Terrible Typhoid Mary: A True Story of the Deadliest Cook in America
In a riveting biography that reads like a crime novel, Sibert medalist and Newbery Honor winner Susan Campbell Bartoletti uncovers the true story of Mary Mallon, a.k.a. Typhoid Mary, one of the most misunderstood women in American history.
With archival photographs and text, among other primary sources, this riveting biography looks beyond the tabloid scandal of Mary's controversial life. How she was treated by medical and legal officials reveals a lesser-known story of human and constitutional rights, entangled with the science of pathology and enduring questions about who Mary Mallon really was.
How did her name become synonymous with deadly disease? What happens when a person's reputation has been forever damaged? And who is really responsible for the lasting legacy of Typhoid Mary?
Terrible Typhoid Mary also examines extreme public health measures at the time and public misconceptions around disease. Includes an author's note, timeline, annotated source notes, and bibliography.
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Susan Campbell Bartoletti is the award-winning author of several books for young readers, including Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine, 1845-1850, winner of the Robert F. Sibert Medal. She lives in Moscow, Pennsylvania.
"Bartoletti skillfully weaves the answers into the beginning of the story, before moving on to Soper's cat-and-mouse game of tracking Mary down and then keeping her quarantined for most of the rest of her life...excellent nonfiction." -- Horn Book (starred review)
"[A] thoroughly researched biography." -- Publishers Weekly
"Bartoletti delivers a fast-moving biography of Mallon herself...Enthusiastic and accessible, but it remains respectful, offering understanding and empathy for the numerous people affected by the outbreaks that followed in Mallon's wake." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
