Red Madness: How a Medical Mystery Changed What We Eat [Hardcover]

A National Science Teachers Association, Best STEM Book

One hundred years ago, a mysterious and alarming illness spread across America's South, striking tens of thousands of victims. No one knew what caused it or how to treat it. People were left weak, disfigured, insane, and in some cases, dead. Award-winning science and history writer Gail Jarrow tracks this disease, commonly known as pellagra, and highlights how doctors, scientists, and public health officials finally defeated it. Illustrated with 100 archival photographs, Red Madness includes stories about real-life pellagra victims and accounts of scientific investigations. It concludes with a glossary, timeline, further resources, author's note, bibliography, and index.★  . . . This title is descriptive and well researched, with a striking bold-red color scheme. Though the images are graphic and potentially disturbing, they are not sensationalized, and enhance the narrative. This is an excellent addition to nonfiction collections in school and public libraries. --School Library Journal, starred review

Jarrow delves into the debilitating and oft-forgotten disease that became a public health crisis in the U.S. early in the twentieth century. . . A visually dramatic medical mystery, this is cross-curricular and of high interest. --BooklistGail Jarrow'snonfiction books have received numerous awards and distinctions, including a YALSA Award Nomination, Orbis Pictus Recommended Book,Kirkus ReviewsBest Book, and aVOYAHonor Book.Red Madnessis her fifth book for Calkins Creek. A graduate of Duke University and Dartmouth College, Gail has a degree in zoology and has taught science in grades four through eight. She lives in Ithaca, New York. Visit gailjarrow.com.CN