Genre 4 Nonfiction and Bio Mruphy

The American Plague
Written by Jim Murphy 1947
New Yoir, N.Y. Clariron Books
ISBN 0395776082

This is the story of the outbreak of the Yellow Fever Epidemic in 1973. Murphy has written in details the event of this outbreak and all those involved or affected by this dreadful disease that you can almost sense being there. As doctors and other medicine folks tried many remedies, the ordeal of trying to combat an invisible culprit was deadly. At the same times, President Washington was trying to avoid having to become allies with France in a war with Britain but with the epidemic all around him, he was forced to take refuge away from Philadelphia in order to assure his survival. The heroism of many people including the Black Free Society, who volunteered to help but only to be treated with injustice when all was well. In the aftermath of this outbreak, Congress was forced to look into setting new laws for better sanitation, a better way to handle government issues and a continue search for a cure. This is a good book for young adults, it is an easy interesting read.


Analysis
This book reminds me of the disaster of Hurricane Katrina, though it wasn’t a disease that send hundreds of people to seek safety, but the common element of survival, the chaotic evacuation and the displacement of people. The author gives detail information about the conditions of Philadelphia for that time period in history with all its inhabitants. A lot of political and important figures are mention as history has it this was where the President George Washington and Congress made the laws. The author concludes the book with listing of the resources he used to document his writing. The illustrations notes helps to reinforce the idea to the reader of all the research that had to take place in order to write such riveting and precise knowledge of the outbreak and those involved. Young adults will enjoy reading this book with some prior knowledge activities to bring out the many aspects of society in time of crisis. Murphy provides valuable information for research for those who would like to know more about the time period and other diseases or plagues that have occurred.


Reviews

From the Publisher
1793, Philadelphia. The nation’s capital and the largest city in North America is devastated by an apparently incurable disease, cause unknown . . .
In a powerful, dramatic narrative, critically acclaimed author Jim Murphy describes the illness known as yellow fever and the toll it took on the city’s residents, relating the epidemic to the major social and political events of the day and to 18th-century medical beliefs and practices. Drawing on first-hand accounts, Murphy spotlights the heroic role of Philadelphia’s free blacks in combating the disease, and the Constitutional crisis that President Washington faced when he was forced to leave the city—and all his papers—while escaping the deadly contagion. The search for the fever’s causes and cure, not found for more than a century afterward, provides a suspenseful counterpoint to this riveting true story of a city under siege.

Thoroughly researched, generously illustrated with fascinating archival prints, and unflinching in its discussion of medical details, this book offers a glimpse into the conditions of American cities at the time of our nation’s birth while drawing timely parallels to modern-day epidemics.
The Washington Post
Nobody does juvenile nonfiction better than Murphy. Here, in his usual transparently clear and well-paced prose, he tells the story of the yellow fever outbreak that paralyzed Philadelphia in 1793, when that city was the nation's capital. There are enough gruesome medical details to satisfy even the most ghoulish tastes, but also plenty of serious history, including a moving account of the largely unappreciated volunteer work of members of the Free African Society (Murphy calls them a "battalion of heroes").

School Library Journal
This book tells the story of the yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia and its effect on the young nation. Students will become immersed in the dramatic narrative as they read how fear and panic spread throughout the country's capital. The author masterfully weaves facts and fascinating stories in describing the course of the disease and the heroic roles played by a few doctors and the free African-American citizens of the city. Black-and-white reproductions of period paintings, maps, and news articles enhance this absorbing title.
Kirkus Reviews
A mesmerizing, macabre account that will make readers happy they live in the 21st century. The yellow fever epidemic of 1793 snuck up on the people of Philadelphia during the hot summer; by the end of the year, some 10 percent of the city’s population lay dead. Drawing heavily on primary sources, Murphy (Inside the Alamo, p. 393, etc.) takes readers through the epidemic, moving methodically from its detection by the medical community; through its symptoms, treatment, and mortality; its effects on the populace, and what Philadelphia did to counter it. Individual chapters recount the efforts of the heroes of the epidemic: the quasi-legal committee of 12 who took over the running of the city government; the country’s preeminent physician, Dr. Benjamin Rush; and the Free African Society, whose members toiled valiantly to ease the victims’ pain and to dispose of the dead. Powerful, evocative prose carries along the compelling subject matter. Even as the narrative places readers in the moment with quotations, the design aids and abets this, beginning each chapter with reproductions from contemporary newspapers and other materials, as well as placing period illustrations appropriately throughout the text. The account of Philadelphia’s recovery wraps up with a fascinating discussion of historiography, detailing the war of words between Matthew Carey, one of the committee of 12, and Absalom Jones and Richard Allen, the leaders of the Free African Society--interesting in itself, it is also a valuable lesson in reading and writing history.

Connection

History
The book An American Plague fits well into a history class in discussion
of earlier American politics. One key element is to discuss the importance of Philadelphia in the late 1700’s and when the capitol city was moved to Washington D.C. A geography lesson could also be incorporated in relevance to the eastern portion of the country. Information can be found at http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761576320_4____7/Washington_D_C.html#s7
Language Arts:
Class discussions covering the elements of fiction, point of view, and theme take place as a class and in small group discussion. Book reports, reviews, and booktalks offer a variety of insight into the novel. The book itself is a vital resource for any project as are the author’s influence in the literary world. The author can be studied in more detail at http://www.jimmurphybooks.com/about.htm.
Science
Disease Study by reading the book An American Plague to any science class. The element of medical advancements, medical training, funding, and the basic diseases themselves including origin, spread, treatment and cures can play well into the field for discussion. Classes can research the disease of Yellow Fever. http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/yellowfever.htm.

Math A math class could very easily dive into the population and economy of United States in 1793 and compare and contrast it with the population and economy of today. From there, information could be presented in many forms including pie graphs and charts. As mentioned in a previous unit, pie graphs and charts can be taught as a separate lesson or in a direct link to this unit. More information can be found at http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/index.asp?ID=845D4DDDA92CD816E.