An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 by Jim Murphy

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Murphy, J. (2003). An American plague : the true and terrifying story of the yellow fever epidemic of 1793. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 9780395776087

2. PLOT SUMMARY
History at its worst and storytelling at its best, Jim Murphy takes readers on a well-researched synopsis of what happened during the yellow fever epidemic of 1793 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Spine tingling traumatic events of mercury ingestion, blood letting, whole households dying, bodies left in the streets, mass burials, animal and human waste strewn all around encourages you to keep turning the pages to find out how the disaster ends.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Jim Murphy writes an accurate account of what happened during the yellow fever epidemic using books, newspapers, magazines, personal journals, and letters he researched to enlighten the story. Murphy writes concise details to the sequence of events, from August to November 1793, with such powerful words they cause heart wrenching emotions for the people involved. George Washington, the wealthy and many people in government flee the city to escape the dying. The Free African Society banned together to help care for all the people too ill to care for themselves. They often put other white people ahead of their own health or families. Murphy includes a great list of sources so others can continue reading to learn more about various topics from firsthand accounts of medical and nonmedical resources, yellow fever, doctoring in the old days, George Washington, African Americans in Philadelphia, mosquitoes, and other plagues. The reproductions of eighteenth-century newspaper articles help to authenticate the illustrations with the text. The illustrations match the topics or people within the chapters. Murphy’s style of writing encourages critical thinking and piques your interest to continue learning about other epidemics. Middle grades 6-9 will enjoy learning about the horrific epidemic that brought our nation’s government to a standstill.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Joan Kindig, Ph.D. (Children's Literature) This book is a well-researched endeavor with innumerable sources that manages to captivate its readers.
Elizabeth Bush (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, June 2003 (Vol. 56, No. 10)) Readers view the panic from several vantage points: the mayor, who overreaches his elective mandate to impose order on his city; Dr. Benjamin Rush and his medical colleagues, who squabble over cause and cure; the Free African Society, whose brave members nurse in stricken households, only to be accused of profiteering; and the doctor-merchant-barrel maker team that runs the Bush Hill hospital with compassion and common sense, achieving impressive results.
CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices, 2004) Wonderful reproductions of old maps and drawings of the key figures of the time, as well as of primary sources such as newspaper articles, obituaries, letters, and church records, add additional interest to this drama-filled volume.

Awards, Honors, Prizes:
Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Excellence in Children's Literature, 2004 Winner Nonfiction United States
James Madison Book Award, 2004 Winner United States
John Newbery Medal, 2004 Honor Book United States
National Book Awards , 2003 Finalist Young People's Literature United States
Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children, 2004 Winner United States
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal, 2004 Winner United States


5. CONNECTIONS Do In depth studies of different topics pertaining to this book
• Early life medicine and the advancements we now have
• Free African Society leaders in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1793 like Richard Allen and Absalom Jones
• Study mosquitoes and other insects that carry diseases
• Bloodletting
• George Washington and his problems
Books that might interest you:
• Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson ISBN: 978-0-689-84891-9
• Malaria, West Nile, and other mosquito-borne diseases by Nancy Day ISBN: 978-0-7660-1597-5
• The secret of the yellow death : a true story of medical sleuthing by Suzanne Jurmain ISBN: 978-0-618-96581-6
• Yellow fever by Holly Cefrey ISBN: 978-0-8239-3489-8