"A sweeping chronicle of the COVID-19 pandemic, weaving together science, politics, and economics." Ronald Gruner, with the precision of a historian and the skill of an accomplished storyteller, takes the reader from the roots of virology in the 19th century to the chaotic pandemic years from 2020 through 2022. Gruner's writing is crisp and compelling. More than simply explaining complex topics, Gruner makes them interesting. The opening chapters build an absorbing backstory on events leading up to the pandemic from the 1918 Spanish Flu to President George W. Bush's eerie predictions of the forthcoming pandemic fifteen years later. The author isn't shy about calling out failures. Public health leaders, politicians, conspiracy theorists, and media figures are unveiled and held accountable. What readers will appreciate most, though, is Gruner's balance. He acknowledges the human and economic damage caused by lockdowns, while also recognizing that public health officials had a responsibility to slow the spread of the deadly virus. If you're curious about what really happened during the COVID pandemic and how it could have been different, read COVID WARS.