{"id":4201,"date":"2006-01-16T16:30:21","date_gmt":"2006-01-16T21:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/?p=4201"},"modified":"2015-05-20T07:50:22","modified_gmt":"2015-05-20T11:50:22","slug":"the-1918-influenza-epidemic-millions-dead-whatever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/?p=4201","title":{"rendered":"The 1918 Influenza Epidemic. Millions Dead. Whatever."},"content":{"rendered":"

I have been reading The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History<\/a>\"\"<\/i> since basically mid-1977. At least it feels that way. The epidemic in 1918 is something that has always interested me – and the book began as research for another project I had been working on. I needed to know what it was like during the influenza epidemic. Well. I had no idea how MUCH of a good thing this book would be. The book is 350 pages and it feels like it is an 8-volume manifesto. It’s interesting, don’t get me wrong … the best parts are the parts about the virus itself, and how the virus worked. I like all the scientists, too – racing to try to handle the 1918 epidemic.<\/p>\n

But the book PLODS. Why so long? Why is it taking me so long to finish the damn thing? I can’t quite put my finger on it. There’s too much extraneous stuff included. I’m 200 pages in, and we’re still only in September 1918. The epidemic hasn’t even peaked yet. I’m actually IMPATIENT by that. I think: “Come on, let’s get to the death. Let’s get to the mass graves. Come on now. Wrap it up, wrap it up.”<\/p>\n

I’m now at the point where literally my response to the whole book is: “Yeah. Okay. I GOT it. Millions dead. Whatever. I GOT IT. So????”<\/p>\n

But I’ll be damned if I’m gonna put it down now. I’ve already invested so much time in the damn thing.<\/p>\n

I’m also reading Annie Proulx’s 2 collections of Wyoming short stories now as well. I need to counter the boring stupid epidemic (millions dead. Whatever) with some fantastic prose, and great stories.<\/p>\n

1918 influenza epidemic. What a big yawn.<\/p>\n

\n