Chapter 15 - The Plague

As we go into our second full month with virus containment activities, it occurred to me that there have been a lot of books written about surviving horrible things that are not within anyone's control. Some of the books are medical mysteries, some fall into the horror genre, others are nonfiction and still others fall into a more philosophical discussion.

Psychologists tell us that during times of stress or hardship we sometimes reach for those things which can't really hurt us, to read. It is during these times that horror stories or movies boom.

The theme of all these seem to be we can get through this, have resilience, listen to those who tell you what to do, don't panic, and have compassion for others. All good messages as we continue to go about our lives, doing our best to comply with government mandates.

Here are some books which might help us put our current situation in perspective.

The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey - Melanie is a special little girl and doctors are trying to discover why. While many in society have a virus that makes them flesh-eating zombies, some children have brain power but are also flesh-eaters. Doctors have imprisoned the children to experiment and find a antidote to the virus.

Outbreak by Robin Cook - A fast spreading disease with no cure takes over America. A clever doctor tries to uncover the reason and finds many medical secrets. This was also a terrific movie.

The Stand by Stephen King - King's take on an apocalyptic event with only a few survivors is, of course, chilling and totally Stephen King!

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood - The queen of dystopian fiction once again succeeds in weaving a masterful tale. The Snowman lives in a desolate world and ruminates about his time spent with his friends, Oryx and Crake, and what went wrong to change their world.

The Plague by Albert Camus - The plague is a story of an epidemic in the Algerian city of Oran. Once the bubonic plague is identified as the culprit, the city is put under quarantine. People rebel against being away from their loved ones and that is when the trouble begins.

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks - As the plague spreads in 1666 England, people call for the town wise woman to be killed as she is a witch and clearly is causing the disease. As the plague hits home after home, civil disorder prevails and chaos ensues.

Do you have any books to recommend to get us through this scary time?