The Great Trouble

An awesome addition to the 2014-2015 Kentucky Bluegrass Nominee List is this piece of historical fiction by Deborah Hopkinson.  And as usual, I've become more interested in the subject matter that I'm reading about.  Not only the time period or historical figures, but the actual villain of the story...cholera.  

As the title suggests, cholera gave London lots of trouble in the 1850s.  It's a humiliating way to die.  Not only is it a painful death, but a person literally dehydrates before dying.  The diarrhea and vomiting are uncontrollable and their dry lips turn a blue color, hence the name, "Blue Death".  Unlike the characters, I know that cholera is caused by contaminated food or water.  And unfortunately, cholera is something third world countries still battle today. (see map below)

 Due to the work of Dr. John Snow, the source of the trouble in London was soon discovered and eliminated.  To learn more about Dr. Snow, like I did, visit this website.  He is credited with discovering that the sickness was affecting the alimentary canal (the mouth from rectal path).  Once he was able to convince the authorities that he was right, they went through the proper channels of containing the filth.  Cholera broke out four times in just a few years in the same neighborhood of London.  Thankfully, Dr. Snow discovered the source.  

Over 500 people died in the summer of 1854, which is when this story takes place.  Eel, the main character, is a mudlark and is hiding a secret...he's running from his stepfather who is a brutal man.  The reader follows Eel as he leads Dr. Snow through the infested streets of London and helps to bring about an end to this horrible epidemic.  

Enjoyed this concise, well-written snapshot from history.  Happy to be able to offer this entertaining story with such a likeable character to my students, who will be learning more about history than they will realize.  :)

Happy Reading!
RC