More Deadly Than War: The Hidden History of the Spanish Flu and the First World War

by Kenneth C. Davis, MacLeod Andrews (Narrator), Adenrele Ojo (Narrator)

With 2018 marking the 100th anniversary of the worst disease outbreak in modern history, the story of the Spanish flu is more relevant today than ever. This narrative, told through the stories and voices of the people caught in the deadly maelstrom, explores how this vast, global epidemic was intertwined with the horrors of World War I—and how it could happen again. Complete with photographs, period documents, modern research, and firsthand reports by medical professionals and survivors.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Science, Health, Audiobook, World War I, Disease

Audiobook

First published May 15, 2018

About the author

Kenneth C. Davis is the New York Times bestselling author of the Don't Know Much About® series of books and audios for adults and children. Don't Know Much About® History, the first title in the series, became a New York Times bestseller in 1991 and remained on the paperback list for 35 consecutive weeks. It has since been revised several times and now has more than 1.6 million copies in print. The 30th anniversary edition of the book was published with a new preface, "From an Era of Broken Trust to an Era of Broken Democracy."

Davis is, according to Publishers Weekly, "a go-to guy for historical insight and analysis."

AMERICA'S HIDDEN HISTORY also became a New York Times bestseller. A NATION RISING also uses dramatic narratives to tell the "stories your textbooks left out." His book, THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF AMERICA AT WAR (May 5, 2015) was called "searing" analysis by Publishers Weekly.

Kenneth C. Davis’s success aptly makes the case that Americans don’t hate history, just the dull version they slept through in class. Davis’s approach is to refresh us on the subjects we should have learned in school. He does it by busting myths, setting the record straight, and always remembering that fun is not a four-word letter word.

His IN THE SHADOW OF LIBERTY: THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF SLAVERY, FOUR PRESIDENTS, AND FIVE BLACK LIVES looks at the lives of five people enslaved by four of America's most famous Presidents and the role of slavery in American history and the presidency. In May 2018, MORE DEADLY THAN WAR: The Hidden History of the Spanish Flu and the First World War was published.

STRONGMAN: The Rise of Five Dictators and the Fall of Democracy was published by Holt. It was named among the best books of 2020 by Kirkus Reviews and the Washington Post.

In November 2022 GREAT SHORT BOOKS: A Year of Reading--Briefly was published by SCribner. A compendium of 58 great short works Davis read during the pandemic lock down, it is a joyous celebration of reading.

Coming in October 2024 is THE WORLD IN BOOKS: 52 WORKS OF GREAT SHORT NONFICTION. It is an accessible and comprehensive guide to some of the most influential and important works of nonfiction, from the earliest days of writing to contemporary times. Each entry includes information about the writers behind these consequential books and the time in which they lived.

Reviews

[Ericka Clou · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was good and remarkable in its parallels to our current situation. However, it left me with some questions about about the 1918 and didn’t seem all-encompassing is general. It had a very strong afterword and I strongly recommend that you do not skip that as it provides an important conclusion.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read on the 1st day of government mandated place in shelter lockdown due to the CoVid-19 coronavirus. Spoiler alert, the next global pandemic is not a relapse of the Spanish Flu.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never really thought about WWI and the 1918 flu pandemic as being particularly intertwined- in my mind, they were two terrible events that took place one after the other. This book makes it so evident how very connected these two events were. I was fascinated to read that the flu pandemic may have affected the end of the war significantly, as troops on all sides were falling ill and dying at extreme rates. Just, wow. Intense.

The subject matter is riveting, but I felt like the narrative jumped around quite a bit, both geographically and chronologically. I wished it were a bit more cohesive. Also, I felt like it could have been strengthened by more personal accounts from 1918.

Despite these drawbacks, this book really captures the hysteria and panic surrounding the pandemic- how relentless it was and how powerless people were to prevent it. I found it terribly sad that it took scientists decades to understand the causes of the flu.

Too, the author does an admirable job of addressing the way different populations were affected by the flu, including Native Americans, African Americans, recent immigrants, etc. He drives home the point that this pandemic affected all races, all classes.

I also appreciated the conclusion, which discusses the lasting effects of WWI and the flu hysteria in making America more isolationist. I appreciate the afterword in which the author stresses that a pandemic on this scale could happen again if we're not vigilant: "Ignorance, propaganda, and the deliberate resistance to scientific facts are extremely dangerous attitudes." AMEN.

On a personal note, I picked up this book because the 1918 flu pandemic is part of my family's history. My great-grandmother died from the flu in December 1918 after going to help out her sick neighbors. She left behind her infant daughter, my grandmother.

On page 149, author talks about cowardice as a negative result of the flu hysteria- "many people who turned their backs, too frightened to go to the aid of infected friends or family." Then, over the next few pages, he discusses the plight of flu orphans. It strikes me as very uncharitable that the author accuses people of cowardice for being afraid to help sick folks, even though he spends most of the book talking about how horribly contagious this disease was, and how swiftly it killed. That's quite a mixed message.

My great-grandmother died because she went and helped her flu-stricken neighbors. She only got to spend six months with her sweet baby, and my grandmother grew up without her mother- she was raised by her grandmother and other relatives because her father couldn't raise her alone. Her childhood was not a happy story. It's a tragedy-- but I guess, according to this author, I should be glad my great-grandmother wasn't cowardly? Hmm. I have some complicated feelings about this.

[Fern A · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is something interesting about reading about a past pandemic while in a pandemic. What I learned from this is humans really don’t change much. The Spanish Flu (which had various names most of which were country related and linked to nations opponents in WW1 and therefore political... sound familiar?!) swept the world. As with Covid-19 now there was lots of advice to wear masks (people objected strongly then too), propaganda as to how statistics were collected and released, quarantining and fear that caused people to either react with kindness or horribly to others (numbers of people who were ill starved to death as others wouldn’t help them get supplies). It was interesting to read about the public health advice given out about stitching a cross on the outside of the mask so you knew which side was which and not to touch and also the regulations about boiling them after use.
The book also contains a run down of other pandemics and contagious illnesses from the Black Plague onwards. So much is a direct result of farming practices and mistreatment of animals and nature that leads to the spread of these illnesses. We have long way to go, but hopefully as these patterns become more and more obvious we will learn.
Interesting overall with a few dry sections and a few sections with lots of repetitions.

[Bonnie Grover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Notes I found interesting: To relieve severe coughs, Nancy a Red Cloud fed everyone a teaspoon of kerosene and sugar mixed together. All the Red Cloud family survived.
In the schools the children are under the constant guardianship of medical inspectors. This is part of our system of disease control. If the schools closed at least 1,000,000 would be sent to their homes and become 1,000,000 possibilities for the disease.

The fear, not the disease, threatened to break society apart.

[Jenny Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very interesting on the Spanish flu. The book was written in 2018. It is a foreshadow to our current Covid-19 pandemic. There are similarities to how contagious the flu was in 1918 and also some dissimilarities in the types of populations and impacted.

I’m seeing so many similarities in hoss was people are responding to the pandemic. Same type of propaganda, misinformation is spread from our government and media and a general downplaying of the severity of the virus.

I see similar miss trust in public, same acts of heroism from medical workers, Emptying of shelves, looting, people trying to take advantage of others during the pandemic by significantly increasing the prices of basic goods (like TP and hand sanitizers, during 1918, it was burial plots), snake oil salesmen promising a cure that did nothing and even caused more harm (essential oils, though they aren’t harmful like some 1918 remedies ), Blaming the crisis on another country and even being racist towards groups of people wrongfully blamed for the spread (Even though the 1918 pandemic started mostly in the US, not Spain), downplaying the pandemic by certain governments (USA) In order to prevent panicking and fuel the economy (in 1918 also war efforts). Misinformation ultimately just caused people to make unwise choices and exposed themselves and others to more of the disease and prolonging the spread.... like right now. There are things I can be learned from this though.

How incredibly unfortunate that the very foolish president Trump defunded research and projection from these types of diseases. In 2018, the Trump Administration cut 80 percent of CDC funding used to fight global pandemics. The funding support, which went to training local health professionals and bolstering emergency response across 49 countries, was reduced to just 10 nations. China wasn’t included in the revised list.

I wonder how many lives could have been saved with better leadership.

I’m hoping we get through this and it won’t be as deadly as the Spanish 1918 Influenza.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look at the 1918-1919 flu pandemic and how it affected WWI.

I've read Barry's extensive book on the Spanish flu, so I didn't expect to find much new in this book. I wondered how Davis would present the information for young adults, though. This book did a good job of covering the basics and spent an equal amount of time on the history and science aspects of the flu and WWI. The way it really looked at how the flu impacted WWI at strategic moments was fascinating and a new little twist I found refreshing and insightful (there's an appendix that looks at how other epidemics influenced other critical moments in history that was also interesting). I'd love to assign this as schoolwide reading for middle school and high school around say, oh, October. Right before our flu season here usually hits. It has good information on how the virus spreads and how to prevent spreading it, in addition to providing a fascinating history. Definitely recommended.

Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. Deaths from war wounds and the virus are described in detail (the latter especially...though I've read grosser descriptions).

[Lorianne Reuser · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though it could use tighter editing and more coherency between chapters to avoid that sense of disjunction, this book was incredibly informative and shook me to the core - it upended what I thought I knew about WWI, which I have studied in the past, and has given me another reason to fight against fake news, anti-vaxxers, and climate change deniers. The book traces the rise and the effects of the Spanish Flu pandemic around WWI, often through very human stories that disturb and distress. I had no idea that the death toll was so huge and the disease was so influential in the war - and on the world as it developed after. The collective amnesia around the pandemic is still going strong, and the book closes with a warning on how such ignorance could lead to similarly disastrous situations in the future.

[Rue Baldry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe I should have guessed from the very tabloid title, but this is a very dumbed-down history, full of sensationalised ‘click-bait’-style phrases. It reads like a 13 yr-old’s essay: stating the obvious, quoting real historians, spelling out obvious conclusions and, with the final chapter, preaching some pretty basic morality, too (wow! I wonder whether it ever occurred to anyone else that ignorance is a bad thing? Gosh! Thanks for telling me Mr Davis).

It might be a useful starting point if you know absolutely nothing about world war 1, how viruses work, European or American history etc, in fact if you need to be informed which country Queen Victoria reigned over (that’s spelled out), then you’re the target audience. For the rest of us it’s annoying and patronising.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an interesting book and a very timely read. It's kind of unsettling to think of the author writing this not knowing that, in 3 short years, we'd be facing our own pandemic. Especially notable was the brief part about Frederick Trump, the idiot's grandfather. You'd think his own grandfather's deadly bout with the Spanish Flu would move him in some way to have a better response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but naaahhh...

[Katrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's mind-blowing to read about things that happened over 100 years ago mirror what we are facing today. Also incredibly interesting how almost all mentions of the global pandemic were wiped from history books.

[Kerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting and, in light of recent events, pretty scary.

[Shirley Porterfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a teen/young adult book, so perhaps not as in depth or focused as it would be if written for adults. Still, a nice overview of the 1918 pandemic and a short history of WWI to boot. The illustrations, mostly propaganda posters, are great! For an adult version, I recommend the book by John Barry, titled The Great Influenza.

[Bryan Seaford]

I appreciated the parallels to the global response to the current coronavirus outbreaks, and also the connection of the Spanish Flu to the outcome of World War I.

[Brooke ♥booklife4life♥]

**no ratings for non-fiction**

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to Come

[Everydayreader1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Spanish flu that swept the world in 1918 is still considered the worst outbreak of disease in modern history. Professor Davis traces the Spanish flu outbreak, its migration, its scope and its effects on the United States and around the world. He tells the story through newspaper articles, research and photographs.

The Spanish flu has interested me because my paternal grandmother dies as a result of complications from it, leaving behind my dad, at age 16, and my aunt, at age 12. My dad came home to find her dead, and he was the one who had to break the news. No one expected her to die. She had been quite ill, but was doing well with her recovery, and they thought she was well enough to be left alone while the family went to work and school. I can't begin to imagine how difficult that must have been, especially for my dad and my aunt, at that age.

The detail in this book is superb. I could visualize much of it, as I read. People literally dropped in the streets. One minute they were alive and going about their business, and the next, dead. That is how virulent the Spanish flu could be, though, of course, it wasn't always so. The other thing that fascinated me about this book was the US government's response and the way in which the military responded to the outbreak. And, in the Afterward, Professor Davis writes about the possibility of this happening again. Scary stuff!

If you have an intrust in this topic, history and/or World War I, I recommend you read this book. It has something to offer on several levels.

[Valerie McEnroe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two birds with one stone. This book covers the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918 and its connection to World War I. The U.S. entered World War I very late in the game. When soldiers went off to Camp Funston in Kansas and Camp Devens in Massachusetts, the Spanish Flu Epidemic exploded. Men were dropping like flies. 100 dying every day. Close, cramped quarters were a micro-organism's dream environment. Ships carrying soldiers across the Atlantic were breeding grounds. U.S. soldiers passed the disease to their ally, the French, who in turn passed it to their enemy, the Germans. In the end, it became a world-wide epidemic, killing 50 million people. 1/5 of the world's population was affected. The severity probably brought about a quicker end to the war.

In fascinating detail and photography, Kenneth Davis brings this often over-looked disease into the spotlight. From the very beginning, when he talks about a small community in Alaska devastated by the disease, you'll be hooked. This is my favorite nonfiction children's book about disease. Highly recommend to kids interested in the medical field.

[MusicalMommy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written for children/teens, I believe. It was a Washington Post, "Best Children's Book of the Month", however; I didn't feel like it was a young person's book at all. I was captivated by the story-telling and learned many many things. It was a fascinating read---from a biology, political and historical point of view. I borrowed the book from the library in light of the Covid-19 virus because I wanted to learn about the Spanish flu, as the media was mentioning it a lot and making comparisons to it. The early chapters were not an easy to read, as they describe what it was like to die from the Spanish flu. I wasn't sure I could finish the book because the descriptions just made me more alarmed about the Covid-19! I persevered and it was easier to read after that (somewhat). If you're not the panicky type, then it would be a good read during these uncertain times. If you are, then I suggest that you wait and read it sometime in the future.

[Lindsay McBride · Rating 5 out of 5]

“One lesson of the Spanish flu is that information, education, and cooperation are the best antidote to fend off ignorance and propaganda.” I think sometimes in a climate of fear and uncertainty the best thing you can do is dive into the facts so that’s why I started reading this book. Davis does an incredible job showing the way that the Spanish flu impacted as well as was impacted by WWI. His writing style made nonfiction read like a narrative while weaving in countless primary sources. I also love how he focused on the positive effects of the Spanish flu as well. It left me a lot more informed but also confident that we can learn and grow whenever disaster strikes.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent overview of the 1918 Flu and how it related to the first World War. Suitable for younger readers but of interest to all. Amid the current Coronavirus pandemic, the author's final conclusions are even more relevant and important. Speaking of science, the author noted the following:

"While researchers warn about the potential return of another flu pandemic, some established medical facts about vaccines are being challenged. That makes it more important than ever to be cautious or even skeptical about our sources of information. Facts matter. The truth matters. We must safeguard medical facts based on soundly gathered evidence and not allow unsubstantiated opinions to blur scientific knowledge."

[Aud · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clearly written, very accessible for about 6 - 9th grade students. It does a good job of explaining aspects of the war and the flu and how they interacted and impacted each other. The backmatter is excellent. Kids who are interested in the subject will like this book, and kids assigned this topic will find this readable and not a chore, so I call it a win!

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

2018 marks the hundredth anniversary of the Spanish flu, the worse disease outbreak in modern times. Readers will be shocked to learn that the flu took more lives than were lost in combat. Relying on impeccable research and personal accounts of those that lived through the flu, the author traces its origins and places it within the historical context of WWI and its aftermath. This account is written as though it were a mystery to solve, which it is, of course--a medical mystery concerning a virus that behaved in unexpected and deadly ways. My heart broke every time I read about all those young recruits heading into camp, providing the virus with even more victims. Fascinatingly, the book also includes information about medical practices in those days, leading readers to surmise that it was probably a wonder that anyone who became sick survived. There are stories of famous individuals such as author Katherine Anne Porter, cartoonist Walt Disney, and future President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and President Woodrow Wilson, all of whom battled the flu with different results. The inclusion of a timeline with Milestones in Medical History is sobering and intriguing, by turns, making this account of the misnamed "Spanish" flu, even more relevant, particularly when considering the recent health threats presented by bird flu, Ebola, and the Zika virus. As readers learn, the flu had nothing to do with the country of Spain and did not originate there. I felt as though I was right there on the medical front lines, helplessly watching as those around me died and I could do nothing to save them. This book is a great choice for curious middle grade and teen readers, especially those anticipating a medical career or with a penchant for history. I savored every word and wanted more, but I can promise that anyone reading this book will become even more vigilant about hand washing or touching doors with their hands since the virus can live on surfaces for several hours. Perhaps they'll want to avoid crowds as well as the result of reading this account of the deadly influenza.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells the horrid tale of the Spanish Flu/ Purple Death pandemic of 1918. "This was not an epidemic but a pandemic - a widespread outbreak of a killer disease - that eventually swept over the whole world. From the spring of 1918 and on through the winter of 1919-20, waves of influenza deluged the world like a global tsunami." To make matters worse, WWI was going on and soldiers carried and spread it. Historically, "... disease typically kills more soldiers in wartime than combat does." One example given of an army hospital designed to accommodate 2000 men contained more than 8000 desperately sick soldiers. "Urine, feces, and blood were everywhere. Many of the soldiers - healthy, normal young men in their twenties when they arrived in camp - were turning blue, the telltale cyanosis, a deadly sign of death. And then there were the piles of corpses. They crowded the hallways."
In 2005, researchers were able to resurrect the culprit virus - an avian strain of influenza. Although there are still many questions left unanswered, hopefully some valuable lessons have been learned. "Understanding established facts and relying on knowledge to counteract fake news and outright propaganda is one of the most important lessons to be learned from the story of the Spanish flu."

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It got a little repetitive at times - the chapter format went by perspective, so some times/events were brought up multiple times in different chapters - but More Deadly Than War was a good overview of the course and ramifications of the 1918 flu pandemic. The book was clearly written with a younger audience in mind (perhaps middle to high schoolers) but the author still takes pains to convey the gravity of the pandemic, what communities went through, and the trauma experienced both by those who died of the illness and, moreover, those who survived it. I also like how Davis spent the last part of the book realistically discussing the continuous threat of disease and the looming spectre of epidemics/pandemics. He doesn't go to either extreme; there's no ringing of five alarm bells, but there's also no "everything will be fine, there's absolutely no need to worry" statements. He presents a balanced take, discussing risk, emerging threats, and contributing factors as well as discussing ongoing steps by various international agencies to keep an eye out for, contain, and treat possible outbreaks. All in all, I very much liked More Deadly Than War, and it is a book that I would recommend.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like many people today, COVID-19 has piqued my interest in the Spanish Influenza, the second most lethal pandemic in history after the Black Death. According to 'More Deadly Than War,' the Spanish flu probably killed close to 100 million people, about 1/20th of those alive at the time.

I found this book an excellent primer on the topic. It didn't occur to me it was a YA book until I saw how short it was - 169 pages, including many pictures and notes. I learned much that I didn't know. Where did the Spanish Flu originate? How did it get its name? What well-known people suffered and died from it? The author expands the topic to other plagues in history and speculates on how they altered world events.

The book was published in 2018, before COVID-19, but feels especially relevant to today. The primary advice to avoid catching the Spanish Flu was: wash your hands, maintain a social distance and avoid crowds. This sounds familiar.

The author also touches on the psychological impact of living through a pandemic and notes how easily fear can spread. That's something to remember and ward against, during our troubled time.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Spanish" flu seems to have started in the United States. Called this because Spanish media only one reporting it. Everyone else was busy with war effort (WWI) and don't want to seem weak.

Takes out more than Americans. Decimates large and small countries. Stories of how it affected Native American community. One able to cut back with separating. Another just did tribal dances.

History of how WWI began. Three of the countries's monarchs were related and wanted control. Everyone told their people it would be over soon. Talks about how spread throughout Europe. Changed WWI and how things went for the Treaty because Wilson was very ill and didn't hold firm on things he said he would.

Talks about more recent illnesses and how animals and insects help spread.

Global warming will allow more tropical diseases spread farther and faster.

That false stories and propaganda makes outcomes worse.

Epidemics play larger part in shaping many civilizations and the significant moments.
Appendixes tell timeline of epidemics and CDC and flu.

Like the way her humanizes things.

[Jessica Heck · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is particularly timely and piqued my interest quickly. I’m not sure if it would have had the same effect if we weren’t battling coronavirus, but I imagine it would. Great information and pictures from the time period along with a great balance of facts and personal stories.
My only complaint would be that sometimes there is overlapping information. I would often read a quote that I had read several pages before. That’s probably because this book wasn’t necessarily meant to be read cover to cover but to serve more as a reference book.
Oh, and this is technically classified as a juvenile nonfiction book, but it’s pretty grim for kids, especially during the coronavirus outbreak. So adult eyes only, for sure. But really, the only thing that designates it as a youth book is that the author explains some terms that would be common knowledge to an adult. But I’m terrible at history, so I didn’t mind the extra explanations here and there.

[BJ Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

After I finished Davis's 2018 frighteningly prescient account of the Spanish Flu, I could not help but wonder how different the past year might have been if this history were better known. But the pandemic that began in 1918, like the World War with which it is deeply entwined, are not success stories. On the whole, the United States is far more interested in repeating perceived triumphs than in learning from mistakes and failures.
During my time as an independent bookseller, I learned that there is treasure on the often-hidden shelves of YA nonfiction; More Deadly Than War is certainly a precious find. Bolstered with photographs and images of posters and signs--the era's 'social media'--historian Davis's account traces the pandemic from beginning to end. Along the way, he illuminates the social issues that shaped its story. There is much to learn, including, perhaps, the lesson that the US should not wait a hundred years to learn from its present experience.