An American Plague by Jim Murphy
Clarion Books, New York: 2003
ISBN: 0-395-77608-2

Plot Summary:
This is a non-fiction telling of the yellow fever scare that occurred in Philadelphia in the fall of 1793. The fever took hold quickly, and while some doctors debated whether it even was the fever, tens of people started dying from it daily. At first it was thought to be caused by the stench of spoiled coffee in the harbor and the stench from sewers, then it was blamed on refugees from Santo Domingo. Many of the rich with summer houses fled the city including George and Martha Washington, while the poor were left to suffer.

The Mayor Matthew Clarkson, at the time was merely a symbolic figurehead, but with the city council all fleeing, he took control of the government and started to act. Benjamin Rush was another prominent figure during the fever outbreak. He was probably the most well-known doctor in the country, and his "cure" involved bleeding patients, and inducing purging with mercury. Most of his colleagues did not agree with this cure, but he claimed to have saved hundreds with it.

Another group that played a big role in nursing the sick was the Free African Society, which provided hundreds of black nurses who worked tirelessly in the face of the overwhelming plague. The city soon ran out of coffins and space in the cemeteries. At the peak of the scare, over 100 people were dying a day. Only when the weather started to turn cold did the deaths start to slow down, although there were similar scares in the summers for years afterward.

Critical Evaluation:
I read this non-fiction history book as though it were a novel. It was just as exciting as any fiction book could be. Culled from multiple primary sources, it really brought to life what was happening at the time, including the political battles and scientific struggles. George Washington was helpless to do anything once he left the city, as was congress and the city council. Benjamin Rush struggled to find a cure, even as he came down with the fever twice. And the contribution of the Free African Society was so commendable, even as they were being denied basic civil right, blacks were helping their white neighbors. Theirs was a story I had never heard before. I think more history books should be like this one.

Reader’s Annotation:
Yellow fever has hit Philadelphia! What caused it and what will cure it? Thousands will die before they find out.

Information about the Author:
Jim Murphy has written more than twenty-five books for young adults, including The Real Benedict Arnold, and The Great Fire. He has won two Newberry Honor Book Awards, and countless others.

Genre: non-fiction

Curriculum Ties: American history

Booktalking Ideas:
I would talk about the sailor dying in the boarding house, and the others on the street soon following, then the explosion of deaths after that. I would talk about the stench and sanitary conditions of the streets and what people were told to do to ward off the fever and how none of it worked. I would talk about the fight between the doctors about how to cure it, and how there still is not a cure. Then I would talk about the contributions of people from the Free African Society.

Reading Level/Interest Age:
This book would be appropriate for ages 14 and up.

Challenge Issues:
This book might be challenged for its graphic description of the yellow fever, such as the black vomit and bloody tongues. I would explain the library's selection policy and have the challenger fill out a complaint form.

Why I chose this book:
This book was recommended by the group that gave their genre presentation on non-fiction books.