Genre 4: An American Plague

An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 by Jim Murphy
Clarion Books, 2003
ISBN 0-395-77608-2

Summary:
Jim Murphy paints a vivid portrait of epidemic-ridden 18th-century Philadelphia using excerpts from journals, newspaper articles, medical records, public records, church records, and personal letters.

Critical Analysis:
After reading the juvenile book An American Plague, I cannot think of any reason I would ever want to read an adult informational book about the yellow fever epidemic of 1793 unless I decide to attend medical school in the future. Jim Murphy's thirteen pages of sources for yellow fever research attest to the detail with which he researched his 165-page book. Murphy pulls from personal and public documents as diverse as newspaper articles, journals, church records, and 18th-century medical books. His research even lead him to visit Mutter Museum for Infectious Diseases, supported by the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, a group whose predecessors battled the fever and fought over possible cures and causes.
Besides presenting an enormous amount of information about the epidemic and societal attitudes of the times, Murphy manages to make the account read more like a novel than a typical non-fiction book. In the opening of chapter two, Murphy writes

"It was clear that thirty-three-year-old Catherine LeMaigre was dying, and dying horribly and painfully. Between agonized gasps and groans she muttered that her stomach felt as if it were burning up. Every ten minutes or so her moaning would stop abruptly and she would vomit a foul black bile."

With an introduction like that, who wouldn't be tempted to continue reading?
Where possible, Murphy lets the witnesses' words speak for themselves. When groups of physicians square off against each other defending their respective "cures" for yellow fever, Murphy does not need to point out the intensity of the rivalry. Instead, he lets Dr. Adam Kuhn's own words express the depth of his dislike for Dr. Benjamin Rush: "He, I say, is a scourge more fatal to the human kind than the plague itself would be."
Throughout the book, readers see the impact the fever had on the city, everyday residents, and both local and national leaders. Along with the victims, readers are also introduced to heroes from the expected (College of Physicians) to the unknown (Free African Society).
In addition to engaging, information-rich text, Murphy includes line drawings, maps, and engravings to help tell the story. Interestingly, hardly any art exists from the actual epidemic in Philadelphia, although the author is able to use related historical images to give readers an idea of what life during those times would have been like.

Lest anyone think history might not relate to modern life, the last chapter of the book explains how the U.S. is currently poised for another yellow fever epidemic. Since we have not been able to eradicate the mosquitoes that spread the disease, we have not manufactured the vaccine in years, and there is still no cure for yellow fever, we may be more connected to those souls in Philadelphia than we realize.

Review Excerpts:
"History, science, politics, and public health come together in this dramatic account of the disastrous yellow fever epidemic that hit the nation's capital more than 200 years ago. Drawing on firsthand accounts, medical and non-medical, Murphy re-creates the fear and panic in the infected city, the social conditions that caused the disease to spread, and the arguments about causes and cures. With archival prints, photos, contemporary newspaper facsimiles that include lists of the dead, and full, chatty source notes, he tells of those who fled and those who stayed--among them, the heroic group of free blacks who nursed the ill and were later vilified for their work."

Hazel Rochman, BookList, June 1, 2003

"Murphy injects the events with immediacy through his profiles of key players, such as local doctors who engaged in fierce debates as to the cause, treatment and nature of the "unmerciful enemy"—among them the famous Benjamin Rush. The text documents many acts of heroism, including the Free African Society's contributions of food, medicine and home care: the Society was rewarded afterwards only with injustice. Archival photographs and facsimiles of documents bring the story to life, and a list of further reading points those interested in learning more in the right direction. This comprehensive history of the outbreak and its aftermath lays out the disputes within the medical community and, as there is still no cure, offers a cautionary note."

Publishers Weekly, March 10, 2003

Connections:

• A Newbery Honor Book; National Book Award finalist; The Robert F. Sibert Medal winner
• Read An American Plague as a companion to the historical novel Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson, possibly alternating a chapter of the novel with a chapter of the informational book.
• Research other plagues in history and how they affected society.
• Research the Free African Society of Philadelphia.
• Access the web sites for the Centers for Disease Control or the World Health Organization to find out what current epidemics are affecting the globe and what precautions they advise.

Genre 4: Out of Sight: Pictures of Hidden Worlds

Out of Sight: Pictures of Hidden Worlds by Seymour Simon
SeaStar Books, 2000
ISBN 1-58717-012-4

Summary:
Simon uses images captured by various forms of magnifying technology to show readers views we cannot see with the naked eye. Each image is accompanied by text that not only explains the subject being photographed, but also explains the technology capable of capturing the image.

Critical Analysis:
Simon is a noted author of non-fiction science books for children, often writing about outer space. In Out of Sight, much of the book focuses instead on inner space, worlds too tiny to see or worlds enclosed in the human body, while the last chapters show Earth and heavenly bodies as seen from space. In an unexpected take on our visual limitations, Simon also includes a chapter titled "Hidden Worlds of Time" showing events too fast for our eyes to see.
Having taught photography for a number of years, I may be biased, but I find this book magnificent. The sheer number of technologies needed to supply the photos is testimony to humans' inventive creativity: scanning electron micrographs (SEMs), microscopes, endoscopes, tonograms, CAT scans, arteriograms, thermograms, electronic strobe photography, satellites, infrared photography, and telescopes. Although the focus is on the images, I learned about technologies I previously did not know existed.
Part of the fun is guessing what the beautiful color photos are before reading the text. Bug heads magnified 26x or 57x are not too difficult to figure out, but viruses and Velcro take a bit more imagination.
For me, the most amazing image in the whole book is one captured in a "bubble chamber" showing the paths of subatomic particles "many times smaller than the period at the end of this sentence." The text explains that the particles are too tiny and too fast to be seen with any of our technology, so scientists study the particles' paths as they travel through a heated and pressurized liquid, leaving behind a trail of bubbles. The image the trails produce does not look like anything we would expect to find in nature; instead, it resembles a joyful, fantastical drawing created by an artist with a fistful of markers.

Review Excerpts:
Amazing photomicrographs of objects too small to be seen with the unaided eye are sometimes colored or enhanced by computer to reveal intricate patterns and complex images. Seymour clearly explains both the processes used to capture these tiny or hidden entities-some in our own bodies, some in the world around us-and the structures the photography allows us to understand better."

Judy O'Malley, ALA Book Links, Dec./Jan. 2000-2001, v.10, no.3

"Simon directs his readers' attention to images of "hidden worlds," a phrase that he interprets broadly. A picture of a spiked virus, invisibly small before the invention of electron microscopes, is here enlarged to extend beyond the boundaries of the large, double-page spread. The inside of a human heart is seen through an endoscope using fiber-optic tubes. A bullet, caught in the flash from an electronic strobe, is photographed at the instant when it rips through a playing card. An infrared photo, taken from the Landsat satellite and color enhanced by computer, shows details of the Nile River Delta. A picture of Jupiter's red spot, photographed by a passing spacecraft, reached Earth via radio waves. At times the text seems torn between discussing what we are seeing and explaining how the image was made. More emphasis on technique would have made this a stronger, more coherent book, but anyone who comes across it will happily browse through the intriguing and sometimes awesome pictures collected in this handsome volume."

Carolyn Phelan, Booklist, Oct 1, 2000, v97 i3

Connections:

• Use in science class to introduce microscopes or viruses; in physics class, introduce subatomic particles; in geography, look at river deltas.
• Use magnifying glasses to examine common items. What do you notice using magnification that you don't otherwise notice? Draw small parts of what you see and have your friends guess what it is.
• Research the Hubble Telescope. What is its purpose? What have we learned from it?
• Use zoom lenses to photograph parts of common objects. Be sure to use the principles of good composition. How does extreme close-up photography affect the visual value of a photograph?

Genre 4: Behold...the Dragons!

Behold...the Dragons! by Gail Gibbons
Morrow Junior Books, 1999
ISBN 0-688-15527-8

Summary:
Behold...the Dragons! is a factual look at dracontology, the study of dragon myths and lore from around the world.

Critical Analysis:
Gail Gibbons is an experienced writer and illustrator with more than 100 children's non-fiction books to her credit. She draws children into Behold...the Dragons with what sounds like the beginning of a narrative story: "A long time ago, people began telling stories about happenings in their world that they couldn't understand." This Once-upon-a time-like beginning is not only familiar to children, but it also sets the stage for myth and magic, which dragons are, of course. Somehow she manages to honor the legends and stories without pretending they are true. She tells readers on the second page that early people often explained natural occurrences they did not understand by blaming lightning, thunder, or earthquakes on huge beasts. She then moves on to the etymology of the word "dragon" (from the Greek drakon, meaning "a huge snake with piercing eyesight") and a description of what dracontologists study, the five basic classifications of dragons in world mythology.
The book is organized primarily by class: serpent dragons, semi-dragons, classical dragons, sky dragons, and neodragons (who knew so many types existed?). Within each class, she shows drawings of dragons from different parts of the world and gives a brief background of where they were supposed to live, what they looked like, and what they did. Following the classes, Gibbons recounts the classical dragon stories of Marduk and Tiamat, Hercules and the Hydra, Beowulf and the beast, and St. George and the dragon. Four more page layouts are devoted to the cultural importance of dragons to the ancient Chinese, the ancient Egyptians, and the Aztecs. At the end of the book, Gibbons includes a pictorial index of other famous dragons such as the Loch Ness Monster and Uther Pendragon's symbol that would offer additional research possibilities for children.
The illustrations throughout attempt to reflect some of the culture represented by different stories. My personal favorite is the illustration from the story of Marduk, where, in the fashion of ancient Mesopotamian art, Tiamat the dragon is drawn in a two-dimensional profile.
Gibbons is careful to handle this mythical topic in a manner that is purely non-fiction without killing the magic and wonder.

Review Excerpts:
"{Gibbons} follows dragons through different cultures and times . . . and discusses their modern-day use in celebrating the Chinese New Year. The pictures vibrate with energy and combine colored pencils, watercolors, and textured papers, all outlined in Gibbons' characteristic black pen. . . . If displayed so that library patrons can see its gilt title and the fire-breathing creature on the front, this will be snapped up and enjoyed."

Susan Dove Lemke, Booklist, May 1 1999, v. 95, no. 17

"Gibbons's book entertains readers as it teaches them something about history and literature.

Susan L. Rogers, School Library Journal, April 1999, v. 45 no. 4

Connections:

• Use the brief stories as a springboard to finding more detailed classical dragon stories.
• Research other mythical creatures such as Pegasus, unicorns, or mermaids. Create displays of traits, habitats, powers, and limitations for each creature.
• Read current fiction (Eragon, Fire Within, etc.). Which category do these dragons fall into? How do our current fictional dragons compare with those of classical stories? Which dragon traits are probably modern inventions added to historical dragon lore?
• Use The Dragons Are Singing Tonight by Jack Prelutsky as a companion piece.

Genre 3: Witness

Witness by Karen Hesse
Scholastic, 2001
ISBN 0-439-45230-9

Summary:
Witness describes the effect the Klu Klux Klan has on a small Vermont town in 1924. The story unfolds in five "acts" with poems from different characters chronicling the rise and fall of the Klan.

Critical Analysis:
While Witness does not compare to Hesse's Newbery winning poetry novel Out of the Dust, it is still a worthwhile read.
Hesse certainly avoids any cliche for stories about the Klan by setting the book in Vermont instead of the South. This unusual setting makes the story interesting because most of us never stop to think about racism in the North. Another break with cliche is that the characters who become involved with the Klan are not all evil people. Some are, but others are simply "regular" folk who like the values of patriotism and family life that the Klan's propaganda claims, although they are not completely comfortable with some of the bigoted attitudes of fellow members. We often ask the question, "How could people become wrapped up in an offensive group like that?" and Hesse offers possible explanations as her characters wrestle with the decision to join or not to join.
The introduction to the book is a gallery of portraits representing the various characters whose poems will tell the story in five acts. I found myself looking back at the photos and character descriptions often as I read.
Hesse uses blank verse with no capital letters to tell her characters' story. Overall, I felt the poetry sacrificed imagery and beautiful wording so that the plot could move forward more quickly. Probably the most interesting sounding poetry comes from six-year-old Esther Hirsch, who has some unusual speech habits:

"i did give helpings to sara chickering.
we did dip all the keys in oil and put the oil keys in the locks
and then
openshutopenshut
we did take feathers and we did oil those
and we did move through the house,
out to the barn,
tickling hinges with our oiled feathers."

While the child's point of view and "tickling hinges" are interesting, the strange speech habits become annoying after several poems.
Witness is a powerful story that needs to be told and read; however, don't expect the same kind of magic from this poetry as you can find in Out of the Dust.

Review Excerpts:
"The account is sometimes contrived (the all-lower-case type isn't particularly useful, and some of the characters, such as the rather predictable cowardly preacher, are functionary) and sometimes romantic, . . . but this is also a thoughtful and thought-provoking examination of a national phenomenon on a local level."

Deborah Stevenson, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, November 2001, v.55, no. 3

"Hesse's latest free-verse novel employs eleven different voices to record the Ku Klux Klan's effects on a Vermont town in 1924, with dubious success. . . . Witness has a compelling story to tell, but one that is too complex to work effectively in this format."

Christine M. Heppermann, The Horn Book, November/December 2001, v.77, no.6

Connections:

• This book could be a springboard for discussing many types of bigotry: racial, religious, economic class. Since it is not a typical Southern racism book, it introduces an unexpected viewpoint concerning the Klan.
• Discuss peer pressure in school and compare it to peer pressure felt by characters in the town.
• Have students compare characters to those in other books about oppression (Holocaust, Civil Rights Movement, Japanese internment, etc.)
• Capitalization practice: Since the verse is written with no capitals, have students rewrite stanzas as if they were sentences, capitalizing where appropriate.