An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic Plague of 1793 by JIm Murphy

Bibliography
Murphy, Jim. 2003. An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793. New York: Clarion Books.

ISBN: 0-395-77608-2

Summary
A true account of the yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia, during 1793, leaving thousands dead.

Critical Analysis
Non-fiction and fiction author, Jim Murphy tells the interesting, true story of the Yellow Fever epidemic in Philadelphia during 1793 in his book: An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793.

Murphy does an excellent job of providing accurate information of this epidemic story. He uses information found in letters, journals, newspapers, and other documents to support the story. At the beginning of chapters, excerpts of actual time-period newspapers are included. Additionally, illustrations through out the book support the story. At the end of the book, Murphy includes a list of all sources consulted in the making of this book. The sources are listed in categories, making it very user-friendly.

The organization of An American Plague is written sequentially. The epidemic occurs in 1793, over the course of several months. Murphy uses dates and times, through out the story to document the events. This also helps make the story easy to follow. In fact, each chapter begins with a specific date.

The design of the story provides support for the time period. The simple illustrations are basic in black and white. The use of black and white is appropriate for a story of this time period. The newspaper excerpts appropriately complement the text. The reader can feel like they are reading the newspaper of 1793. The author does mentions very few actual visual documents actually exist from this event in American history. The images he does include replicate, to the best extent they can, the actual events, providing natural support to the text.

Murphy has told a true story that is interesting and intriguing. Murphy has taken a part of American history and presented in a way that is clear, precise, and inviting to read. An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 is an award book in several categories, including the Robert F. Sibert Award and the Orbis Pictus Award. Murphy's story well-deserving of the many awards, and should be enjoyed by young and old.

Review Excerpts
Kirkus Review states, "Powerful, evocative prose carries along the compelling subject matter. Even as the narrative places readers in the moment with quotations, the design aids and abets this, beginning each chapter with reproductions from contemporary newspapers and other materials, as well as placing period illustrations appropriately throughout the text" (2003).

Horn Book reports, "Quoting diverse voices, from private diaries to published accounts, Murphy fills in the picture of a devastated town . . . . Everywhere, Murphy is attentive to telling detail; he offers representative images in the illustrations, from black-and-white portraits of figures in the narrative to plague scenes themselves, often taken from (clearly labeled) European settings when the visual record didn't exist for Philadelphia" (2003).

Review excerpts accessed from http://www.titlewave.com/

Connections
Other non-fiction stories by Jim Murphy:
The Great Fire
Blizzard!
A Young Patriot: The American Revolution as Experienced by One Boy
The Boys' War
The Long Road to Gettysburg
Inside the Alamo
Across America on an Emigrant Train
Pick and Shovel Poet: The Journeys of Pascal D'Angelo
Gone A-Whaling: The Lure of the Sea and the Hunt of the Great Whale

"This is a really good story. Can I check it out after you are finished?"--Jazmyn (4th grader)