First book in my Book Club series will be the following:
The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story
by Richard Preston
The dramatic and chilling story of an Ebola virus outbreak in a surburban Washington, D.C. laboratory, with descriptions of frightening historical epidemics of rare and lethal viruses. More hair-raising than anything Hollywood could think of, because it's all true.
In 1989, an obscure filovirus travels from the African rain forest to a lab near Washington, D.C. where the monkeys quickly sicken and die. Preston traces the history of the Warburg and Ebola filoviruses in minute, horrific detail that is as fascinating to read as it is alarming to contemplate. These filoviruses have the capability to mutate and possibly cross species. There are extraneous descriptions of scenery and of the characters' lives, but these passages serve to relieve the mounting tension and terror as the virus spreads and the CDC, the Army, and a private firm work out a containment plan to prevent a mass epidemic. Readers interested in science or fans of Stephen King or Michael Crichton will find this a fast-paced medical chiller right to the last disturbing page.
Quotes:
"A hot virus from the rain forest lives within a twenty-four-hour plane flight from every city on earth." Part 1, Chapter 1, Page 16.
"The kill rate in humans infected with Ebola Zaire is nine out of ten." Part 1, Chapter 3, Page 38
** Please let me know if you plan on reading along. I expect to start reading this sometime next week. **
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