Murphy, Jim. 2003. AN AMERICAN PLAGUE: THE TRUE AND TERRIFYING STORY OF THE YELLOW FEVER EPIDEMIC OF 1793. New York: Clarion Books.

ISBN 0395776082.

In this dramatic account, Jim Murphy brings to life a horrifying episode in American history, giving readers first hand descriptions of the doctors, politicians, and residents who battled the yellow fever epidemic with few resources and little help from the local government. The book traces the course of the disease as it spread from a single neighborhood to envelop the entire city of Philadelphia, then the capital of the newly formed United States, containing nearly 51,000 inhabitants. While efforts were made to contain the disease, they were almost totally ineffectual as the cause of the disease was unknown and medical science was in its infancy. Little could be done to avoid contagion, and historians estimate that 25,000 people fled the city while as many as 5,000 people died between August and November 1793.

The author possesses a reputation for outstanding research and includes many pages of source notes. The book itself is attractive, with interesting cover art, well laid-out pages with numerous illustrations, quotations, and even poetry. “Hot dry winds forever blowing/Dead men to the grave-yards going/Constant hearses/Funeral verses/Oh! What plagues – there is no knowing!” The writing style is straightforward and communicates the subject matter clearly, resulting in a version that is as absorbing and readable as fiction.

Murphy explains that few artists or engravers from the 1790s documented the plague visually, but he included in his book many images to “help readers imagine what the city was like back then – the narrow streets, the press of people, and so on.” Engravings, paintings, copies of newspaper articles, handwritten letters, and medical journal treatises are included, giving the text authenticity and immediacy. “Black-and-white reproductions of period art, coupled with chapter headings that face full-page copies of newspaper articles of the time, help bring this dreadful episode to life” (SLJ, 2003).

Reviews and Awards

Kirkus Reviews: “Drawing heavily on primary sources, Murphy takes readers through the epidemic, moving methodically from its detection by the medical community; through its symptoms, treatment, and mortality; its effects on the populace, and what Philadelphia did to counter it. "

Booklist review: “History, science, politics, and public health come together in this dramatic account of the disastrous yellow fever epidemic that hit the nation’s capital more than 200 years ago.”

School Library Journal review: “The author masterfully weaves facts and fascinating stories in describing the course of the disease and the heroic roles played by a few doctors and the free African-American citizens of the city. Murphy chronicles this frightening time with solid research and a flair for weaving facts into fascinating stories… An afterword explains the yellow fever phenomenon, its causes, and contemporary outbreaks, and source notes are extensive and interesting.”

Winner Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award, 2004
Newbery Honor Book, 2004
YALSA Best Books for Young Adults, 2004
ALSC Notable Children’s Books, 2004
Finalist Young People's Literature National Book Award, 2003
NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12, 2003

Connections

Create a time period display by having children locate books that deal with persons, politics, clothing, trade, or other aspects of life in the 18th century: whaling, artisans, Benjamin Franklin, etc. Children could write short booktalks about their selections, which could be printed on colored cardstock to make promotional bookmarks. One could also gather other titles by Jim Murphy to create an author display.

Other historical nonfiction books by Jim Murphy:
The Great Fire, 2006
The Real Benedict Arnold, 2007
Inside the Alamo, 2003