An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793

Powerful and riveting, this Newbery Honor-winning narrative describes the illness known as yellow fever, the toll it took on the nation's capital-and the eventual triumph over the disease. National Book Award Finalist and Winner of the Sibert Medal. Philadelphia, 1793: the capital of the United States and the largest city in North America is devastated by an apparently incurable disease, cause unknown . . . Drawing on first-hand accounts, critically acclaimed author Jim Murphy spotlights the heroic role of Philadelphia's free Black citizens in combating yellow fever, the efforts and intrigues of doctors and politicians-among them George Washington-and the search for the fever's causes and cure, not found for more than a century afterward. Thoroughly researched, unflinching in its discussion of medical details, and generously illustrated with archival prints and photographs, this award-winning account offers a glimpse into life in the United States in the years immediately following our nation's birth while drawing timely parallels to modern-day epidemics. Bibliography, map, index.