemic of 1793, An American Plague, is comprehensive, well-written and intriguing, yet the rather academic writing style may deter some younger or less confident readers.

Ideas: 
Pair this book with Laurie Halse Anderson's historical fiction novel Fever 1973 for an in depth unit of instruction.