A blurb in our history textbook mentioned how the yellow fever of 1793 caused the American govenment to leave Philadelphia for a few months. I recalled reading a review of this book on RAR and requested it from the library for my son to read. He devoured it. By reading it, he learned a lot about this time period and how early Americans handled illness. I also read it and was impressed how well the plot was executed, how well the characters were developed and how well the research was incorporated. Our colonial ancestor, Dr. Benjamin Rush, was mentioned throughout the book. His practices were erroneous (!), but the author's note shared about his advanced views on humanity and how he treated them with dignity. The author's note is fascinating and enriching reading.
It would be interesting to compare how the characters handled the epidemic to how we handled covid in modern times.
*Highly recommend.
Consider: It is a "young adult" novel. Matilda Cook, the main character, experiences a budding romance with a young man. Nothing inappropriate is included-it is a sweet relationship. A family member the reader will like dies. The numerous people die. Gruesome details of people dying and suffering are included.
-Borrowed from the library.
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