06/01/2015
In this thoroughly researched biography, Bartoletti (They Called Themselves the KKK) seeks to illuminate the backstory of “Typhoid Mary,” who allegedly infected nearly 50 individuals with the disease. Mary Mallon cooked for wealthy families in turn-of-the-20th-century New York City until she became the first documented “healthy carrier” of typhoid in the U.S. and was imprisoned in hospitals for most of her remaining life. Little is known about Mallon outside of one six-page letter she wrote, official documents, newspaper reports, journal articles, and other firsthand accounts of her. Though Bartoletti forms an objective portrait of Mallon’s case, she often has to rely on conjecture (“Mary probably didn’t understand that she could be a healthy carrier”), filling in gaps using deductive reasoning based on facts from that era. In the end, this study of Mallon’s ill-fated life is as much an examination of the period in which she lived, including the public’s ignorance about the spread and treatment of disease, the extreme measures health officials took to advance science, and how yellow journalism’s sensationalized stories could ruin someone’s reputation. Ages 10–up. Agent: Ginger Knowlton, Curtis Brown. (Aug.)
"Bartoletti skillfully weaves the answers into the beginning of the story, before moving on to Soper's cat-and-mouse game of tracking Mary down and then keeping her quarantined for most of the rest of her life...excellent nonfiction." — Horn Book (starred review)
"[A] thoroughly researched biography." — Publishers Weekly
"Bartoletti delivers a fast-moving biography of Mallon herself...Enthusiastic and accessible, but it remains respectful, offering understanding and empathy for the numerous people affected by the outbreaks that followed in Mallon's wake." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
★ 05/01/2015
Gr 5 Up—This well-researched biography of Mary Mallon, also known as Typhoid Mary, begins in 1906, when Mallon was hired as a cook for a wealthy family vacationing in Oyster Bay, Long Island. The outbreak of typhoid that swept through the household a few weeks later turned out to be a pivotal event that forever changed her life. George Soper, a sanitation engineer and typhoid expert, was hired to discover the source of the disease. He eventually determined that Mallon was what was known as a healthy carrier: although she experienced no symptoms of typhoid, her body continued to produce the bacteria, which she inadvertently shed. Soper took his discovery to the New York City Board of Health, and soon thereafter, Mallon was arrested and quarantined against her will on North Brother Island. Mallon has often been described as ignorant and a menace to society due to her refusal to stop working as a cook when she was later briefly released from quarantine, but Bartoletti tells the woman's story with empathy and understanding. The author also explores the myriad violations of Mallon's civil rights and her unusually harsh treatment in comparison to other healthy typhoid carriers (nationwide 50 carriers were identified at the time, but only Mary was quarantined). Energetic, even charming prose (chapter headings include "In Which Mrs. Warren Has a Servant Problem") will easily engage readers. Pair this work with Gail Jarrow's Fatal Fever: Tracking Down Typhoid Mary (Boyds Mills, 2015). VERDICT Middle grade biography lovers will gravitate toward this compelling title.—Ragan O'Malley, Saint Ann's School, Brooklyn, NY
2015-05-18
A creative approach, strong on vivid details and words that appeal to the senses, animates this biography of Typhoid Mary. It opens like a novel, with a scene in 1906 of a wealthy woman firing her cook. In "a terrible fix" to find a new one, she hires an Irish immigrant named Mary Mallon, who, unknowingly, turns out to be a typhoid-fever carrier later dubbed Typhoid Mary. The chapter's title, "In Which Mrs. Warren Has a Servant Problem," and its final one-sentence cliffhanger, "Mary's life was about to change forever," reflect literary techniques typically found in fiction, while art nouveau typeface for chapter titles and a closing "Photo Album" create an old-fashioned tone. The chronological narrative quotes from such primary sources as contemporary newspapers and books and incorporates information about the disease and the fight to eliminate it. In trying to supplement limited personal sources about Mallon, Bartoletti bogs down her writing with language like "perhaps," "most likely," "must have," and "may have." Responsible though such introductions to supposition are, the result is a narrative that feels uncertain and may have readers wondering about unvoiced alternative scenarios. One section, meant to tie the past to the present, misinterprets a Gallup poll, incorrectly stating that most Americans don't trust their local governments. Awkward attempts to improve on an inherently interesting topic undermine this otherwise fine account. (Nonfiction. 10-14)
Donna Postel narrates in a quiet, carefully enunciated style. Her steady pace is perfect for the drama that unfolds around the infamous “Typhoid Mary,” the Irish immigrant who, in her role as a cook, passed typhoid fever to approximately 50 unsuspecting people. Postel uses an even voice as the facts of Mary’s involvement in cases of typhoid fever become clear and the book raises questions about the roles of the health department in protecting public health, the judicial system in handling such cases, and journalists in covering such stories as they arise. Given that author Bartoletti is careful to set Mary in her time period while sharing her human foibles, it’s no wonder that Postel’s voice softens and lingers on the events of Mary’s final years, including the care that friends provided her and the care with which she wrote her will. A.R. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
