Review of Deadly Encounters: How infectious Disease Helped Shape Australia

[Martina Sette]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Deadly Encounters: How infectious Disease Helped Shape Australia" by Peter Curson.]

---

5 out of 5 stars

---

Share This Review

---

"Deadly Encounters: How Infectious Disease Helped Shape Australia" by Peter Curson is a very informative book about how infectious diseases have influenced the history of Australia and human societies. The book is written from an Australian perspective, but its analyses and observations extend to any country, making it extremely relevant to global public health.

What I found interesting about this book was its interdisciplinary approach. The author combines Public Health, Epidemiology, Medical Geography, and History to best explain the situation regarding diseases and epidemics on the continent. This approach provides a greater understanding of how societies react, manage, and are shaped by the spread of infectious diseases. In fact, the book includes charts, graphs, and highly detailed explanations, and I think it's an excellent feature.

The author describes Australia's 250-year battle against diseases, from the first smallpox outbreaks to the present day with COVID-19. My favorite chapter is about HIV and AIDS, a topic that is very close to my heart. It is written in great detail and explains every step of how it became a full-blown epidemic, possibly the worst of all time, as mentioned in the text.

Another aspect I appreciated was the book’s educational and reflective nature, which encourages us all to think critically about how we could improve responses to future pandemics. For me, it wasn’t just a book about history, but a call to action to improve public health practices and awareness.

I rate "Deadly Encounters: How Infectious Disease Helped Shape Australia" 5 out of 5 stars, and the reasons are above. There's nothing I disliked; I liked everything! Also, it's well-edited since I've found no errors. It is an essential read for anyone interested in the history of infectious diseases, public health policies, or simply understanding how epidemics can deeply shape the identity and future of a nation.

******
Deadly Encounters: How infectious Disease Helped Shape Australia
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Yasmine ZM]

The author is offering an interesting and unique approach that is often overlooked. It makes sense to think that diseases, outbreaks and pandemics influence societies.
I like this quote from the review, it sounds right :"This approach provides a greater understanding of how societies react, manage, and are shaped by the spread of infectious diseases".
However, I feel the title makes it sound like the infectious diseases played a positive role in Australia, and that it was a good thing to have. Or perhaps the author is a glass half-full hind of person. Thanks for the thoughtful review.

[Shirley Ann Riddern Labzentis]

Great review! You made the book sound very interesting. Sometimes, in this genre, books are very boring, and my eyes start glazing. This one has piqued my interest.

[Qwerty Writes]

When I think of Australia I think the deadliest continent on the planet! But I'd like to read this book to find out about its history of diseases and how people survived them. I don't think I've heard it discussed before like the bubonic plague so it would be nice to know a bit more. It was a great read for me, and very informative! Keep it up!

[Alissa Nesson]

This sounds like an interesting read! I haven’t seen anyone come at the issue from the perspective of how it has shaped societies before. And I always appreciate a book that has been well-edited. I’ll have to keep an eye out for this one. Thanks for a great review!

[Anu Anand]

Great review! This sounds like a truly educational read. I’d definitely be interested in checking it out. Raising awareness and helping people prepare for how to handle future pandemics is so important!