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3 out of 4 stars
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A deadly virus, out of Wuhan, China, is spreading rapidly around the world. It is a type of Corona virus, similar to SARS, called Covid-19. Dieter Gartelmann, in Pandemic, using a mix of facts and fiction, tells us how this illness is threatening humankind, . Particularly hard hit are the United States because the country finds itself unprepared, with President Trump underestimating the problem. Precious time is lost. Thousands of people die each day. A vaccine is developed, but the government is acting slowly. More people are infected, more people get seriously ill.
A new president is elected who takes immediate measures to check the pandemic. Lock downs are ordered, . Garbage trucks clean streets of dead corpses. But a new strain appears, more deadly and more contagious There is no cure, only wearing face masks and social distancing. Vaccines help, but cannot be relied on. Then there are violent antivaxxers, who fill the streets and spread terror, spreading the disease as well. Can the government handle the disease and also the rioters?
What I liked most was the account of personal stories, especially those of children wandering through the streets, having lost father and mother in the pandemic. Then helping people come and take them to their own home. It's sometimes touching how much humanity the ordinary American displays.
The language used is simple, easy to understand. Even scientific concepts can be grasped with no difficulty. So I learned, for example, that mutations of the virus happen, when one person is infected by two different persons.
But there are plenty of profanities and superfluous swearing in this book. I also had trouble following the many personalities, often with similar names and roles. Sometimes it's not always clear which reading public is targeted, because in parts of it, it even reads as children book (praising kind persons and reproaching the violent and selfish).
Because of many errors and defective editing, this book does not deserve more then three out of four stars. Then the issue of the Trump supporters, which is told in a very one sided way. I think they were not bad people, just mislead by a smart politician. On the other hand, I found the topic well-chosen, relevant to the times we live in right now.
This work is apt to all interested in politics and social affairs. Things may appear a bid exaggerated,
but it has a purpose, namely to show the danger our society faces, despite all the technological achievements. It has a clear moral: selfishness leads to destruction, while kindness and love can save us. But I do not recommend the book to young people, because of the strong language. Also, Trump supporters probably won't have much fun reading it.
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Pandemic
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