The Great Mortality

It's been five years since I first read The Great Mortality, written by John Kelly and published by HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. Far removed from the expected textbook, it tells the truth of the Black Death, mysteriously killing across Asia as early as the 1320s, and then snuffing-out much of Europe's population in just two years from 1348 to 1350.

The Great Mortality had three names besides Great Mortality during its rage: the Plague, the Pestilence and it is most commonly known as the Black Death. Through Kelly's research and words, the story rings true and deep today, as old fears of epidemic deaths have resurfaced in our fast-paced modern lives.

Parallels to Modern World Health Fears

Because of the recent H1N1 epidemic, I was compelled to re-read The Great Mortality. Kelly weaves the plot of this tragic chapter in world history with individual human stories, proving even more provocative in my second reading, since my first reading at its 2005 publication.

Just like the Great Mortality jumped from at least one species of mammal to humans, so did the 2009-10 H1N1 pandemic, overshadowing other health news. To some families, the 2009-10 flu season was our time's Great Mortality, particularly with young healthy adults and children dying. Kelly's book puts today's disease realities into clear historical and human perspective.

Noting the weather patterns of the time and environmental factors, Kelly pulls in the natural elements which may have added to the spread of disease. Is this a parallel to our climatic changes and emerging diseases?

John Kelly's book reminds readers of the questions we all need to be asking ourselves, as hopefully our world leaders and medical community already are : Are today's protective measures against spreading epidemic as effective as they should be? With traditional flu season beginning in October or November and lasting through at least April, each flu season is the same, yet unique. If this is to be another epidemic year, will the H1N1 virus sweep the world, or will another virus take its place? Will history repeat itself, surpassing the Great Mortality?

Overall, I recommend The Great Morality, by John Kelly. It does not read like a history text book at all. Rather, it is a suspenseful human tragedy. The personal stories are the best part of the book for me and I would have liked to see more of those entwined into the book. The religious persecution of Jews in relation to the spread of this disease might have been expanded upon. Likewise, the early deaths of the 1320s and 1330s in Asia, with in-depth personal stories, would have had a great impact on the early chapters of The Great Mortality. Of course, the book has twelve chapters and over 300 pages as is, so how much more can one author put into one book? Maybe John Kelly will write a sequel.

Book Review Rating

Using my book review rating scale of the lowest at #1 (Don't bother), and up to the highest at #5 (Something for everyone in this book), The Great Mortality earns a solid #4 rating for suspense, history, tragedy, anecdotes of actual individuals, and it solicits real questions for humanity's future prospects in health and fortitude.