Crisis in the Red Zone: The Story of the Deadliest Ebola Outbreak in History, and of the Outbreaks to Come

Crisis in the Red Zone is a layman accessible and terrifying real-life narrative about the 2014 Ebola outbreak in Africa and internationally, its development, and eventual (partial) containment. Part detective thriller, part popular science and epidemiology, it captured me from the first page. The author has managed to humanize the headlines we all read at the time and make them more personal and more real.

Released 23rd July 2019 by Random House, it's 400 pages and available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats.

He writes well and authoritatively on the science behind the scenes, and about the healthcare professionals and support staff who sacrificed themselves to contain the epidemic. The heroic, almost superhuman efforts of the doctors and nurses made my heart ache for the horrifying loss of life to the merciless enemy that is Ebola.

The book follows a rough timeline with interconnections in the form of the individuals (where known) who were infected by people they came into contact with and infected others in turn. The background research is impressive and seems quite meticulous. There is a glossary, and map info in the final release version of the book.

It's unclear from the publishing info available online, but the eARC I received also has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references. I hope the ebook release version does also. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This book would make a superlative book club selection for non-fiction readers, as well as fans of layman science.  It's a terrifying read, even more so because it's non-fiction. It is extremely graphic in places and readers will want to be clear on the fact that the progression of the disease is horrific, resulting in death in approximately 50% of the cases.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.