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Have you ever had the flu or a cold, and thought they were the worst days of your life? Well, you're lucky that it was just a little virus! The book When Plague Strikes, by James Cross Giblin describes the causes and the cures (if there are any) of the Black Death, Smallpox, and AIDS, and shows how the discoveries of the cures have led to modern discoveries.
The book starts with where the Black Death started, in Southern Ukraine. It traveled through many countries and cities, including Venice, London, Avignon, and other places in Europe. The carriers were rats with fleas on them, who could bite people and get them infected. If you want to learn more about it, click Black Death.
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| Cells affected by Small Pox |
The second disease that Giblin talks about is Small Pox, which started with a young Pharaoh in 1157 B.C.. People in China, America, and London mostly got Small Pox. Small Pox was spread by face to face contact. Symptoms were rashes on chest, arms, back, and legs. In 1979, Small Pox was officially eliminated from the Earth. For more information, click Small Pox.
The third disease that Giblin tells us about is AIDS. AIDS started in Zaire, Africa, in the 1970's. AIDS is a disease transfered through blood. At first, people refused to help people with AIDS. But later, they supported people with AIDS. Today, there is still no cure for AIDS. If you want to learn more about this, click AIDS.
I think that this book is suitable for kids, but sometimes a little disturbing. It gives good information and is interesting.
This book does sound a little disturbing - there are lots of diseases out there that affect people in many different ways. It sounds like you learned a lot from reading this book.
ReplyDeleteI loved the review! I had no idea that the plague started in London. The book sounds grossly interesting. I am so glad smallpox is gone. This review is great! I am on the boarder of reading this book because I don't really want to know about this sort of stuff but you made it sound kind of interesting. Nice job!
ReplyDeleteWow... I have learned WAY too much about smallpox now... but it's really interesting! I really liked this review/post. I especially like how each disease had its own section and everything was very organized. I definitely learned a lot and it seems like you had a good time writing it! Great job!
ReplyDeleteExcellent review. It's very enjoyable to read, almost like you're talking to us. I like that you gave just enough information to intrigue us, but didn't spoil the book. Good job!
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