Crisis Averted
I wrote a book on the hidden science of fighting outbreaks
I wrote a book! It is called Crisis Averted, and it will be published by Viking in October. It’s been three years in the making, and I am so excited to share it with the world.
I wanted to write a book to show you all the inside story of public health, to see the field as I see it—as a mostly invisible source of tremendous progress and change. I want readers to know that the influence of public health extends far beyond managing outbreaks. It is intricately woven into every day, influencing the quality of the air we breathe, the safety of the food we consume, and even the toilets we use.
At its best, public health remains invisible because crises are averted. I have great appreciation for this fact, which I want to share with readers so they can see it, understand it, and factor it into how they go about their lives—especially after such an upending few years.
At the same time, I have so many hopes for the field that haven't been met (yet), and I hope my book can contribute to future successes. For example, one of my favorite chapters takes on the misguided attempts to withhold information from the public in a bid to “prevent panic.” This should not be a goal, nor a priority for ambassadors of public health!
One aspect of this project I am proud of is that I make these points by telling stories about the people who make it possible to going about our lives without perceiving public health much of the time. Each chapter features under-sung heroes who dedicated their careers to this very cause, and in doing so, changed the world. I promise, their remarkable lives are thrilling and telling of what we should aim for.
You can pre-order Crisis Averted from your favorite bookseller here. Preorders help authors a lot because they become self-reinforcing by giving the publisher, book buyers, libraries, and so on an early signal. This turns into more attention, which drives popularity and so on. All this is to say: Your early readership would be immensely helpful.
More to come!
- Caitlin
I am so excited to read this book. I started out working at the Health Department when I graduated from college with BSN. I did everything from immunizations, childhood physicals, followups on communicable disease, referrals from CPS to monitor and educate parents, Home Health (1 of 3 health departments that were selected by Medicare to try out the concept of Home Health care.)
Budget cuts, and other life circumstances pushed me into other jobs and even careers. But public health always remained a major interest. It was during the pandemic, and trying to find credible sources of information, lead me to you and a couple of other sources. Your comment about not releasing information because of panic, resonated with me. I was so shocked at some of the guidance and contradicting information during the pandemic.
I’m so glad you did this! I work in local public health, and I will pass it on to the new brand new, 30 years younger than I am health agents in my region. The part about damping down the message so as not too “cause panic”? The public is more resilient than we think. And if they panic this easily, we’re already done. Stick a fork in us and call it a day. The coming decades will not be kind. Climate change, political instability, inflation, famine, pandemics, and war: we’re in for a bumpy ride.