Friday, March 01, 2013
[Book Review] FEVER SEASON by Jeanette Keith
Nonfiction/Memphis History
Steve reviews FEVER SEASON: THE STORY OF A TERRIFYING EPIDEMIC AND THE PEOPLE WHO SAVED A CITY by Jeanette Keith (Bloomsbury Press, 2012).
Steve reviews FEVER SEASON: THE STORY OF A TERRIFYING EPIDEMIC AND THE PEOPLE WHO SAVED A CITY by Jeanette Keith (
In 1878, a yellow fever epidemic struck the city
of Memphis ,
killing as many as 5,000 residents and driving many more into hiding. Fever
Season: The story of a terrifying epidemic and the people who saved a city
is a dark narrative of this epidemic, written from primary source material
about the experiences of contemporary Memphians.
Professor
Keith’s narrative has three salient points. The first is that in this work,
unlike your typical man vs. nature narrative, you will not find mankind using
science to conquer nature. The second is that it reveals how many behaved
contrary to our expectations given their social standing – even if some
individuals did behave as one might expect during a plague. Finally, the yellow
fever epidemic had a decisive impact in shaping the Memphis of today. It is an excellent,
well-researched, albeit depressing, piece of Memphian social history!
-Steve
Shackelford, South Branch
Labels: Memphis History, Nonfiction, Reviews by Steve Shackelford