Pale Rider

Interesting overview written recently, but not recently enough to incorporate COVID-19 info (author's observations on what is likely to occur during next pandemic and what will need to be done to fight it induced much hollow laughter in this reader).

My takeaways:
Truly global scale of pandemic still not fully appreciated - possibly as many as 100 million people died from this! Author examines situation in various parts of the world (Brazil, S Africa, Persia, India, in addition to US and Europe)“Cytokine storm” may not have had as much to do with deaths of younger healthier victims - more likely due to virus mutating between spring and fall, becoming more human-transmissible and less bird-transmissible.

*Earlier epidemics (Russian flu in the 1880s[?], etc) may have provided some measure of immunity to certain populations/age groups, explaining otherwise strange patterns of morbidity/mortality.

Mind-blowing takeaway:
So many native Americans may have died in the first few centuries of European arrival that the reforestation as farmed land returned to the wild and sequestered more carbon actually CAUSED the little Ice Age.

Interesting, and surprisingly easy to read for such a dense topic. Chapters take a meandering path through the Spanish flu epidemic, and while many fascinating topics are covered it felt kind of rambling towards the end. Later chapters on modern genetic research, and the pandemic's effects on art and literature felt kind of tacked on as opposed to part of the larger story.