Red Madness

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 book is perfect to share with young readers looking for a historical perspective of the Covid-19/Coronavirus pandemic that is gripping the world today.

Gail Jarrow's nonfiction books have received numerous awards and distinctions, including a YALSA Award Nomination, Orbis Pictus Recommended Book, Kirkus Reviews Best Book, and a VOYA Honor Book. Red Madness is 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.