The Ghost Map: The Story of London’s Most Terrifying Epidemic—and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World - Steven Johnson

Written by Steven Johnson
Read by Alan Sklar
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

The Ghost Map:The Story of London’s Most Terrifying Epidemic–and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World
Publisher: Tantor Media
Release date: December 12, 2006
Duration: 08:38:25

The Ghost Map is a riveting page-turner about a real-life historical hero, Dr. John Snow. As the cholera outbreak takes hold, the physician and a local curate are spurred to action-and ultimately solve the most pressing medical riddle of their time.

London is just emerging as one of the first modern cities in the world. But lacking the infrastructure — garbage removal, clean water, sewers — necessary to support its rapidly expanding population, the city has become the perfect breeding ground for a terrifying disease no one knows how to cure.

On August 28, 1854, working-class Londoner Sarah Lewis tossed a bucket of soiled water into the cesspool of her squalid apartment building and triggered the deadliest outbreak of cholera in the city’s history.

In this tightly written page-turner, Johnson uses his considerable skill to craft a story of suffering, perseverance and redemption that echoes to the present day. Describing a city and culture experiencing explosive growth, with its attendant promise and difficulty, Johnson builds the story around physician John Snow.

In the face of a horrifying epidemic, Snow (pioneering developer of surgical anesthesia) posited the then radical theory that cholera was spread through contaminated water rather than through miasma, or smells in the air. Against considerable resistance from the medical and bureaucratic establishment, Snow persisted and, with hard work and groundbreaking research, helped to bring about a fundamental change in our understanding of disease and its spread.

Johnson weaves in overlapping ideas about the growth of civilization, the organization of cities, and evolution to thrilling effect. From Snow’s discovery of patient zero to Johnson’s compelling argument for and celebration of cities, this makes for an illuminating and satisfying read.

Here is one of those audiobooks in which all the ingredients come together to create a first-rate listen. To begin with, it’s a gripping story. Johnson’s narrative of the 1854 cholera epidemic in London is humanized by his portrayal of the people who suffered through it, including the intrepid doctor, John Snow, who ultimately traced the outbreak to contaminated water. Johnson is also a big thinker, and his argument about how disease has affected the future of urban living adds a second layer of intrigue. Finally, the threads of this Victorian detective story are pulled together by the expert narration of Alan Sklar, whose voice draws you into the tale and holds you to the end. D.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award 2007

This is my favorite Steven Johnson book. …J