A horrifying epidemic of smallpox was sweeping across North America when the War of Independence began, and until now we have known almost nothing about it. Elizabeth A. Fenn is the first historian to reveal how deeply Variola affected the outcome of the war in every colony and the lives of everyone on the continent. Her remarkable research shows us how the disease devastated the American troops at Quebec and kept them at bay during the British occupation of Boston, and how it ravaged slaves in Virginia who had escaped to join the British forces. During the terrible winter at Valley Forge, General Washington had to decide if and when to attempt the risky inoculation of his troops.

The destructive, desolating power of smallpox made for a cascade of public-health crises and heartbreaking human drama. Fenn's innovative work shows how this megatragedy was met and what its consequences were for the young republic.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 20 reviews)

Well written.

The book's research is fairly thorough. The work flows well from one region and topic to the next, and is an interesting addition to the history of the revolutionary period.
May 10, 2007

On and On

Pox Americana offers an exhaustive study of Small Pox in general; however, the title leads one to believe that the focus of the book is going to be centered from 1775-1782. Elizabeth Fenn spends the first three chapters discussing the American Revolution, but only in sparatic terms. The first chapter is a brief history of "Variola." Washington and the troops are mentioned only after countless anecdotes of many other people from many different time periods are written. After chapter three, the book becomes more confusing. Plains Indians are discussed, and I am still oblivious as to how homosexuality relates to this epidemic. Later, the Russians are discussed as well as fur traders. The virus spread across the entire continent, I understand this, but the book was suppose to focus on the American Revolution period, and only three chapters of the book were devoted to the main topic. Honestly, the book should have been 134 pages because after that, the book becomes too confusing and repetitive. Lastly, not to nit-pick, but Fenn refers to Small Pox as "Variola" throughout the entire book. The scientific and proper form to write the name for a virus is the first (genus) initial and the second (species) written out, i.e. V. major. The fact that Fenn repeats this rudimentary mistake so often takes some of the scholarly value away from this otherwise potentially useful study.
February 22, 2006

Pox Americana: A Unique Blend of Storytelling and Critical Analysis of America's Smallpox Epidemic.

Elizabeth Fenn synthesizes an outstanding concoction of accounts into a cohesive narrative of smallpox's movement across North America. Her account sheds new light on a field relatively untouched by historians. Infusing modern insight into historic accounts, Fenn provides the reader with an excellent vantage point to understand not only the physical and medical impact of the smallpox epidemic in North America, but also the political, social, financial, and military ramifications of its impact on everyone - from American troops to former slaves enlisted into the British forces, to Canadian fur trappers, to Spanish settlers in Mexico, to the Native Americans of all of North America. Fenn's mixture of narrative and analysis marks the perfect amalgamation of compelling storyteller and critical historian. She butresses even a seasoned expert's historical framework and enlivens the work with tempered passion for her subject.

Pox Americana provides the reader with an accurrate, detailed, and delightful account covering one of American history's most important events. Fenn structures the work with precision, never failing to captivate the reader's interest or sharpen the reader's historical perspective.
July 04, 2005

An excellent study. . .

What a fantastic single-vision narrative. This text adds an interesting new dimension to an entire time period. Exceptional research on individual experiences.
July 19, 2004

Remarkably Good.

This is an excellent work. It bogs down a bit in the second half but only for 30 or so pages as the author gets into the detail of some purported statistical analysis, information that could have been handled as an appendix. But overall it is a wow!

Starting with the impact of smallpox on the American Revolution, 1775 - 1782, Elizabeth Fenn continues her study with concurrent analyses of Mexico, where Church burial records provide a very solid underpinning for the magnitude of the epidemic, the Canadian interior, the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. The devastation was appalling

Fenn's effort was no simple task. The unexpected bonus is that for the first time I began to understand the magnitude of trading patterns that had been established by Native Americans on the North American Continent, before the arrival of Europeans.

This is a wonderful book, very enlightening and very well worth your time.
November 05, 2003

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