Summary & Analysis of The Great Influenza

Comprehensive, captivating, and terrifying in context, Barry captures the essence of nature’s relentlessness against humanity and man’s fight to bring it under heel. A saga of grit, luck, determination, and resilience against an invisible foe.


What does this SNAP Summary Include?

Synopsis of the original book
Key takeaways from each chapter
How scientists, health workers, leaders, and the public responded to the 1918 flu pandemic
Lessons we learned and how they are being applied to current virus pandemics
Editorial Review
Background on John M. Barry



About the Original Book:

Barry unpacks the Great Influenza of 1918 to 1920 at the culmination of the First World War in America. He delves into the extraordinary journey of American medicine up until that point, and how the metamorphosis of scientific inquiry influenced the way the pandemic was handled across the globe. It’s 400 pages of terror and tenacity that’s carefully researched and intentionally down to earth—the statistics speak for themselves, no sensationalized content necessary. There are no victories over the 1918 pandemic, nor those that followed, yet there is much to learn that has never been more relevant for life in 2020.


DISCLAIMER: This book is intended as a companion to, not a replacement for, The Great Influenza. SNAP Summaries is wholly responsible for this content and is not associated with the original author in any way. If you are the author, publisher, or representative of the original work, please contact info[at]snapsummaries.com with any questions or concerns.