The Great Shadow - by Susan Wise Bauer (Hardcover)

About the Book

"From alchemy to wellness culture, from antisemitism to disposable plastic, a gripping account of how getting sick has shaped humanity. Anti-science, anti-vaccine, anti-reason beliefs seem to be triumphing over common sense today. How did we get here? The Great Shadow brings a huge missing piece to this puzzle-the experience of actually being ill. What did it feel like to be a woman or man struggling with illness in ancient times, in the Middle Ages, in the seventeenth century, or in 1920? And how did that shape our thoughts and convictions? The Great Shadow uses extensive historical research and first-person accounts to tell a vivid story about sickness and our responses to it, from very ancient times until the last decade. In the process of writing, historian Susan Wise Bauer reveals just how many of our current fads and causes are rooted in the moment-by-moment experience of sickness-from the search for a balanced lifestyle to plug-in air fresheners and bare hardwood floors. We can't simply shout facts at people who refuse vaccinations, believe that immigrants carry diseases, or insist that God will look out for them during a pandemic. We have to enter with imagination, historical perspective, and empathy into their world. The Great Shadow does just that with page-turning flair"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

"Lively, informative ...offers wide-ranging evidence of alternative frameworks for disease." ―Science

"Allows readers to practically experience firsthand how humans have adapted to and dealt with disease throughout history...necessary and timely...engaging and entertaining. Highly recommended." ―Library Journal, starred

"[A] splendid examination...Deeply insightful if unsettling." ―Kirkus

Anti-science, anti-vaccine, anti-reason beliefs seem to be triumphing over common sense today. How did we get here? The Great Shadow brings a huge missing piece to this puzzle--the experience of actually being ill. What did it feel like to be a woman or man struggling with illness in ancient times, in the Middle Ages, in the seventeenth century, or in 1920? And how did that shape our thoughts and convictions?

The Great Shadow uses extensive historical research and first-person accounts to tell a vivid story about sickness and our responses to it, from very ancient times until the last decade. In the process of writing, historian Susan Wise Bauer reveals just how many of our current fads and causes are rooted in the moment-by-moment experience of sickness--from the search for a balanced lifestyle to plug-in air fresheners and bare hardwood floors. We can't simply shout facts at people who refuse vaccinations, believe that immigrants carry diseases, or insist that God will look out for them during a pandemic. We have to enter with imagination, historical perspective, and empathy into their world. The Great Shadow does just that with page-turning flair.

Review Quotes

Praise for The Great Shadow

"We are in the midst of a major surge of pseudoscience and anti-scientific information, which only makes the deliberate, winning, and calm voice of Susan Wise Bauer...all the more appealing. Seeming to arrive from a previous era, where a history of science could (and should) exist outside of politics, her book restores a calming sense of historical perspective much needed in these troubled times."
--The Geyser

"For Bauer, sickness is thus a "great mirror" that forces us to confront why calamity descends without warning. Placing illness at the heart of our story, she illuminates how we explain, avoid, and fight back against disease define our very humanity."
--Telegraph India

"Benefits from Ms. Bauer's keen sense for the way the bodily experience of disease so readily takes on psychological and spiritual freight...Ms. Bauer winsomely threads scenes and vignettes from contemporary life throughout ... to contrast how fortunate we are to live in a time when not every sniffle is a herald of doom, nor every cut and scrape a portal for merciless bacteria."
--Wall Street Journal

"A page-turner.... At its core, it's about humanity desperately trying to understand and defeat an ever-mutating foe, often with little chance of survival. Bauer also achieves this page-turner effect through short chapters, beautiful writing, and, most crucially, characters. ...She uses techniques drawn from the realm of fiction writing to immerse the reader in the bodily experiences of real people from history."
--Undark

"It seemed that, for a time, we were moving beyond dated ideas around illness. But Bauer warns that we're regressing. The old theories about disease -- divine punishment, humoral imbalance, atmospheric poison -- haven't vanished."
--New York Post

"[Bauer] emphasizes that contagious diseases make us more than just physically sick. Illness also impacts our attitudes, emotions, and behavior. Irrationality, paranoia, and scapegoating are sometimes triggered by fear of exposure to communicable diseases."
--Booklist

"Bauer centers her narrative on the experience and treatment of disease...Most chapters begin with a vivid vignette...We need the kind of historical analysis that Bauer presents... in order to understand not only how a resurgence of epidemic disease could affect all aspects of our lives, but also why age-old ideas about contagion, environment, infection, and personal responsibility remain powerful and compelling explanations for health and illness."
--American Scientist

"Engrossing. A timely reminder of the resilience, ingenuity, and persistent hope that have allowed us to endure and sometimes even overcome the threat of disease."
--Rana Awdish, MD FACP FCCP, clinical professor, MSU College of Human Medicine, author of In Shock

"Eye opening, timely, and unexpectedly entertaining, The Great Shadow tells a vivid story about sickness and our responses to it, from ancient times until the last decade. In doing so, Susan Wise Bauer illuminates the roots of today's anti-science and anti-reason movements--and also points out the ways in which we should be cautious of received wisdom."
--Dr. Leana Wen, Washington Post contributing columnist and author of Lifelines

"The right book at the right time. Susan Wise Bauer is a skillful historian, whose powers of story-telling make this book a page-turner. Bauer offers much-needed context to the centuries old scientific and philosophical discussions of how to protect human beings from sickness. Those who participate in debates about global contagion, vaccines, public health, wellness culture, and modern medicine would benefit from this deep dive that investigates facts, fears, superstitions, and scientific research. Highly recommended!"
--Julie Bogart, Creator and Owner, Brave Writer

"In her fantastic new book, The Great Shadow, Bauer guides the reader on an empathetic yet chilling journey into what it means to be human in a world affected by contagion. From the Sumerians and Babylonians four thousand years ago, who attributed sickness to demons, to Hippocrates's theory of unbalanced humours, and finally, to the discovery of bacteria and our battle against infection, I was spellbound."
--Lydia Reeder, award-winning author of The Cure for Women

"A riveting and thought-provoking exploration of how humans have sought to understand illness--from a banal sniffle to the horror of suddenly peeling flesh--across centuries. Bauer vividly recounts our attempts to grapple with the unspeakable and, for much of history, the unknowable. As our perceptions of the invisible forces behind sickness have evolved, so too have they profoundly shaped society. Both timeless and timely, The Great Shadow feels especially prescient and powerful today--and a must-read!"
--Paulina Bren, author of She-Wolves: The Untold History of Women on Wall Street and The Barbizon: The Hotel that Set Women Free

Praise for Susan Wise Bauer

"Thorough and pragmatic." --The New Yorker

"A canny narrative. Ms. Bauer's guidebook exposes the underlying meaning and significance of each work." --Wall Street Journal

"[A]n engaging, sophisticated and wholly persuasive account." --Financial Times

"Bauer's elegant prose and her command of much of the material makes this a wonderful starting point."--Publishers Weekly

"Bauer parlays her capacious knowledge of history..." --Booklist

"Bauer has crafted a timeless, intelligent book." --Publishers Weekly

"Bauer is a skilled analyst of political rhetoric. She is also a terrific writer." --Christianity Today

"A bright, informative resource." --Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Susan Wise Bauer is a historian and educator. Her sweeping works of narrative history include, among many others, The History of the Ancient World, The Story of Western Science, and the Story of the World series for young readers. She is the co-author of The Well-Trained Mind, author of The Well-Educated Mind, and owner of the Well-Trained Mind Press. She taught at the College of William and Mary for eighteen years and now writes on the family farm, Peace Hill, in Charles City, Virginia.