by Karl Taro Greenfeld
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| List Price: | $25.95 |
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| Lowest New Price: | $3.45 |
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Product Description
As the world braces for the next flu pandemic, the 2003 SARS outbreak now seems even more relevant as the harbinger of crises to come. The next great viral storm will likely emerge from Asia and could be more contagious than any respiratory disease since the catastrophic influenza of 1918. "China Syndrome," an intensely compelling and unrivaled exploration of the first epidemic of the twenty-first century, explores how globalization, coupled with rampant development, is ushering in a terrifying new chapter in the history of human health. When SARS broke out in January 2003, Karl Taro Greenfeld was the editor of "Time Asia" in Hong Kong, just a few miles from the epicenter of the outbreak. After vague, initial reports of terrified Chinese emptying pharmacy shelves and boiling vinegar to "purify" the air in nearby Guangdong province, Greenfeld and his staff soon found themselves immersed in the story of a lifetime. His taut, scientific thriller, in the tradition of "The Hot Zone" and "The Great Influenza," takes readers on a gripping ride that blows through the Chinese government's effort to cover up the disease. Greenfeld deftly tracks this mysterious killer outbreak, from the bedside of one of the first Chinese victims to overwhelmed hospital wards crashing from the onslaught of cases, from cutting-edge labs where researchers struggle to identify the virus to the war rooms at the World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva. Infectious diseases have reemerged as one of the globe's most pressing problems. In this thorough, revelatory account of SARS, Greenfeld gives us a crucial blueprint for how an epidemic evolves. "China Syndrome" will make you realize how lucky youare to be alive -- and wonder how long that good luck will hold.
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Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Hard to put down, 2008-08-05
This book is a perfect storm of readability. Greenfeld approaches the virus like a murder mystery, hunting it down with his narratives of scientists and doctors looking for clues, and the exotic settings of China and Hong Kong draw you in. It's informative, well researched and covers every level of the SARS story, from meetings in Beijing to the daily lives of doomed apartment-dwellers in Hong Kong highrises. I read it in five days, and it's 400 pages. I would recommend it for anyone remotely interested in virus outbreaks, which should be all of us. Great book!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Terrifying, 2008-05-04
Karl Taro Greenfeld (KTG) in his book follows the SARS virus from its early beginnings in Guangdong Province (China) in late 2002 right to its end during 2003. He starts off with the rumours flying around Guangdong in late 2002 and then follows the virus around to wherever it goes. He also covers the science effort to identify it and the efforts to contain it.
KTG calls SARS the first pandemic of the 21st century. Perhaps it should be called the first pandemic which didn't happen. The figures of infected people and casualties he quotes at the beginning of each chapter are an approximation only as KTG admits at the end of the book and I can well believe that because when you read about the virus's impact on China you would think that the casualty figures should be higher.
China comes out badly in all this. As official policy dictates that the virus does not exist, it does not exist and therefore it spreads virtually unhindered until official policy changes, which eventually it did. But guess how many lives could have been saved if official policy had changed faster or if it hadn't been formulated in the first place. When you read KTG's bit on how China works you can see that it will happen again. That's the terrifying bit I took home from reading this book. Imagine a virus that outpaces the speed at which bureaucracy moves. We could be all dead by the time they make up their minds.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Very interesting look at the outbreak of SARS, 2008-03-30
This is a very interesting look at the outbreak of SARS, told in a journalistic narrative voice by the editor of Asia's Time Magazine. It takes you through the eyes of many of the doctors and victims involved, and gives a strong sense of the feel of the time, the various cover ups, and how the discoveries unfolded. A quick and interesting read.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Find out about "Wild Flavor", 2007-01-31
A fiesta for infomaniacs. Fascinating microbiology, world history, and an especially nice introduction to China today.
Favorite vignette: Q: Is it possible SARS can be transferred from humans to livestock?
A: You will be held accountable for your words!
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Timely and immensely readable narrative , 2007-01-31
My wife read this book first and urged me to do so. I'm glad I did. As a non scientist, I found Greenfeld's writing and analysis very understandable and riveting. From patient zero, a chop shop employee in one of Hong Kong's teeming "Wild Flavor" eateries, to the pursuit of patients in the steppe of China's rural areas, he has put together a concise and chilling treatise on how fragile life in this world can be, and make you wonder when another killer virus will emerge. I recommend this book to every infectious disease specialist out there and any lay person who wants a great summary on the killers that are waiting for their genetic lottery tickets to get punched.
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