Field Notes from a Pandemic: A Journey Through a World Suspended

by Ethan Lou (Author, Narrator)

Equal parts travelogue and pandemic guide, journalist Ethan Lou examines the societal effects of COVID-19 and takes us on a mesmerizing journey around a world that will never be the same.

Visiting Beijing in January to see his dying grandfather, Canadian journalist Ethan Lou unknowingly walks into a state under siege. In his journey out of China and into other hot zones in Asia and Europe, he finds himself witnessing the very earliest stages of a virus that will forever change the world as we know it.

Lou argues that Coronavirus will have a far greater impact than SARS, for example, simply because China is now many more times integrated with the increasingly interconnected world. Over decades, globalization has crafted a world painfully sensitive and susceptible to shocks such as this pandemic. A crisis like it has thus been long overdue--and we have yet to see it unfold fully. In our integrated world, events that may previously be isolated now ripple farther and wider and in ways we do not expect and cannot foresee. We have not seen the worst, and if and when we outlast this pandemic, nothing will ever be the same--not just healthcare systems but also economies, politics and culture. Decisions now--or indecisions--will shape and define the world for decades.

These ideas are fleshed out through the virus's spawning and how it spread, the unprecedented measures to contain it and an examination of past pandemics and other crises and how they shaped the world--and an argument for why this one's different. Lou shows how drastically the virus has transformed the world and charts the greater and more radical shifts to come. His ideas and arguments are framed around his journey around the world, whose path the virus seemed to follow until he landed safely in quarantine in a small town in Germany where he was able to take stock and start telling his story.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Science, Audiobook, History, Biography, Medical

6 pages, Audiobook

First published September 29, 2020

About the author

I am on Reddit at u/ethan_lou.

Reviews

[Ethan Lou]

Mediocre read, but the author is handsome.

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the book, read by the author. Journalists Ethan Lou recounts his experience in China, Singapore and Germany in the first months of the pandemic. It was fascinating (and sometimes unsettling) reminder of how COVID-19 swept across the world and changed the way we live pretty much overnight.

I was very much interested in the author’s commentary on past plagues, their effect on societal changes, and the role of government.

Highly recommend.

[Leah Moore Woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks, Libro.fm and Signal Books for the advanced audiobook version. The author did a great job as the reader, I recommend reading the book as an audiobook!

This is a really interesting and well written account of traveling during the first months of 2020. In the early days of Covid-19, he travels through China, Taiwan, and Germany, where he ends up staying for a month or so, before wrestling with travel restrictions and canceled flights to make it back to Toronto.
Since the author is a Canadian/Chinese journalist, who grew up in Germany and Taiwan and now lives in Toronto, his perspective is fascinating.

I love memoirs written by journalists - they are always so readable, and less introspective then memoirs written by novelists.

[Mary Curran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written account of the author’s travels during the beginning months of Covid 19. The bibliography is an excellent one. I chuckled when I saw Ethan’s Goodread comment about his own book, hardly mediocre Ethan, but you are handsome as you claim. I became aware of Ethan’s book watching one of the many virtual author festivals I’ve attended this Fall.
Stay safe all, we are nearly at the end of this craziness.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best things I read this year. Couldn't put it down. Ethan describes his scenes vividly. The characters are fully fleshed out. The analysis was good as well. The author has a unique take on things and a fascinating mind.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great book! Well written and interesting. He talked about his trip that changed drastically because of the pandemic as well as information how things have changed after pandemics in the past. It was quite informative.

[Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it!

[Ulrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

laughed out loud at times. ethan is quite funny and unexpectedly so

[Janet Hutchinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting perspective on the pandemic from an author who left Canada just ahead of lockdowns and the pandemic surge, both in China and in the rest of the world. He intersperses his experiences with some historical takes, from the Black Plague, to 9-11. Some of the stats are interesting, if not horrifying (had the States locked down one week earlier, they could have prevented 35,000 deaths). A timely read.

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be an interesting read about the pandemic and how it was handled in different parts of the world. Lou had a year-long multi country trip planned when his plans went awry when landing at his first stop - Beijing, China the country of his birth. He was in at the beginning of the crisis and day by day more and more things were closed to him. He was lucky to make one quick visit to his grandparents but was thrown out of the care home partway through his visit when they received directions to lockdown. He cut short his visit to China, and unable to enter Hong Kong, went to his parents in Singapore before travelling on to Europe where he spent much of the year staying in a friends flat in Beyreuth Germany the country he lived in for his primary school years. His personal observations are combined with some medical information, some history, particularly as it pertained to other historical pandemics such at the Black Death and the 1918 Spanish flu. He eventually returned somewhat early to Canada, his current home, and endured many of the tribulations that came to be associated with international travel at that time. At times he seemed a little cavalier in his personal response to the pandemic, for example not masking when he should have done, and breaking lockdown rules about visiting a friend. He also got bogged down occasionally in things that did not seem to relate to the pandemic or pandemics in general. He includes an extensive bibliography.

[Mala Ashok · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unfortunately for Ethan Lou of Toronto he was in Beijing on the Eve of Chinese New Year 2020 just as Wuhan was being locked completely to spread the Corona Virus. He had gone there to see his ailing grandfather and was very fortunate that he managed to see him before the home he was in stopped allowing visitors. After that all his plans went awry because of COVID 19. Yet, I would have to describe his experience as fortunate because he has come out with a remarkable book. His book is not only a first person account of what he encountered as he traveled through the COVID hot spots but also an in depth analysis of the geopolitical factors which have made the pandemic what it is. This book will be valid for years to come but to read it as a lived experience is all the more interesting for us.

[Riccardo Lo Monaco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty well-done considering the pandemic is still full swing. I appreciate the value of an account like this to future historians, and I also love what he did in interweaving culture, politics, and history into his reflections on what he was seeing firsthand. Enjoyable for sure.

[Hannah Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

An insightful and thoughtful look at the modern world and the systems and structures that have impacted the lived experience of COVID and the pandemic around the world

[Wendelle]

This book is the personal account of a Canadian journalist who was traveling to different countries just as pandemic security measures were being imposed on each country. Thus, the author is able to recount the stark changes in daily life in the corners of China, Singapore, and Germany that he was able to visit. This book is definitely a well written if privileged take- Lou rejoices for the ease of travel which globalization has wrought upon the globe, and the worldliness of him and his well-traveled peers, failing to underscore that such advantages are reserved for the elite few. Furthermore, it's hard to sympathize with his impetuous attitude toward the safety measures of the countries he visits- he is flippant about a friend's request that he observe the 14-day quarantine suggestion in Singapore and he would illicitly rendezvous with his friend in Germany despite regulations against trysts with non-household members. I kind of found it dubious that he was so nonchalant and unrepentant about transgressing lockdown measures in a country one is a guest in. Furthermore, there are long passages that aren't particularly insightful- there are some rather prosaic elaborations of how globalization has connected everyone for better and for worse, and some of the most meaningful insights in the book were borrowed liberally - but with attribution-- from Snowden's book 'Epidemics and Society'. Still, it's always good to read a well-written additional book on the literature of the current pandemic. I especially liked his insight about how crisis points, such as pandemics, in history have often redelineated the contract between the state and its people, in terms of setting the new normal or baseline of expectations of what the government provisions its people. Thus, crises have either expanded the welfare state or bolstered an authoritarian state.

[Brittany Hooker · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am angry at this book.

I was looking for a new perspective of a responsible person who was caught travelling during the pandemic. Instead I got a privileged, irresponsible, child who decided to bunny hop from country to county instead of responsibly flying home.

All this book was to me was deflection, deflection, deflection, “Covid is not my problem” and I was NOT into it.

Ultimately a disappointing book and also disappointing to know people actually continued to travel at the expense of other people’s lives.

Giving two stars because I appreciate the research and writing. The content was disappointing.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully readable, funny, and incisive look at the effects of COVID-19 on globalization, open borders, and liberalism as a Canadian journalist tries to make his way home amidst global lockdowns and border closures. You wouldn't expect it of a book on the pandemic, but I laughed out loud several times. I was initially hesitant to read this book because I didn't want something super depressing, and it was anything but. Definitely put this on your to-read list.

[y · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Beautifully written.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would have benefited from the inclusion of more dates in the text. Sympathetic account despite being among the people who were still travelling long past Canadian requests for travellers to return.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Timely and an interesting perspective on the pandemic.

[chantel nouseforaname · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ethan Lou provided a first-hand perspective on the pandemic as someone who was traveling through various countries and not always taking the necessary precautions while in the eastern hemisphere at the outset of the pandemic. He captured the concerns of his well-to-do friends and some uppity nobodies but I felt this was disconnected from the experience of the people on the ground in any of the countries he made his way through. It was self-reflective/exploratory yes, but his personal intersections did not make it interesting or relatable. The most interesting segments were where he discussed COVID’s impact on his extended family, his parents seemingly early understanding the potential severity from jump, their adaptability to masks and how the pandemic has created even more distance between families who barely saw each other to begin with.

Although it was interesting to read about his experience trying to get through checkpoints and booking flights, I found my judgmental nature rising up nonstop. He was trying to find a place to enjoy his pandemic or to feel wanted as he attempted to escape from the type of depression/isolation that most people are experiencing in their identified country. Must be nice to feel like you have a choice of where in the world you want to spend your pandemic as you grapple with the concept of wondering just how serious things are.

This book seems like one of the first in a long series of pending reflections on the pandemic. I can’t wait to read artists/medical staff/the elderly’s reflections on isolation, confusion, etc. I think there will be something to be gained from those reflections and contributions to society.

The part of this effort that I appreciated most was the huge selected bibliography featuring article after article that as this pandemic worsens we’ll no doubt want to come back to. Thank you Ethan Lou for that!

[Jen W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to the audiobook which was read by the author. Strongly recommend the audio for this one as you can feel the authors emotion coming through as he describes his journey through the early days of the COVID pandemic in Asia and his travel struggles to get back home to Canada. He shares some valuable insight and reflections throughout this memoir and I really enjoyed the authors perspective not only as a journalist but as a person trying to manage their way through unprecedented times. Resilience and working together through COVID are two themes that I am taking away from this book.
Solid 3.5-4 ⭐️

[Jill Robbertze · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a first-hand account of what a journalist experienced while travelling in China and Europe during the first several months of the Covid 19 Pandemic. It was interesting to read about some of the differences and similarities of the way other countries responded to this crisis. Personally, I felt that there was a little too much political comment that I found less interesting, which I tended to skim over. Overall an interesting read.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of this book had some good insights about the pandemic.

But this book really was a little on the reckless side - traveling during a global pandemic.
This is kind of why we are in this situation.

#stayhome

2.8/5

[Karen G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read which covered more than just COVID 19 included some history, politics, economics etc with respect to pandemics.

[Kristopher]

It was interesting, well written, and worth the read. The facts and politics tidbits were peppered throughout, but most interesting was the startling privilege it laid out. Not just that he went to travel/vacation for a year when the pandemic started, but his attitude and behavior throughout the book.

He often acted like a selfish child, recklessly ignoring most restrictions everywhere he went and sulking when he couldn't make everything he wanted happen(some places not being open, some friends declining to break restrictions to hang out). Some examples being: Friends asking why he isnt quarantining, eating or going out every day with friends, being annoyed his friends cancelled some of their planned vacation time during the pandemic, sulking resentfully because a museum wasnt open when he wanted to go to it, constantly breaking restrictions as he travels and making plans to visit as many people as he can, and finally deciding that despite advice he wouldn't go home on schedule but prolong his travels because it was a better to 'suffer'(ignore) restrictions while on vacation.

I am glad it was openly written about since I found not just the priviledge that was interesting but the moments where the author seemed to pat himself on the back for not publicly guilting, shaming, or creating drama about friends who cancelled plans.

[Joanne Mcleod · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a frontline healthcare worker, with all the very real threats to one’s own life and well-being within extremely close proximity, it was very difficult, even more traumatic, to follow what was happening elsewhere in the world with the evolving pandemic. Now having thankfully lived through hopefully the worst of COVID-19, it was a worthy read of the very personalized but globally relevant and well-written narrative by Ethan Lou on the progression of the pandemic. He also has an interesting and thought provoking discourse on the political catalysts and repercussions of the pandemic. I, along with the author, hope that political leaders and people in general will see, the only real preparation we can take in future to even hope to prevent such catastrophic events is with working together for the well-being of all members of society. Let’s hope we can find our common goal and sense of community before we experience even more negative fallout from this pandemic.

[nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This captivating book proved to be a rewarding and engaging read. Despite initially hesitating due to the events of 2020, I found the transition from 2023 to 2024 the perfect time to dive into its well-crafted narrative. Lou skillfully combines personal anecdotes of a disrupted trip with insightful historical perspectives not just on the COVID-19 pandemic but on the other pandemics that happened in the past—providing readers with an immersive and informative experience. The meticulous research is evident in the excellent bibliography, enhancing the overall value of the book. It succeeds in capturing the essence of a tumultuous period and illuminating the broader implications of global events.

[Jamaica Tan · Rating 3 out of 5]

What was initially a planned getaway trip to visit friends and family halfway around the globe turned out to be a trip to be remembered for life.

Field notes from a pandemic weaved in the travelogue and COVID-19 experience by Journalist, Ethan Lou. Despite only picking up this book "Post Covid", it still brings to the table memories of the early COVID-19 scenes where people started donning face masks, snatching toilet papers off the shelves, and airports filled with people trying to get a ticket back to hometown before the lockdown kicks in. Not to mentioned, Lou cleverly weaved in political and economic tension to further demonstrate the upheaval caused by the pandemic.

[BallHer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was prepared to give this book 3 stars because it didn’t start out with any information that we didn’t know, having lived through the COVID pandemic. Things changed at the halfway mark and the author provides thought analysis and discussion points that I had not heard reported before. I learned more about the global response and socioeconomic decisions of international countries regarding the pandemic.

[Samantha Nowatzke · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book got really good reviews when it came out in 2020 so I had it on my to-read list but didn't get around to reading it until recently so it was incredibly outdated. I wouldn't go back and read it at this point but it was a good perspective at the time it came out.