22 Public Health & Infectious Disease Books

Over the past two weeks people have increasingly spent time at home, often turning to television series and movies to distract themselves from being in the same place for days on end. But as the Netflix series dry up and the scary, pandemic-based movies run out, many are turning to books as a means of entertainment and education. 

And with the growing awareness of public health, global health, and diseases there has been an interest in learning more about the history and incredible stories associated with some of the world’s greatest challenges and most inspiring stories.

When it comes to infectious disease and public health efforts, real life is often stranger - and more entertaining - than fiction. 

With that in mind (and numerous requests for recommendations), We set out to make a list of the books that will entertain, educate, and open up an entirely new world for those without a background in public health or infectious disease. This list is certainly not all-inclusive, and can in no way be ranked. For your sanity, it does not include textbooks or medical literature. The books listed are both enjoyable to read and leave the reader feeling like they know more about the world around them. Many are inspiring, despite the harsh realities and inequalities they present. And all are true stories, as told by those in the fight for better health.

Here are our top 20 recommendations for infectious disease and public health books to read while surviving an infectious disease pandemic:  
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1. The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic - And How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World
   By Steven Johnson
2. Parasite Rex: Inside the Bizarre World of Nature's Most Dangerous Creatures
   By Carl Zimmer
3. Mirage Of Health
   By Rene Dubos 
4. Beating Back the Devil: On the Front Lines with the Disease Detectives of the Epidemic Intelligence Service
   By Maryn McKenna
5. House On Fire: The Fight To Eradicate Smallpox 
   By William H. Foege
6. The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History 
   By John M. Barry
7. Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic 
   By David Quammen
8. The Spirit Catches You And Then You Fall Down 
   By Anne Fadiman
9. To Repair The World 
   By Paul Farmer
10. Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World 
    By Laura Spinney
11. Guns, Germs & Steel 
    By Jared Diamond
12. Virus Hunter: Thirty Years of Battling Hot Viruses Around the World 
    By CJ Peters and Mark Olshaker 
13. The Strategy of Preventive Medicine 
    By Geoffrey Rose
14. A Planet of Viruses 
    By Carl Zimmer 
15. Mud Creek Medicine: The Life Of Eula Hall and the Fight for Appalachia 
    By Kiran Bhatraju
16. Polio: An American Story 
    By David Oshinsky
17. The Fever: How Malaria Has Ruled Humankind For 500,000 Years 
    By Sonia Shah  
18. Polio: The Odyssey Of Eradication 
    By Thomas Abraham
19. The Fears of the Rich, The Needs of the Poor: My Years at the CDC 
    By William H. Foege
20. Big Chicken: The Incredible Story of How Antibiotics Created Modern Agriculture and Changed the Way the World Eats 
    By Maryn McKenna
21. When Germs Travel: Six Major Epidemics That Have Invaded America and the Fears They Have Unleashed
    By Howard Markel
22. Typhoid Mary: Captive to the Public’s Health
    By Judith Walzer Leavitt​

​For good measure, We’ve also included a few “escapist reads” that are more story-telling than public health, but leave you with a better understanding of the world during difficult times in human history as we battle epidemics – and one coloring book for those who have a more visual learning style. 

• Arrowsmith 
  By Sinclair Lewis
• Ship Fever 
  By Andrea Barrett
• The Infectious Disease Colouring Book: A Gruesome Colouring Therapy Adventure 
  By MR Nicholas Wright