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A History of the World in Six Plagues
Edna Bonhomme / English / 2025 / 320 Pages
What do epidemics reveal about our society? This compelling book examines six epidemics—from cholera to COVID-19—to shed new light on issues of power, inequality, and exclusion. It blends history, cultural criticism, biography, and memoir into a multifaceted analysis, demonstrating how colonialism, racism, gender, and class shape our experiences of illness. Inspired by voices such as Susan Sontag and Toni Morrison, the book offers a complex perspective on global interconnections, encouraging further reflection on how a just society might be possible.
Credits
| Year | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Pages | 320 |
| ISBN | 978-1982197834 |
| Author | Edna Bonhomme |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Atria/One Signal Publishers |
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Edna Bonhomme
Edna Bonhomme is an American critic, journalist, and historian. Her book A History of the World in Six Plagues was shortlisted for a 2025 science book prize. A graduate of Princeton University’s Ph.D. program in History of Science, her research examines contagion, epidemics, and toxicity by asking: what makes people sick? As a journalist, she investigates disorders, medical experiments, reproductive health, and toxicity. She teaches at the Berlin University of the Arts and is based in Berlin.
