An American Plague by Jim Murphy

    

Title:  An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793  Author:  Jim Murphy
ISBN:  0395776082  Pages:  139
Publisher:  Clarion Books, New York, 2003

Readers Annotation:
In 1793, an unknown sickness began to spread like wildfire, killing many of the inhabitants of Philadelphia. 

Author Information:
Jim Murphy is the author of over twenty-five books for young readers. He is well-known for his work The Great Fire, which was awarded a Newbery Honor, and for his many informational books. Murphy has been honored with many awards, including the Robert F Sibert Informational Book Award and the Boston Globe Horn Book Honor. He is also the two-time winner of the SCBWI's Golden Kite Award, and the NCTE Orbis Pictus Awards. Some of his other publications include The Boys' War, Across America on an Emigrant Train, A Young Patriot, and Pick and Shovel Poet. 

An American Plague is the winner of a National Finalist Book Award, a Robert F Sibert Medal, and a Newbery Honor Book. Currently, Murphy lives in Maplewood, New Jersey. He lives in a hundred-year-old house with his wife Alison Blank, who is a children's author, editor and TV producer. 

http://www.jimmurphybooks.com/about.htm

Plot Summary:
It is August 3, 1793. United States of America has recently been born, and George Washington is the President. Philadelphia is the country's capital, and Congress is set to convene there in the upcoming weeks. Swamps and marshes surround the city, and the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers have receded to reveal muddy bottoms filled with dead fish and decaying vegetation. Sinkholes were used as the city's sewer, dirty water runoff, and dead animal graves. Their noxious and poisonous fumes were only worsened by the heat of the summer. Philadelphia became a dangerous breeding ground for sickness.

The first signs of the epidemic began with an unknown French sailor, who fell desperately ill and died at a local boardinghouse. Soon thereafter, people living in and near the boardinghouse started dying as well. Although unknown at the time, this was the beginning of a Yellow Fever epidemic that would wipe out over 5,000 inhabitants over a period of three months.

Critical Evaluation:
This historical accounting of a terrible and sad time in America's history is masterfully written. Each chapter accurately describes the sequence of events in a suspenseful yet truthful fashion. The chapters are cleverly entitled with a description of the next phase in the epidemic, enhanced with real quotes from historical figures and actual citizens of Philadelphia . Images of newspaper clippings, photographs, and paintings are dispersed throughout the book. These lend an additional layer of realism to the book that the prose could not accomplish alone. The factoids are interspersed with personal stories and accounts, allowing the reader to feel the desperation, confusion, and uncertainty of the times. Overall, the book is terrifying and intriguing, appealing to audiences of all ages.

Genre:  Non-fiction

Curriculum Ties:  American History - Yellow Fever, Philadelphia

Booktalking Ideas: 
     1.  The yellow fever killed many Philadelphians during an epidemic in 1793, and to this day no cure has been found. Are you ever worried about contracting foreign diseases?   
     2.  During the epidemic, the only group of people who stayed in town and helped the suffering people were the African Americans, who were never given credit for their bravery. Why do you think people were so blind to their life saving efforts?

Reading Level/Interest Age:  12+

Challenge Issue: Raw facts, Death
- Award winning book: National Finalist Book Award, Robert F Sibert Medal, and Newbery Honor Book
- Award winning author:  Robert F Sibert Informational Book Award, SCBWI's Golden Kite Award, and the NCTE Orbis Pictus Award
- Compilation of teen reviews and the average reader reviews on Amazon.com and Goodreads.com
- Library policy

Why I chose this item:  I wanted to include a Non-fiction piece, as it's a popular genre among adolescents. Additionally, this book in particular was written by an award winning author, and had a compelling story line.