Welcome to Litsy!

Published pre-COVID. I listened to the audio and although my mind did wander at times, it was very good. She does pepper the book with humour. It was interesting to read about vaccines, etc, especially with COVID fresh in my mind. She does end on a positive/hopeful note, but it does make me curious about how she feels about how people have reacted to the COVID vaccine (she does talk a bit about vaccines and anti-vaxxers in her chapter on polio).

This nonfiction account of the worst plagues in history is shockingly funny. Wright shares the facts, but with a dark sense of humor that I loved. She is honest about her bias against certain leaders and doctors who made horrific choices. Who knew that reading about plagues could be so incredibly entertaining? Highly recommended!

“Pretending any historical age before proper indoor plumbing was a glorious epoch is a ludicrous delusion.”

#sciencerelated #maymontage

Finishing this one at the barn! #donkeysoflitsy

Interesting read to mark the beginning of our third year in a pandemic world. Sure it‘s science and medicine (such as it was in centuries past), but the most fascinating part is how Wright highlights people‘s behavior towards the sick. Sometimes we are kind and supportive. But mostly we tend to treat the sickest people with the least regard. 😳😥😡🥺🙄

Full review https://www.TheBibliophage.com #thebibliophage2022
#nonfiction2022 #saint

#27

I loved this book! It was informative, interesting, and funny 😊 Sadly in 2021 we have still not learned our lesson when it comes to communicable diseases 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

“When we are electing government officials, it is not stupid to ask yourself, “If a plague broke out, do I think this person could navigate the country through those times, on a spiritual level, but also on a pragmatic one? Would they be able to calmly solve one problem, and then another one, and then the next one? Or would bodies pile up in the streets?”

Apparently, people don‘t think that way.

#QuotsyNov20 #Plague

@Texreader ... holy smoke 200K!! Congratulations!! 🎉 #KarensGiveaway

I went looking through my Amazon “Books” wishlist ... this seems to fill the requirement ...

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

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1627797467/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awdo_btf_t1_y4qJFbCGZ8JEY

Thank you for a little extra fun in a normally bland work week! Good luck everyone! 🤗

Horrifying book, but pretty funny. It could be a bit lower in the snark and I would have enjoyed it far more but the audiobook is enjoyable.

This was really interesting to read during a time like now when we are currently living through a pandemic. I was a bit nervous to listen to it, but it was very informative and well written and it really made me think about what is happening now versus things in the past. The author really wrote this in a way that keeps your interest and isn‘t too dry. I highly recommend this one.

When I read non-fiction it tends to be related to writing/publishing - however I picked this up on a whim and was not disappointed! What a fascinating read. The author has a great way of mixing heavy topics with humor. It made learning about horrendous diseases over the years quite entertaining and educational.

A fascinating and humorous journey through some of history's worst plagues. If you're thinking, "There's nothing funny about a plague. People die." Yes, true. But Wright strikes a good balance of levity, respect, and compassion. 4⭐

(Solid audiobook narration ??)

An excellent read about various plagues throughout history. I love when an author is not only smart and informative, but also funny. I need to get a physical copy so I have something to reference, there are so many events & people in this book that I want to learn more about.

"Diseases don‘t ruin lives just because they rot off noses. They destroy people if the rest of society isolates them and treats them as undeserving of help and respect."

THIS. There is so much stigma surrounding STIs. This particular quote is about syphilis (obviously). Contracting a disease is not a reflection of your morality or value. People with illnesses need compassion and access to treatment, not judgements.

Apparently, people thought applying human excrement to the patient could help cure the black plague 😱
Also, how terrifying were those plague doctor outfits?

I was feeling so smug about not getting sick over the holidays, but it took me down this weekend 🤧
Seemed like a good time to start the tagged book, so I've been doing some light #audiocleaning and thanking my lucky stars I wasn't born in the 14th century.

Is it weird to love a book about plagues? Because I love this book about plagues! Wright‘s wit makes a harsh subject interesting and entertaining. 11/15 #Jumpstart2020 #WinterBookBingo - “Book with a Green cover”. #Nonfiction2020 - “About Health/Healthcare” #Booked2020 - “Book showing a hat or head covering” #LitsyAtoZ2020 #G

This is a great book. Wright has so many wonderfully hilarious, snarky, relatable asides.

"When we are electing government officials, it is not stupid to ask yourself, “If a plague broke out, do I think this person could navigate the country through those times, on a spiritual level, but also on a pragmatic one? Would they be able to calmly solve one problem, and then another one, and then the next one? Or would bodies pile up in the streets?"

???.5
#nonfiction2019 "something with law or medicine"
This book had a little of everything, literally. This was an interesting listen on Audible, however I was not a fan of the author's use of "sophomoric humor." I would have preferred more facts and less commentary. I'm going to look for more books on some of these topics, any ideas?

I thoroughly enjoy Jennifer Wright's style of writing about horrible historical events with humor. I also appreciate how she delivers an overall message of tolerance and compassion while describing gruesome medical practices. This book focuses on several plagues from ancient times through the twentieth century, as well as how they were dealt with and treated.

#nonfiction #audiobook

I enjoyed the first audiobook I listened to by Jennifer Wright, and I‘ve seen many positive reviews of this one. I downloaded it to start listening to during my walks this weekend. So far it‘s full of interesting information and the snarky humor works perfectly.

#nonfiction #audiobook

@howjessreads I hope your surgery goes well and that you have a quick recovery! This #selfie is from early last month. #Friyayintro #getwellsoon 🎈 💐❤💜💚💙

Just when you think a person can't get any sweeter, you get a card from them in the mail and it just lifts your spirits!!!
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks thank you so much Misty. The card was so sweet and thoughtful and I appreciate it very very much. 💕💖🤗💖💕

Ever ignorant member of the anti-vacc movement should be made to read this book, so they could see what a germ ridden, plague infested world it would be without vaccines and medical science. At times this book is horrifying in its depiction of man's stupidity in the face of plagues, but the author's snarky narrative kept it from becoming too unbearably morbid or gruesome. 4 💥💥💥💥 1/2 out of 5

Opthamology appointment earlier. Eyes dilated. This is what the world STILL looks like 4 hours later. Aaaaah! I wanted to read about polio,

The sarcasm from this author shouldn't have worked so well in talking about this subject matter. But it totally did. It was fantastic, especially after I adjusted to the way the author used sarcasm to cut through some very serious and sad discussions. I learned a ton from reading it, too. Did you know Typhoid Mary spent the majority of her life basically in prison, even though she had committed no crimes and showed no symptoms of being sick?

😂😂😂

Yessssss! And also:😂

Enjoying this one, if that‘s the right word. Not for the squeamish - there‘s an awful lot of fever, diarrhea, rashes, and vomiting up of scabs (!!!) and that‘s just in the first chapter. I‘m particularly enjoying Wright‘s tone, which is darkly comic, though I suspect it won‘t work for everyone. Thanks to @Weaponxgirl for the rec!

Back on the reading train thanks to this beauty. This is just the sort of book I love, informative, empathetic to the victims of plagues and how they were treated and so much funnier than it has any right to be. I loved that people were centred in this, this isn‘t dry facts she relates it to the heroes, victims and villains.
Also a picture of a old wood carving showing a baby Jesus shooting syphalis rays at sinners cracked me up

This was a fascinating book. It really appealed to my inner Morbid Medical Nerd. It made me cringe, laugh, and maybe gag once. The chapter on lobotomies was my favorite. The narrator was great. I'll probably read this again.

Blergh. This book is not for the faint of heart or queasy of stomach. Some of the info was fascinating and the author made some jokes to lighten the mood that were really funny. What makes this a so-so for me is that she also lectured the reader in a way I found demeaning. While I don‘t disagree with her “don‘t be a dick” stance, I wish we‘d had more history and less proselytizing. I also didn‘t care for the narrator.

Started this audiobook today to fill the microhistory category on #PopSugar2018. I‘m not sure if I‘m going to be able to finish it. It‘s making me queasy. 🤢😂

No, it‘s not ok. I was really enjoying learning about the history of plagues 😠

WOW. So entertaining & informative. I learned much about ineffective "cures" of the times and how in the time of the Spanish flu & the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, national morale was seen as a priority despite high fatality rates and many lies were spread by the media. It was sickening to read but Jennifer Wright has a fabulous sense of humor, frequently inserting modern asides + oodles of sarcasm to make worrisome statistics go down easier.

“Percy Shelley claimed that Poet John Keats contracted the disease [TB] because the savage criticism of his poem produced a violent effect on his susceptible mind- the agitation ruptured a blood vessel in the lungs.

You can be upset but I don‘t think you can die from a bad review. This is the only time I‘ve seen literary critics called actual murders. But Shelley said it, so think about the power you wield the next time you log on to Goodreads.”

This was an entertaining book about horrible diseases! I really enjoyed the humor she brought to the book!

If you like plagues, medical heroes, wit and humor, I would highly recommend this book. It is now one of my favorite nonfictions. #plagues #medical #history #historicalnonfiction #audiobook #audible

This was a great book!! I was a little worried about my anxiety brain freaking out but it didn‘t. It‘s got some detailed descriptions if that makes you squeamish. The narrator is awesome and totally nailed the wittiness of the author. It‘s funny and entertaining, definitely recommend. #readwomen

Almost halfway though #nonfiction2018

This book was fascinating, hopeful, a little terrifying and full of lots of medical history that was completely new to me. The narrator was wonderful and really got the voice of the author.

Who would've thought a book about plagues would be such a fun listen? The author has a wicked dry wit, which communicated very well with this narrator.

Not sure if I'll count this as my "book about nature" for #ReadHarder, it was maybe more history. ??‍????

#audiobook #science #nonfiction #goodnarrator #history #medicine

I wasn‘t sure what to expect from this book. I sure didn‘t expect the kind of humor that had me laughing out loud over descriptions of plagues and diseases. But please don‘t think Wright makes light of suffering; that‘s the last thing she would do. Rather, she shows us how kindness can make a difference to people suffering from illness.

https://tracyrowanwrites.wordpress.com

There are a lot of groupings I could put together for various reasons, but here's one that might excite some good conversation.

1. Virginia Woolf
2. Aphra Behn
3. Mary Wollstonecraft, and her daughter,
4. Mary W. Shelley
5. Maya Angelou
6. Toni Morrison
7. Jane Austen
8. Charlotte Perkins Gilman

I could probably do a table for 20, no problem, but this will do for a start.

I can't stop listening to this book! It's wonderful.

Grand Fundo Race going past my house again. Plus an #audiowalk

"I like selfies. I think they‘re fun. I like seeing pictures of my friends‘ smiling faces. I like how alive they all are."

There are worse things than selfies. Like plagues! ??☠?

#currentlyreading #plagues #boutofbooks #insixwords #intro