The Moral Contagion by Julia Hauser and Sarnath Banerjee

Book Name : The Moral Contagion

Author : Julia Hauser

Illustrator : Sarnath Banerjee

Genre : History

Language : English

Format : Paperback 

Book Extent : 140 pages 

Price : ₹699/-

Publishing House : HarperCollins

Publication Date : 15th January, 2024

ISBN : 978-9356996205

My Rating : 3/5

Blurb :

I wake up shivering and with a sore throat. Is it Covid? I grab a test kit and wait for the result. Luckily all is well. Most likely I have just caught a harmless cold…

This scenario has become painfully familiar to us. India was one of the countries hit hardest by the Covid pandemic, with a tragically high number of casualties. The pandemic also made some things an integral part of our lives: wearing masks, sanitizing, social distancing, isolating oneself.

None of this, however, is unique-even though the Covid virus was a new one. Over the centuries, wave after wave of the devastating plague pandemic had impacted humanity in similar ways, and the responses to the threats it posed had been similar too. From sixth-century Constantinople and fourteenth-century Europe to Islamic Spain, seventeenth-century London, eighteenth-century Aleppo, and Hong Kong, Bombay, San Francisco and South Africa in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the history of the plague is, in a way, the story of modern civilization.

The Moral Contagion is an insightful and absorbing take on that story. Based on Julia Hauser’s rigorous scholarship and enhanced by Sarnath Banerjee’s wry illustrations, this utterly gripping book playfully melds meticulous research with imaginative storytelling to create a graphic narrative about pandemics and reflect on how societies and individuals tend to react when faced with an adversary that is, literally, larger than life.

Review :

25th March, 2020

COVID 19

Lockdown

Do these words evoke a feeling of a fear in you? Well, then skip this book which is an illustrative history of plague.

Are you intrigued by the history of Covid or plagues and how it all came into picture? Then, this book is for you.

Rightly named as The Moral Contagion, Julia Hauser with her pen and Sarnath Banerjee through his paintbrush, takes us through the history of plague pandemic and how it has impacted the human life.

They take us through the journey of pandemics from the sixth century London and fourteenth century Europe to Islamic Spain, seventeenth century London, eighteenth century Aleppo, late nineteenth century Bombay, Hong Kong, San Francisco and that in early twentieth century.

The medical effects of these diseases are the not the only ones being seen, the ones on the mind, society and relationships. The moral aspect of this pandemic has been explored in the text along with the history.

Julia Hauser’s extensive descriptions are balanced by Sarnath Banerjee’s wonderful art. I wished for a lesser descriptive book and more breezy writing.

Thanks to HarperCollins India for providing me with the review copy in lieu of an honest review.