One hundred years ago, the 1918 Influenza Pandemic affected the entire world. While the true number of deaths is unknowable, the most commonly accepted estimates range between 20-50 million victims. Of the 231,000 residents of Westmoreland County at that time, over 41,000 were infected with approximately 1,750 estimated deaths.
This spring and summer, join people across Westmoreland County in reading Laura Spinney’s Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World. Pale Rider traces the overlooked 1918 influenza pandemic to reveal how the virus travelled across the globe, exposing mankind’s vulnerability and putting our ingenuity to the test. Drawing on the latest research in history, virology, epidemiology, psychology and economics, Pale Rider masterfully recounts the little-known catastrophe that forever changed humanity.
Book discussions are scheduled for across the county and run from mid-April to late August. Click here to view a full list of discussion locations.