On the other hand, I recently finished "The Great Influenza" by John M Barry to help understand the time we are in. The book is thoroughly researched. It was an easy read albeit a tough topic. I was glad to have reached the end sooner than I thought. According to Kindle, 35% of the pages were notes, bibliography, etc.
Two key quotes from the book to share:
"And a severe influenza pandemic would hit like a tsunami, inundating intensive-care units even as doctors and nurses fall ill themselves and generally pushing the health care system to the point of collapse and possibly beyond it. Hospitals, like every other industry, have gotten more efficient by cutting costs, which means virtually no excess capacity—on a per capita basis the United States has far fewer hospital beds than a few decades ago. Indeed, during a routine influenza season, usage of respirators rises to nearly 100 percent; in a pandemic, most people who needed a mechanical respirator probably would not get one."
"For if there is a single dominant lesson from 1918, it’s that governments need to tell the truth in a crisis. Risk communication implies managing the truth. You don’t manage the truth. You tell the truth."
So having read that, I needed to escape. I turned to listen to a podcast and Neil Pasricha's 3 Books came up in the queue. This episode was released a couple of weeks ago and while I am close to current, I am still behind. This episode was an emotional one because it acknowledges where we are, how we are dealing with this pandemic.It was timely to listen to.
"Look up to the sky.
It’s a slowly waning crescent before Chapter 52 arrives on the exact minute of the new moon next week.
So why this special episode of 3 Books?
Well, like the “cultivating calm during coronavirus chaos” episode we released a month ago, it’s because we are swimming in wholly unprecedented seas. I am feeling stress around coronavirus and I can tell by your DMs, tweets, comments, and voicemails to 1-833-READ-A-LOT that you're feeling it, too."
Episode page https://www.3books.co/chapters/corona2
This as you heard, is not a 'normal' session of 3 books. I will recommend subscribing to the podcast. You can go back to the beginning and come forward if you have the time and desire. So many of the people he talks with are not 'well known', yet the conversation is an adventure into books, and life, and what those three books mean for the person being interviewed.
Neil's home page https://www.3books.co/
"The Great Influenza" page at Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Great-Influenza-Deadliest-Pandemic-History-ebook/dp/B000OCXFWE
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| Podcast Recommendation: Neil Pasricha's 3 Books |
