Annie Jacobsen’s reported nonfiction examines a biological catastrophe through a scenario that follows the spread of infection and the strain on the systems meant to respond. Interviews with experts in government, medicine, and the military inform its account of how a small beginning could have consequences across society.
Preparedness and Human Choices
The book invites readers to distinguish between a scenario and a prediction. What does following events over time reveal that a general description of risk would miss? Consider the relationship between technical capability, institutional preparation, and decisions made under uncertainty. Which questions concern individual judgment, and which concern the way institutions are organized?
Elliot Ackerman’s Reading Context
In the recommendation supplied in the authoritative project spreadsheet, Ackerman describes the book as chilling and informative, yet says his response also included gratitude that humanity had not visited such terrors on itself. He expresses respect for Jacobsen’s work. That response offers readers a way to discuss the relationship between imagining catastrophe and recognizing the human choices that can prevent it.
Watch the 92NY Conversation
Jacobsen discusses the book with Ackerman at 92NY.
