Pale Rider

By Laura Spinney,

Book cover of Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World

Book description

Read the devastating story of the Spanish flu - the twentieth century's greatest killer - and discover what it can teach us about the current Covid-19 pandemic.

'Both a saga of tragedies and a detective story... Pale Rider is not just an excavation but a reimagining of the past' Guardian…

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Why read it?

2 authors picked Pale Rider as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Of the many books I’ve read about the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic, I especially love this one because Spinney takes a global perspective on the pandemic. Too often the Great Influenza gets narrated only as an Euro-American disaster linked to WWI.

Spinney enthralls by adding the rest of the world—China, India, Africa, and Latin America—to the pandemic mix. Her description of how the flu found Mohandas Gandhi (aka the Mahatma) in his ashram is fascinating. 

I read this book as background reading for writing my own virus-based novel, and it was an absolutely fascinating study of the response to a pandemic that took place almost exactly a century ago. It covers everything from the role of the First World War troops’ demobilisation on spreading the virus, to the impact of poverty on infection rates, to why young, fit people were the most likely to die of the illness. And, of course, why it was called Spanish Flu in the first place (spoiler alert: not because it came from Spain!)

From Lesley's list on pandemics and humanity.

Want books like Pale Rider?

Our community of 11,000+ authors has personally recommended 54 books like Pale Rider.

Browse books like Pale Rider

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in epidemiology, the Spanish flu, and influenza?

Epidemiology 14 books
The Spanish Flu 25 books
Influenza 13 books