January 9, 2013I'm now reading chapter five and page twenty nine of the book Fever 1793, by Laurie Halse Anderson. Fever 1793 is a huge attention grabber! It's sad, but full of happy moments! I'm just in the beginning, so I haven't got through a lot of the book yet, but what I have read is perfect for a reader that loves suspenseful books. Fever 1793 is Historical Fiction, so if you like Historical Fiction- I've got a good book for you! Historical Fiction is one of my favorite genres, so this is a perfect book for me! Right now it's very fast paced and action packed. All the events are happening so fast. Fever 1793 isn't extremely detailed, but its detailed enough for you to get the general picture of what's happening. Matilda is the kind of girl that hates doing chores and loves to sleep! She's like me! Sort of! I love to sleep. In fact, all winter break I slept in. One of those times I slept until 11:45. I guess I had a reason, because the nigh before was New Years Eve, and like almost everybody else, I stayed up until midnight! Sleeping until 11:45 wasn't the time I would chose to wake up at! I missed almost half of the day from SLEEP! That's why I'm sort of like Matilda, but I don't really mind doing my chores. I'd rather not, but sometimes I have nothing better to do. Matilda sleeps so late, but Matilda's mom is a little to strict, so your probably thinking that strict and doing whatever, really don't go we'll together. If you we're thinking that then you' re right! Matilda gets in trouble all the time. For not doing chores, sleeping late, being messy- you know all the normal kid stuff, but "all the normal kid stuff" isn't even a bit okay with Matilda's mom! One day a tragic thing happens. Matilda is heart broken! You want to know what was so tragic hat happened? Well... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------January 15, 2013I'm still reading my WONDERFUL book Fever 1793! Did you see me write WONDERFUL? Well, WONDERFUL is a great word to describe Fever 1793! Oh, and by the way, it's by Laurie Halse Anderson. I thought you might need to know that! Now I'm getting to the good stuff! So, from what I told you in my earlier review, you got the main idea of what Matilda was like. Right? Well, Yellow Fever is now spreading everywhere, where Matilda lives! The sad feeling is getting spread through families and friends. You might have concluded that Yellow Fever can be deadly. Sadly, there were no cures for many sicknesses in 1793. Matilda notices that every time a person dies a church bell rings. The church bell rings ten times for a ten year old, fifty times for some one who is fifty, and- we'll the church bell rings as many times as the persons age. I think doing that just reminds the people how sad Yellow Fever is! Matilda agrees! Matilda thinks that the bells don't have to be rang. It just reminds her of all the bad and sad things that are happening. When I broke the door in my room by fighting with my sister, I felt really bad. I disliked being reminded of it every night, when I had to sleep with all the hallway lights on. The feeling of getting reminded of bad events is sad, scary, and most of all, BAD! Although Matilda's life is way harder than mine was then! She is getting reminded of really horrible things. While I'm being reminded of just breaking a door. All of this is happening very fast pace! All the stuff is happening a lot faster than the book started! Also, it's really action packed- full of action! All the events just go by like that! Matilda hopes for good luck, and that her own family members don't get sick. I won't tell you if her hoping for good luck pays off! That would just ruin the book!---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------–--------------------------------------------------------------------January 29, 2013I just finished reading Fever 1793. This book is by Laurie Halse Anderson. The theme can be several different things for this book, but there is one- just one that stands out to me. The theme is "even though it starts out bad, doesn't mean it won't turn out good." Matilda is just a normal girl, but she doesn't feel like a normal GIRL when she has to save people from a deadly sickness, called "Yellow Fever". It doesn't make her feel any better when those PEOPLE are her close friends and relatives. How would you feel about saving your family members and close friends from dying? I'm going to make a random guess and say that you would not enjoy that. At least that's how I would feel! That part applies to the "even though it starts out bad" part of my theme. If you payed close attention to that. I just said that it starts out bad. The book is great, but you might get disgusted at some points. There might even be a good part to this story. This book is like a fairy tale. It all starts out bad and scary, but lives "Happily Ever After!" I'll tell you that this book does end "Happily Ever After!" Don't forget "even though it starts out bad, doesn't mean it won't turn out good!"
2.5 Stars.I’ve been on somewhat of a historical fiction kick lately, and since I’ve been wanting to check out some by Laurie Halse Anderson (I’ve only read Speak previously), I zeroed in on her. I was debating between Fever 1793 and Chains. I spent the time that my parents visited loading up on Revolutionary War history as we gallivanted around Philadelphia and visited Valley Forge. I actually found a copy of Forge in the Valley Forge gift shop, and had to sit there and pet the cover a bit, but reminded myself I needed to read Chains first. And yet, I chose to listen to Fever 1793 instead. I was interested because it took place in Philadelphia, during one of the worst epidemics this country has ever seen. Having just explored the city for the first time myself, I was interested in learning more about life in (or shortly after) the foundation of our nation, and liked that I could freshly picture it in my mind.I did get this from Fever 1793. I like that she mentions the bells ringing in Christ Church, the various streets and markets, it was quite easy for me to superimpose the images I’d recently seen with my eyes to the Philadelphia portrayed by Laurie Halse Anderson. I enjoyed the historical aspects of this book, and found learning about the epidemic fascinating, particularly since I honestly wasn’t aware of this event previously. The epidemic in Philadelphia in 1973 was incredibly destructive, particularly because one of the preferred treatment methods likely killed many people that could have been saved.I always loved historical fiction growing up, but much of what I read was more western oriented (lots of settlers and Native Americans), since that was what I was familiar with. Those books that I read taking place in this area and time were largely authored by Ann Rinaldi, or the American Girl Felicity books which I still believe offer an invaluable and unique point of view as Felicity’s family were loyalists–something we don’t often see in Revolutionary era historical fiction. As such, Fever 1793 wasn’t completely uncharted territory, but was still fairly unique for me.Historical interest and intricacies aside, the story of Fever 1793 failed to grab me. I never really felt invested in Mattie’s fate, or the fates of anyone she held dear. They could have all fallen victim to yellow fever and I would have been unmoved. Why? I’m not really sure. Maybe the historical elements overshadowed the character development a bit, making the situation feel more clinical than emotional. I did feel that Fever 1793 made a valiant attempt to show the brutal nature of such circumstances. The reality that neighbor will turn their back upon neighbor, or even family out of fear. Complete strangers may go to extreme lengths to help others. It makes you question your own nature, and how you might react in such a situation. I do think that Emily Bergl’s narration was fine and didn’t’ necessarily detract from the story, but nor do I felt that it added anything.I believe that had I read Fever 1793 when I was in middle school, I would have enjoyed it significantly more. As was, I was disappointed that it failed to raise any emotion in me, particularly after the power with which Speak hit me.Originally reviewed at Bunbury in the Stacks
What do You think about Fever 1793 (2000)?
In 1793, Philadelphia had a malaria outbreak that killed a large portion of the population and almost wiped out the town. We follow Mattie Cook’s journey into adulthood, surviving the fever and witnessing the horrors of malaria. The book is very graphic and vivid describing people dying and feverish. Anderson spared no details. This book also has historic information lost from most school textbooks. We learn about the roles of free African Americans in the beginning of our country. Recommended for 12+ aged students interested in history. Read-Alikes: Any historical book by Ann Rinaldi.
—Kewpie
originally posted here “Some days felt like we were trapped in a nightmare,”Mimpi buruk itu adalah yellow fever. Dengan teknologi kedokteran yang terbatas di akhir abad ke-18, epidemi ini mewabah dengan cepat dan menelan korban hingga ribuan manusia. Salah satu yang terombang-ambing dalam gelombangnya adalah Matilda ‘Mattie’ Cook.Yellow fever datang secara tiba-tiba di musim panas tahun 1793 saat Mattie berusia 15 tahun. Yang direnggut pertama kali dari sisinya adalah Polly, sahabatnya. Dalam hitungan hari, atmosfer Philadelpia saat itu pekat dengan aroma pesakitan. Dalam hitungan hari pula, Lucille, ibunda Mattie jatuh sakit. Sadar bahwa potensi menularnya demam ini begitu tinggi, Lucille meminta Mattie dan Grandpa untuk pergi ke pedesaan, berlindung sementara di kediaman keluarga Luddington.Sayangnya, di tengah perjalanan, Grandpa pun jatuh sakit. Dan tinggal hitungan jam saja sebelum akhirnya Mattie pun terpapar yellow fever. Lantas, bagaimana dengan peluangnnya untuk hidup dan bertemu kembali dengan ibunya?—–Pertama – tama, saya mesti bilang kalau horor yang dihadirkan oleh penulis, rasanya megang banget. Narasinya mudah divisualisasikan sekaligus membuat saya meringis pilu. Belum lagi wajah-wajah manusia yang muncul saat bencana itu datang menjadi begitu beragam (termasuk dalam konteks yang lebih luas). Manusia menjadi gila, manusia mementingkan pribadinya tak mengenal keluarga, sisi jahat manusia tersulut akibat kekacauan yang tak ketahuan penyebabnya. Aroma kematian yang menguar, begitu menyesakkan siapapun yang menghirupnya. “Saints. Angels. They’re from the Free African Society, God bless them.”Tapi di dalam gelombang kekacauan semacam itu, selalu ada manusia selfless menjelma menjadi penolong meskipun jumlahnya tak banyak. Usaha mereka membuat kekacauan buatan yellow fever menjadi bisa dilewati dengan bergantung pada harapan bahwa epidemi itu akan berakhir dan kehidupan akan kembali seperti biasanya. Di antara kelompok penolong itu, ada Eliza -koki masak di coffeehouse milik keluarga Cook. Dan dalam keterombang-ambingan, akhirnya Mattie bertemu kembali dengan Eliza dan bergabung dengannya menolong korban-korban yellow fever yang masih butuh perawatan.Kelompok ini adalah black people yang meski di zaman itu, abad ke-18, mereka ditempatkan di kelas terbawah dan biasanya menjadi budak, tapi mengalami pengecualian di Philadelpia. Di kota ini, black people diperlakukan lebih manusiawi dan memiliki kebebasan. Saat yellow fever melanda, black people memiliki peluang yang kecil untuk terpapar yellow fever sehingga banyak dari mereka yang bertahan hidup melewati epidemi tersebut. Alasan itu pula yang menjadikan mereka kelompok yang bisa merawat pasien-pasien yellow fever. Selain itu, terjunnya mereka menjadi penguat eksistensi mereka di kalangan kulit putih saat itu. “Don’t listen to words of despair, Mattie. You must be strong and have faith.”“When will it end?”“For everything there is a season, remember? When the frost comes, the fever will vanish. We just have to find a way to make it until then.”Perubahan signifikan, katakanlah character development dari Mattie menjadi pelajaran paling gamblang yang bisa ditarik dari novel mengharukan ini. Sekaligus menjadi inspirasi bagi pembaca, disamping poin bahwa dengan novel bergenre historical fiction ini, penulis mengajak kita merefleksikan salah satu fenomena sejarah. Definitely a recommendation!
—Fauziyyah Arimi
I finished this masterpiece a couple of days ago. It was part of my anti-depression about my husband being in the hospital while I was home with fibro-flare. In this case, I would say misery loves company. Or... at least things aren't as bad as it was then.This was a birthday present from me--to me! I had picked up the whispersync for voice also so I was able to listen to Emily Bergl's narration. I have to admit she is not my favorite narrator. But once she was into the story I felt drawn in and forgot that there was a narrator.Laurie Halse Anderson always amazes me with her works. This book is no exception. Wow! The amount of research that she dug through to write this fiction is overwhelming! This is based on a real epidemic that happened just a few years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Yellow Fever takes over. But no one knows yet that it is due to the mosquitoes. Medicine was still in its infancy. Through Ms. Anderson, we get to see what could have happened to a young girl, her family and her community.Okay. Confession time. I have never been a history buff. I did have a fabulous professor in college that made me appreciate it a bit. That class was when I was in my forties. So imagine how long it was that I hated history. I think with books like this I might have been able to relate to historical events as a middle grader on. This younger generation is so lucky to have such writers as Laurie Halse Anderson!
—Darlene
