Get Well Soon: History's Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them by Jennifer Wright

I enjoyed listening to Get Well Soon: History's Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them by Jennifer Wright and narrated by Gabra Zackman.

Listening time for Get Well Soon: History's Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them by Jennifer Wright is 7 hours, 44 minutes.

I had Get Well Soon: History's Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them by Jennifer Wright on my reading wishlist for quite a while and I am so happy that I finally listened to this nonfiction book. 

I thoroughly enjoyed Jennifer Wright's writing style! She broke down each chapter into bite sized chunks containing a specific plague without getting too gory/graphic... I didn't want to have nightmares for weeks after listening to this book about plagues!! And the author is humorous - if that's even possible when it comes to the serious topic of plagues.... Don't worry, the author is respectful to the subject matter, but she had me cracking up in parts of her book. Also, the narrator, Gabra Zackman, does an excellent job of narrating this book, which helped make this book an even more wonderful listen if that was possible. I loved that the author not only discusses each plague and how it effected society, but also puts a positive twist on the situation by highlighting the heroes that fought each plague.

The only very minor complaint I had about this book is that there is an entire chapter devoted to the lobotomy. A lobotomy is NOT a plague. It's a medical procedure!! Yes, the lobotomy is an important topic in medical history that needs to be discussed and addressed. The irreversible damage done to patients by this medical procedure is horrific... There's no doubt about that. I simply wish that the author had kept her entire book focused on the topic/theme of various diseases throughout human history. 

The following is the publisher's summary for Get Well Soon: History's Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them by Jennifer Wright from Audible:

A witty, irreverent tour of history's worst plagues - from the Antonine Plague, to leprosy, to polio - and a celebration of the heroes who fought them.

In 1518, in a small town in Alsace, Frau Troffea began dancing and didn't stop. She danced until she was carried away six days later, and soon 34 more villagers joined her. Then more. In a month more than 400 people had been stricken by the mysterious dancing plague. In late-19th-century England an eccentric gentleman founded the No Nose Club in his gracious townhome - a social club for those who had lost their noses, and other body parts, to the plague of syphilis for which there was then no cure. And in turn-of-the-century New York, an Irish cook caused two lethal outbreaks of typhoid fever, a case that transformed her into the notorious Typhoid Mary.

Throughout time, humans have been terrified and fascinated by the diseases history and circumstance have dropped on them. Some of their responses to those outbreaks are almost too strange to believe in hindsight. Get Well Soon delivers the gruesome, morbid details of some of the worst plagues we've suffered as a species, as well as stories of the heroic figures who selflessly fought to ease the suffering of their fellow man. With her signature mix of in-depth research and storytelling, and not a little dark humor, Jennifer Wright explores history's most gripping and deadly outbreaks, and ultimately looks at the surprising ways they've shaped history and humanity for almost as long as anyone can remember.

 I am giving Get Well Soon: History's Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them by Jennifer Wright a rating of 5 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!