Julie Chibbaro

I wanted to like this book! I just never quite did. I've read a few books in recent years set in turn-of-the-(previous)-century New York, and I find the era fascinating. And I've read [b:The Ghost Map|36086|The Ghost Map The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic - and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World|Steven Johnson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1405986075s/36086.jpg|1008989], which is a surprisingly page-turning tale of tracking down the source of a cholera epidemic in London fifty years earlier. But I don't think it was too much prior knowledge that distanced me from the book.

No, I think it was the choice of narration. The story is told in the form of a journal kept by a Jewish teen named Prudence. Prudence's entries range from slightly overwrought ponderings on the nature of death to extremely prosaic "I went here and did this" dictation of events. I honestly preferred the overwrought natural philosophy entries, because they captured some actual emotion. (Also, I may have been a slightly overwrought teen writer myself.) And while I do love a cleverly constructed sentence, I've certainly also enjoyed books where the language is strictly a vehicle to move the plot forward. But Prudence's tempered emotional connection to the events and the people around her - with one notable exception - makes it hard for me to connect in turn with her. The world-building is also somewhat hampered by the choice to tell the story entirely via a journal - the world Prudence moves through is painted in the broadest strokes, often just briefly at the start of a scene. Character-wise, this makes sense, as it is largely a world she's been familiar with all her life and she has a very inward orientation. Reader-wise, I was sometimes left with a rather stark stage for the characters to act upon.

The aforementioned notable exception to Prudence's emotional distance is not 'the science fellow' who has a crush on (or at least takes an inappropriate interest in) her, nor the female doctor who offers a role model, nor her direct boss, though she does announce a crush of her own on him. It's Mary Mallon herself. Her interactions with Mary - her fear and her sympathy both - and her imaginings of what Mary's life had been and how Mary might feel about the accusations subsequent quarantine are some of the best moments of the book.

The ending is satisfying, and the book is a quick read, one that actual teens may enjoy more than I did. But I don't expect to pick it up a second time.

(Also, and this is a complete quibble, I found the description of an uncle "who ran an oyster bar that wasn't very kosher" odd, given that oysters are by definition not kosher - the presumably figurative use of the word in that time period knocked me for a loop, even though I don't know if it's actually as anachronistic as it felt.)… (més)

I gave this title to a few Senior girls last spring. One loved it, the other was lukewarm. I thought it was terrific and it will definitely will appear on my Mock Newbery 2012 list.
The premise grows a teensy bit like a sapling in Brooklyn, with a first generation New Yorker in the early 20th century whose mother sacrifices so she can go to a girls school that promises better work (secretarial vs factory work) for its graduates.
Prudence Galewski's best friend has moved to a faraway farm & has drifted away socially, and she suffers a bit of isolation because of her interest in study and disinterest in marriage prospects. She wonders about the death of her brother from infection and the suffering and death that she witnesses when she attends childbirths with her midwife mother.

While she must leave school to do so, she takes a job at the newly formed Heath Department where she assists an epidemiologist in his search for the source of recent outbreaks of typhoid fever. The story of how they isolate Mary Mallon, named "Typhoid Mary" by the press, and the difficult work of dealing with the new knowledge of medical science is engaging. The writer's explanations of beliefs about infection & disease (that most readers would take for granted) seem necessary, but a tiny bit pandering to this adult reader, an unlikely predicament for its intended audience.

As always, I will be interested to see how this title is received by Seniors this fall. I think it has a winning combination of history, intrigue, teenage crush, and girl-hero story.… (més)