Very, Very, Very Dreadful

Very, Very, Very Dreadful

YA/adult nonfiction
"As in Daniel Defoe's England, Philadelphia had so called death
wagons. A survivor recalled, 'An open truck came through the
neighborhoods and picked up the bodies.' Families took this hard, very
hard. 'It was just too much to bear, having to put your loved one on
the street for a truck to haul them away,' said Harriet Ferrell. In
normal times, residents put their trash barrels on the curb for
sanitation workers to pick up."
People dying in such numbers corpses were collected in trucks
like trash? 1918 was anything but normal times. Overseas doughboys
(soldiers) were fighting a war that was hoped to be the last, a
conflict that was more ghastly than any previous one due to the use of
new weapons like mustard gas. And as if that wasn't bad enough,
around the world, civilians and combatants alike were preyed upon by
a virus unlike any ever before seen, a flu that claimed healthy young
adults as well as babies and older people. You'll learn about the two
events and their intimate linkage in Albert Marrin's Very, Very, Very
Dreadful.
Marrin is a master of YA nonfiction. He paints the scenes of
battlefields, beseiged cities, and overwhelmed hospitals vividly--
sometimes too vividly. He gives the back story, showing that, despite
amazing medical advances in preceding decades, doctors had no clue
what a virus was and were helpless in the face of the pandemic. He
narrates the fascinating modern day quest to unravel the DNA of the
1918 flu strain so we can spot red flags in modern mutations.
Flu is nothing to sneeze at. Even in much more routine years
than 1918 it's a big time killer. The virus is a master of mutation,
so you need a shot every year. Even if you are as strong and healthy
as UMaine Black Bear athletes, you may have more vulnerable family
members or friends. When autumn rolls around get that important
shot. Then reward yourself with ice cream. I've found that when I
take this precaution I never have an adverse reaction. ;-)
On a purrrsonal note, before I'd even changed out of my pajamas my one
obligation for today cancelled. So I declared it a Joey day. I
stayed to home writing, cleaning, and cat cuddling. It was finally
warm enough for me to open a window and put a screen in. Didn't that
fresh air perk Joey up! I suspect it will boost his appetite too. He
is having a good day, which fills my heart with joy.
A great big shout out goes out to the best little cat in the world.
jules hathaway


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