Books like 'The Plague Year'
Readers who enjoyed The Plague Year by Lawrence Wright also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical politics medical epidemy journalism dystopia social-commentary
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Midnight in Washington: How We Almost Lost Our Democracy and Still Could by Adam Schiff
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsFrom the congressman who led the first impeachment of Donald J. Trump, the vital inside account of American democracy in its darkest hour, and a warning that the forces of autocracy unleashed by Trump remain as potent as ever... -
![Dissolving Illusions: Disease, Vaccines, and the Forgotten History by Suzanne Humphries, Roman Bystrianyk]()
Dissolving Illusions: Disease, Vaccines, and the Forgotten History by Suzanne Humphries, Roman Bystrianyk
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsNot too long ago, lethal infections were feared in the Western world. Since that time, many countries have undergone a transformation from disease cesspools to much safer, healthier habitats. Starting in the mid-1800s, there was a steady drop in deaths from all infectious diseases, decreasing to relatively minor levels by the early 1900s...Categorized as:
medical politics social-commentary non-fiction historical conspiracies 21st-century audiobook -
![The Premonition: A Pandemic Story by Michael Lewis]()
The Premonition: A Pandemic Story by Michael Lewis
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsFor those who could read between the lines, the censored news out of China was terrifying. But the president insisted there was nothing to worry about.Fortunately, we are still a nation of skeptics. Fortunately, there are those among us who study pandemics and are willing to look unflinchingly at worst-case scenarios... -
![Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist by Judith Heumann, Kristen Joiner]()
Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist by Judith Heumann, Kristen Joiner
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsOne of the most influential disability rights activists in US history tells her personal story of fighting for the right to receive an education, have a job, and just be human...Categorized as:
social-commentary politics medical disability non-fiction audiobook feminism female-author -
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![And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic by Randy Shilts]()
And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic by Randy Shilts
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsBy the time Rock Hudson's death in 1985 alerted all America to the danger of the AIDS epidemic, the disease had spread across the nation, killing thousands of people and emerging as the greatest health crisis of the 20th century...Categorized as:
epidemy journalism medical politics social-commentary 20th-century audiobook classics -
![How to Survive a Plague: The Inside Story of How Citizens and Science Tamed AIDS by David France]()
How to Survive a Plague: The Inside Story of How Citizens and Science Tamed AIDS by David France
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe definitive history of the successful battle to halt the AIDS epidemic from the creator of, and inspired by, the seminal documentary How to Survive a Plague...Categorized as:
medical politics social-commentary journalism non-fiction lgbtq audiobook historical -
![Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis by Jonathan Blitzer]()
Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis by Jonathan Blitzer
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratings“[A] profound reflection on one of the great paradoxes of American life—and a tribute to the astonishing indomitability of the human spirit.” — Patrick Radden Keefe “[A] searing, gut-wrenching, and masterfully reported account...Categorized as:
politics social-commentary journalism non-fiction audiobook civil-war latinx-mc historical -
![Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point by Steven Levitsky, Daniel Ziblatt]()
Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point by Steven Levitsky, Daniel Ziblatt
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIn this incisive and razor-sharp analysis of one of the most important issues facing us today, leading Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt draw on their combined expertise of over 40 years to examine how dictators come to power, and how they help to foster a poisonous culture of polarisation, fear and suspicion that persists even after their time in power is over... -
![Chocolate City: A History of Race and Democracy in the Nation's Capital by Chris Myers Asch, George Derek Musgrove]()
Chocolate City: A History of Race and Democracy in the Nation's Capital by Chris Myers Asch, George Derek Musgrove
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMonumental in scope and vividly detailed, Chocolate City tells the tumultuous, four-century story of race and democracy in our nation's capital... -
![The Children by David Halberstam]()
The Children by David Halberstam
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe Children is Halberstam's moving evocation of the early days of the civil rights movement, as seen thru the story of the young people--the Children--who met in the 60s & went on to lead the revolution... -
![Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America by Heather Cox Richardson]()
Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America by Heather Cox Richardson
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratings“Engaging and highly accessible.” —Boston Globe“A vibrant, and essential history of America's unending, enraging and utterly compelling struggle since its founding to live up to its own best ideals… It's both a cause for hope, and a call to arms...Categorized as:
politics social-commentary non-fiction audiobook historical contemporary 21st-century -
![My Fourth Time, We Drowned: Seeking Refuge on the World’s Deadliest Migration Route by Sally Hayden]()
My Fourth Time, We Drowned: Seeking Refuge on the World’s Deadliest Migration Route by Sally Hayden
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe Western world has turned its back on migrants, leaving them to cope with one of the most devastating humanitarian crises in history.In 2018, Sally Hayden received a message on Facebook: “Hi sister Sally, we need your help.” It was from an Eritrean refugee who had been held in a Libyan detention center for months, locked in one big hall with scant meals...Categorized as:
politics journalism social-commentary non-fiction war audiobook 21st-century historical -
![The Point of It All: A Lifetime of Great Loves and Endeavors by Charles Krauthammer]()
The Point of It All: A Lifetime of Great Loves and Endeavors by Charles Krauthammer
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsCreated and compiled by Charles Krauthammer before his death, The Point of It All is a powerful collection of the influential columnist's most important works. Spanning the personal, the political and the philosophical, it includes never-before-published speeches and a major new essay about the effect of today's populist movements on the future of global democracy... -
![The Exceptions: Nancy Hopkins, MIT, and the Fight for Women in Science by Kate Zernike]()
The Exceptions: Nancy Hopkins, MIT, and the Fight for Women in Science by Kate Zernike
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFrom the Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist who broke the story, the inspiring account of the sixteen female scientists who forced MIT to publicly admit it had been discriminating against its female faculty for years—sparking a nationwide reckoning with the pervasive sexism in science... -
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![An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back by Elisabeth Rosenthal]()
An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back by Elisabeth Rosenthal
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA New York Times bestseller/Washington Post Notable Book of 2017/NPR Best Books of 2017/Wall Street Journal Best Books of 2017 "This book will serve as the definitive guide to the past and future of health care in America...Categorized as:
journalism medical politics social-commentary audiobook historical mental-illness non-fiction -
![You Have to Be Prepared to Die Before You Can Begin to Live: Ten Weeks in Birmingham That Changed America by Paul Kix]()
You Have to Be Prepared to Die Before You Can Begin to Live: Ten Weeks in Birmingham That Changed America by Paul Kix
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom journalist Paul Kix, the riveting story, never before fully told, of the 1963 Birmingham Campaign―ten weeks that would shape the course of the Civil Rights Movement and the future of America.It’s one of the iconic photographs of American A Black teenager, a policeman and his lunging German Shepherd. Birmingham, Alabama, May of 1963... -
![What Unites Us: Reflections on Patriotism by Dan Rather]()
What Unites Us: Reflections on Patriotism by Dan Rather
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsAN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “I find myself thinking deeply about what it means to love America, as I surely do.” —Dan Rather At a moment of crisis over our national identity, venerated journalist Dan Rather has emerged as a voice of reason and integrity, reflecting on—and writing passionately about—what it means to be an American...Categorized as:
journalism politics social-commentary audiobook contemporary fiction historical non-fiction -
![Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope by Nicholas D. Kristof, Sheryl WuDunn]()
Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope by Nicholas D. Kristof, Sheryl WuDunn
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsWith stark poignancy and political dispassion, Tightrope draws us deep into an "other America." The authors tell this story, in part, through the lives of some of the children with whom Kristof grew up, in rural Yamhill, Oregon, an area that prospered for much of the twentieth century but has been devastated in the last few decades as blue-collar jobs disappeared...Categorized as:
politics social-commentary journalism non-fiction audiobook poverty substance-abuse historical -
![The New Odyssey: The Story of the Twenty-First Century Refugee Crisis by Patrick Kingsley]()
The New Odyssey: The Story of the Twenty-First Century Refugee Crisis by Patrick Kingsley
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsEurope is facing a wave of migration unmatched since the end of World War II - and no one has reported on this crisis in more depth or breadth than the Guardian's migration correspondent, Patrick Kingsley...Categorized as:
politics journalism social-commentary non-fiction war audiobook historical contemporary -
![Wonder Drug: The Secret History of Thalidomide in America and Its Hidden Victims by Jennifer Vanderbes]()
Wonder Drug: The Secret History of Thalidomide in America and Its Hidden Victims by Jennifer Vanderbes
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA riveting account of the most notorious drug of the twentieth century and the never-before-told story of its American survivors. In 1959, a Cincinnati pharmaceutical firm, the William S. Merrell Company, quietly began distributing samples of an exciting new wonder drug already popular around the world... -
![On Call: A Doctor's Journey in Public Service by Anthony Fauci]()
On Call: A Doctor's Journey in Public Service by Anthony Fauci
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsThe memoir by the doctor who became a beacon of hope for millions through the COVID pandemic, and whose six-decade career in high-level public service put him in the room with seven presidentsAnthony Fauci is arguably the most famous – and most revered – doctor in the world today... -
![Ten Myths About Israel by Ilan Pappé]()
Ten Myths About Israel by Ilan Pappé
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe myths and reality behind the state of Israel and Israeli-Palestinian conflict—from “the most eloquent writer on Palestinian history” ( New Statesman )In this groundbreaking book, published on the fiftieth anniversary of the Occupation, the outspoken and radical Israeli historian Ilan Pappe examines the most contested ideas concerning the origins and identity of the contemporary state of... -
![Unseen: Unpublished Black History from The New York Times Photo Archives by Darcy Eveleigh, Dana Canedy]()
Unseen: Unpublished Black History from The New York Times Photo Archives by Darcy Eveleigh, Dana Canedy
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHundreds of stunning images from black history have long been buried in The New York Times archives. None of them were published by The Times--until now. UNSEEN uncovers these never-before published photographs and tells the stories behind them.It all started with Times photo editor Darcy Eveleigh discovering dozens of these photographs... -
![The Story of Jane: The Legendary Underground Feminist Abortion Service by Laura Kaplan]()
The Story of Jane: The Legendary Underground Feminist Abortion Service by Laura Kaplan
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratings"In the four years before the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision, most women determined to get abortions had to subject themselves to the power of illegal, unregulated abortionists...But a Chicago woman who happened to stumble across a secret organization code-named 'Jane' had an alternative... -
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![Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China by Evan Osnos]()
Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China by Evan Osnos
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA vibrant, colorful, and revelatory inner history of China during a moment of profound transformationFrom abroad, we often see China as a caricature: a nation of pragmatic plutocrats and ruthlessly dedicated students destined to rule the global economy—or an addled Goliath, riddled with corruption and on the edge of stagnation...Categorized as:
journalism politics social-commentary audiobook contemporary fiction historical non-fiction -
![No Turning Back: Life, Loss, and Hope in Wartime Syria by Rania Abouzeid]()
No Turning Back: Life, Loss, and Hope in Wartime Syria by Rania Abouzeid
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratings“Rania Abouzeid has produced a work of stunning reportage from the very heart of the conflict, daring to go to the most dangerous places in order to get the story...Categorized as:
politics journalism social-commentary non-fiction war contemporary audiobook historical -
![Republic of Shame: Stories from Ireland's Institutions for 'Fallen Women' by Caelainn Hogan]()
Republic of Shame: Stories from Ireland's Institutions for 'Fallen Women' by Caelainn Hogan
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsUntil alarmingly recently, the Catholic Church, acting in concert with the Irish state, operated a network of institutions for the concealment, punishment and exploitation of 'fallen women'. In the Magdalene laundries, girls and women were incarcerated and condemned to servitude...Categorized as:
politics journalism social-commentary non-fiction feminism religion christian historical -
![Simple Justice: The History of Brown v. Board of Education and Black America's Struggle for Equality by Richard Kluger]()
Simple Justice: The History of Brown v. Board of Education and Black America's Struggle for Equality by Richard Kluger
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSimple Justice is generally regarded as the classic account of the U.S. Supreme Court’s epochal decision outlawing racial segregation and the centerpiece of African-Americans’ ongoing crusade for equal justice under law.The 1954 Supreme Court ruling in the case of Brown v. Board of Education brought centuries of legal segregation in this country to an end... -
![Flowers of Fire: The Inside Story of South Korea's Feminist Movement and What It Means for Women's Rights Worldwide by Hawon Jung]()
Flowers of Fire: The Inside Story of South Korea's Feminist Movement and What It Means for Women's Rights Worldwide by Hawon Jung
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAn eye-opening firsthand account of the ongoing and trailblazing feminist movement in South Korea—one that the world should be watching... -
![A Good Provider Is One Who Leaves: One Family and Migration in the 21st Century by Jason DeParle]()
A Good Provider Is One Who Leaves: One Family and Migration in the 21st Century by Jason DeParle
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsOne of The Washington Post 's 10 Best Books of the Year"A remarkable book...indispensable."-- The Boston Globe"A sweeping, deeply reported tale of international migration...DeParle's understanding of migration is refreshingly clear-eyed and nuanced." --The New York Times"This is epic reporting, nonfiction on a whole other level...One of the best books on immigration written in a generation...Categorized as:
politics social-commentary journalism non-fiction audiobook historical poc-mc 21st-century
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