The Premonition: A Pandemic Story by Michael Lewis
Non-Fiction suggested by Barbara
from Amazon – A true thriller that pits a band of medical visionaries against the wall of ignorance that was the official response of the Trump administration to the outbreak of COVID-19. The President insisted there was nothing to worry about.
from an Amazon reviewer – This is a book that tells the true stories of a few different people that all have one thing in in common: their considerable knowledge about infectious diseases. The author describes events in each person’s life, and their history with the study of how infections can spread. You get to learn about each of their different personalities, what motivates them, and how their experiences and responsibilities over the course of their careers contributed to their expertise in the field of infectious disease research.
As the chapters switch between telling the different stories of these brilliant and determined people, you begin to see how they were each in positions to be uniquely prepared to understand what to do in the event of a global pandemic. It is remarkable to hear these stories of some of the most qualified people in the field, and how their advice and warnings were often ignored, even when they had so much experience with plans for preventing the spread of infections.This book was both inspiring and disheartening. It is comforting to know that there are people that are so passionate about this science, and so courageous in their efforts to save lives; but it is frustrating that so many experts were ignored and so many people needlessly suffered as a result. I hope policy-makers can learn from this situation, and brilliant minds like the people in this book aren’t too discouraged to speak out in the future.