I loved this book, couldn't put it down. I learned a lot, not only about the 1918 flu, but about the science of virus research. The writing is very fluid. Kolata is on my short list of must-read authors.

I bought this book looking for information about Spanish Flu for a novel I was writing. I had already read other books on the subject and this one was a relief to read. It wasn't dry like much non-fiction tends to be. It was an interesting read. Though it wasn't a narrative non-fiction, it was filled with stories that accented the numbers and the big picture Kolata created about epidemic flu. Though I wasn't so interested in the history of disease and death chapter, most of the other ones were good. I found the human trials interesting. I am also fascinated by the cyclical jumps the flu seems to make between man, swine and birds. If you are interested in the study of influenza in general, this is a great start.

Kolata's book is a good history of influenza in the 20th century, but her skills at gathering and organizing a tremendous mass of information are unfotunately counterbalanced by a rather monotonous writing style. Even dropping personal details about the subjects of the book doesn't make me feel like they're real "characters". So in terms of entertainment, this book isn't that great.

As a graduate student, the real payoff for me is to see all the things I've been reading about for most of the last year - flu strains, scientists, agencies, experiments - put into context by a narrator. I've seen the names Taubenberger, Garcia-Sastre, Palese, et cetera, et cetera, more times than I want to, but this is the first time I've seen them as people and not just references for looking up stuff. As a budding scientist being forced to look up and read a lot of primary literature, it's easy to miss the forest for the trees.

So - recommended for laypeople who want to know what the fuss about flu is all about, and also recommended for students as a reminder that "science is not done by textbooks".

This book reads like a work of fiction, but every word is fact. The story of the devastation of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic and the subsequent decades-long search for the virus that caused it will frighten even the most jaded among us. That this deadly virus could one day return and kill hundreds of millions makes most other potential disasters pale by comparison. Gina Kolata tells the story with skill. Everyone needs to read this book.

Gina Kolata's book is an informative look at the influenza pandemic of 1918. The author provides an opportunity to see the shortcomings of the world of science and medicine during that era. She also describes the search for the genetic make-up of this virus during the 1990's and the difficulties encountered even with the advancements in those fields.
She reveals the devastation wrought upon the human race around the globe using stories compiled from survivors and published accounts. From stories involving families dying together, to the barracks of the Army, to the streets of Philadelphia the loss is nearly inconceivable. Few places on Earth were spared the death and ravaging effects of this influenza. She details the excruciating symptoms of the virus and the rapid speed with which it was transmitted. The numbers are staggering with estimates of the dead ranging from 20 to more than 100 million. The death toll was so high that life expectancy in the United States dropped by 12 years in 1918. The equivalent numbers today would equate to the death of 1.5 million in the United States alone.
What the future will hold if an outbreak of this virus should strike again makes this book a compelling read. Ms. Kolata has researched and crafted a finely honed book that provides an open and honest vision of the potential disaster that lurks in the shadows. She has cast light onto this subject in a comprehensive as well as comprehensible manner. She has grasped the true nature and significance of the avian flu, as well as the importance of public awareness in the ability to cope with a future outbreak.

Gina Kolata's book is an informative look at the influenza pandemic of 1918. The author provides an opportunity to see the shortcomings of the world of science and medicine during that era. She also describes the search for the genetic make-up of this virus during the 1990's and the difficulties encountered even with the advancements in those fields.
She reveals the devastation wrought upon the human race around the globe using stories compiled from survivors and published accounts. From stories involving families dying together, to the barracks of the Army, to the streets of Philadelphia the loss is nearly inconceivable. Few places on Earth were spared the death and ravaging effects of this influenza. She details the excruciating symptoms of the virus and the rapid speed with which it was transmitted. The numbers are staggering with estimates of the dead ranging from 20 to more than 100 million. The death toll was so high that life expectancy in the United States dropped by 12 years in 1918. The equivalent numbers today would equate to the death of 1.5 million in the United States alone.
What the future will hold if an outbreak of this virus should strike again makes this book a compelling read. Ms. Kolata has researched and crafted a finely honed book that provides an open and honest vision of the potential disaster that lurks in the shadows. She has cast light onto this subject in a comprehensive as well as comprehensible manner. She has grasped the true nature and significance of the avian flu, as well as the importance of public awareness in the ability to cope with a future outbreak.

This is a rare book. A history book that reads like a popular book. The author did an excellent job of covering a difficult subject with enough science to make it relevant, but with a style that makes it very interesting to read. Highly recommend it.

First the good. This timely and credible treatment of influenza fills a critical void. The book is very readable. Although concentrating on historical vignettes to the exclusion of scientific explanations, the book provides a helpful background for the consideration of risk, public policy, and personal preparation that arise from confusing, contradictory, and incomplete news items about flu outbreaks and related public health initiatives.

Kolata clearly communicates the uncertainties in current understanding of how the flu virus evolves and flue epidemics spread. But she is even-handed to a fault in her descriptions of competing theories and scientists - showing for example way too much patience for the narcissistic Kirsty Duncan.

The major faults in this book are defects of omission. On the policy side, Kolata describes the epidemic of bogus lawsuits that arose from the swine flu scare, but she neglects to follow through with information about the indemnification laws and the excessive industry consolidation that followed. While inferring that dangerous new flu strains emerge from Southeast Asia, she makes no effort to address the distinct possibility of stopping the cycle by regulating China's poultry industry. On the scientific side, Kolata provided no information about the process of "reassortment" that drives the evolution of flu viruses. Also conspicuously absent is clear advice about how to minimize the risks of influenza.

It is unfortunate that the awesome power of vitamin C to fight infectious diseases -- including influenza and the common cold -- was not known in 1918. Many thousands of lives could have been saved if vitamin C had been readily available as it is now.

Unfortunately, the power of vitamin C to fight influenza is still not acknowledged by the orthodox medical establishment, even though numerous published scientific studies have shown vitamin C, at adequate doses, to be very powerful at killing viruses and, thus, protecting us from their ill effects. One reason for this misunderstanding is that the orthodox medical establishment considers only about 90 mg of vitamin C daily to be needed by humans, and this dosage will not fight influenza. However, the actual dosage of vitamin C most humans need is at least 2,000 mg each day under normal conditions and much higher amounts when an infection starts to occur.

For those who are willing to consider the benefits of vitamin C and other nutrients in fighting illness, I recommend the book How to Live Longer and Feel Better by Dr. Linus Pauling, the only person to have won two unshared Nobel Prizes.

I found Gina Kolata's book, FLU to be quite entertaining, very informative and pretty engrossing as she traces the cause and effects of the Great Flu Epidemic of 1918 which killed millions of people. While it was interesting to read about the affect of this great epidemic that most people really don't know much about, it was even more intriguing to read about how group of researchers tried to traced down this flu with the technology given during their days. This book is a history about the 1918 flu and its aftermath where researchers tries to see what the flu look like so they can find out what made it so deadly and to find the cure if it ever crop up again.

I believed some of the other reviewers misunderstood the intention of the book but I thought the author did a good job in educating us on the subject on the search of the 1918 flu bug that went from Alaska to Norway to Hong Kong. I supposed its possible that many of the modern flu carried the traces of that 1918 flu in some form or another. Author does a good job showing how some of the major flu outbreaks like the swine flu of mid-1970s, actions taken at that time was influence by what happened back in 1918.

Overall a pretty good science/history book on the subject.

I found Gina Kolata's book, FLU to be quite entertaining, very informative and pretty engrossing as she traces the cause and effects of the Great Flu Epidemic of 1918 which killed millions of people. While it was interesting to read about the affect of this great epidemic that most people really don't know much about, it was even more intriguing to read about how group of researchers tried to traced down this flu with the technology given during their days. This book is a history about the 1918 flu and its aftermath where researchers tries to see what the flu look like so they can find out what made it so deadly and to find the cure if it ever crop up again.

I believed some of the other reviewers misunderstood the intention of the book but I thought the author did a good job in educating us on the subject on the search of the 1918 flu bug that went from Alaska to Norway to Hong Kong. I supposed its possible that many of the modern flu carried the traces of that 1918 flu in some form or another. Author does a good job showing how some of the major flu outbreaks like the swine flu of mid-1970s, actions taken at that time was influence by what happened back in 1918.

Overall a pretty good science/history book on the subject.

Though a bit dated as discoveries about the influenza virus that caused the 1918 pandemic have advanced well beyond the end of the book's narrative, still a readable work on the search for that virus. Also, Kolata's perspective may color the narrative and skew it slightly off of a true neutral presentation (if such is even possible), but not to a degree that makes it patently unfair. A good book and should be read in combination with Barry's "The Great Influenza".

I've gotten pretty interested in this subject, and have read several books on the pandemic. John Barry's "The Great Influenza" is by far the best, a wonderfully written and driving narrative that also provides an enormous amount of important context that is woven into the story-- everything from the founding of Johns Hopkins Medical School and Wilson's presidency to an understanding of the interplay between the virus and the immune system. This also tells us much about what might happen right now, as we face the threat of a new pandemic. Crosby's book is excellent but a distinct second to Barry's, unless you're looking for tables of statistics, which barry doesn't have. This book, Gina Kolata's, is superficial tripe. Like a few other reviewers here, I think it reads like a newspaper story about the now-dated effort to extract the virus from frozen bodies, and tells you little or nothing about events in 1918 itself. If you wnat to read about trying to resurrect the virus a few years ago, neither Barry nor Crosby mention it. If you want to read about 1918, or learn about the science, get Barry's book. If you want statistics, get Crosby's.

Kolata did an excellent job tying together the science, the history, and the personal narratives of this forgotten pandemic. Her background in science and good writing skills make this book an easy and informative read. I couldn't put it down.

Kolata tells the story of the great 1918 flu epidemic that killed 500,000 people in America alone, and many millions world wide. More than that, it tells about the search for the virus that caused it. The search goes in two dirctions: to foreign remains of flu victims buried in the arctic tundra near Brevig, Alaska; and to a government warehouse in Washington, DC. These searches combine fly-by-your-pants pursuit along with careful plodding detective work. It's a fascinating story told well by Kolata. Recommended.

Gina Kolata's "Flu" is a concise book packed with information about the 1918 flu pandemic, later efforts to study the virus by finding preserved samples of the virus, and the chances of such a virus spreading again. Kolata vividly relates the tragic toll of the virus in the midst of an already devastating World War. Her description of the controversial decision to try to obtain preserved specimens of flu infected tissue from the arctic may be the most gripping part of the book - it's a well told real life adventure with real consequences. Finally Kolata moves to a disturbing but timely discussion of later outbreaks of the virus, and the implications they hold for another outbreak of the magnitude of the 1918 tragedy. This is a disturbing but important and informative work, as well as a fascinating read.

It was interesting in some ways but to me was boring over all. If you're not interested in the medical field then this book wouldn't be the book to read. It was interesting to learn all of the history and facts behind the first major outbreak of the flu. Overall I personally prefer a more exciting type of book, whether it be fiction or not. If you like to read about real life things that have happened in our past history than this might actually be a great book for you. Gina Kolata did very well with her research on this topic. This seemed more to me like an extremely large research paper then a book. Maybe one of her other books will capture my attention, but this one just wasn't for me.

I really enjoyed this book. It was easy to read, communicated science effectively to a layman, and told a story of our times. The Flu is so closely tied in to the political and social fabric that it becomes a sort of sociological marker of how we interact and how we work together--or not. The contrast between the Alaskan expedition (one guy, $10,000) to find the virus in bodies beneath the permafrost and the ridiculous publicity-hounding one is very amusing. I like to follow flu news on influenzapandemic.blogspot.com. Great book, great Christmas gift.