And Now for Something Completely Different
BS"D
Polio: An American Story by David M. Oshinsky
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I know it’s become cliché, particularly in my reviews, to say that a history book reads like a novel, but this one really does, and not just a contemplative novel, but a page-turning drama. The protagonist is Dr. Jonas Salk and he and rival scientist Dr. Albert Sabin are in a race to conquer a truly frightening enemy: the polio epidemic.
Having read Laser, I suppose I shouldn’t have been shocked that science is as ego-driven as any other pursuit, but the self-interest of the scientists was pretty appalling, especially when the risks were so high. Dr. Salk definitely lost luster in my eyes, and Dr. Sabin was even worse. But lest I give the wrong impression, the book covers much more than those two and their race to the vaccine. It begins with the rise of germ theory in the early 20th century and then takes us to the first polio epidemic of 1916. It explores FDR’s conflicted relationship with his handicap and the founding of the March of Dimes. My favorite “minor character” was Sister Elizabeth Kenny, an Australian nurse who took on the medical establishment with her unorthodox but highly effective physical therapy treatments. She was a celebrity in her time, and a movie was made about her life. I think it’s time for a remake. After all, “The King’s Speech” covered the unorthodox Australian speech therapist, Lionel Logue.
I recommend this book particularly to people who aren’t in the habit of reading history. It covers the 20th century, so it’s close enough to most of us to be somewhat familiar, if only through history classes and films. At the same time, though, it’s a different world - a time when kids weren’t free to go out to play for fear of spending the rest of their lives in an iron lung. The people are multi-dimensional, and you get a sense of dialogue because the author quotes extensively from interviews. I admit I didn’t “get” all the science, but the book is what it says: the story of how the American people banded together to wipe out one terrible threat. May Hashem help us to rise to face our current challenges with such unity.
View all my reviews
Polio: An American Story by David M. Oshinsky
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I know it’s become cliché, particularly in my reviews, to say that a history book reads like a novel, but this one really does, and not just a contemplative novel, but a page-turning drama. The protagonist is Dr. Jonas Salk and he and rival scientist Dr. Albert Sabin are in a race to conquer a truly frightening enemy: the polio epidemic.
Having read Laser, I suppose I shouldn’t have been shocked that science is as ego-driven as any other pursuit, but the self-interest of the scientists was pretty appalling, especially when the risks were so high. Dr. Salk definitely lost luster in my eyes, and Dr. Sabin was even worse. But lest I give the wrong impression, the book covers much more than those two and their race to the vaccine. It begins with the rise of germ theory in the early 20th century and then takes us to the first polio epidemic of 1916. It explores FDR’s conflicted relationship with his handicap and the founding of the March of Dimes. My favorite “minor character” was Sister Elizabeth Kenny, an Australian nurse who took on the medical establishment with her unorthodox but highly effective physical therapy treatments. She was a celebrity in her time, and a movie was made about her life. I think it’s time for a remake. After all, “The King’s Speech” covered the unorthodox Australian speech therapist, Lionel Logue.
I recommend this book particularly to people who aren’t in the habit of reading history. It covers the 20th century, so it’s close enough to most of us to be somewhat familiar, if only through history classes and films. At the same time, though, it’s a different world - a time when kids weren’t free to go out to play for fear of spending the rest of their lives in an iron lung. The people are multi-dimensional, and you get a sense of dialogue because the author quotes extensively from interviews. I admit I didn’t “get” all the science, but the book is what it says: the story of how the American people banded together to wipe out one terrible threat. May Hashem help us to rise to face our current challenges with such unity.
View all my reviews