The Plague and I

by Betty MacDonald

Book Overview

"Getting tuberculosis in the middle of your life is like starting downtown to do a lot of urgent errands and being hit by a bus. When you regain consciousness you remember nothing about the urgent errands. You can't even remember where you were going."

Thus begins Betty MacDonald's memoir of her year in a sanatorium just outside Seattle battling the "White Plague." MacDonald uses her offbeat humor to make the most of her time in the TB...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0295999780
• ISBN13: 9780295999784
• Release Date: September 2016
• Publisher: University of Washington Press
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.5"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Making the unfunny funny

Tuberculosis, also known as "consumption" and "the white plague," was once such a large part of our culture. It inspired works like CAMILLE, THE GOLDEN BOUGH and THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN, and until the disease was severely lessened by the advent of antibiotics, it hit ordinary Americans, too -- usually without warning. Betty MacDonald, author of the best-selling THE EGG AND I, found the humor in what for most would be a tragic situation. Forced to spend time in a sanitarium with very little social contact, we readers enjoy hearing of her eccentric fellow inmates and the baroque spin Betty puts on the boredom inherent in medical confinement. While THE PLAGUE AND I (1948) may not quite equal THE EGG AND I, it is well worth reading.

A funny look at a serious situation.

This book is filled with an off beat sence of humor. It isn't the slap you in the face kind of humor but rather the kind of humor that hits you later. For example, I found myself smilingat something I read earlier in the day while cooking dinner. At the end of this book you feel like you know each of the people personally. I wanted a follow up to find out what happened to each person. It's that good. Basically this book is about Betty MacDonalds stay in a sanitorium while she had TB. She can take such a serious topic that could be pretty morose and turn it into something interesting and funny.

A Personal Reflection

Betty McDonald was my husbands's aunt - her sister DeDe mentioned in this book was my beloved mother-in-law. Although I never knew Betty, I had the priviledge of knowing my mother-in-law for 20 some years. The entire Bard family was a strong group with character like none other. My children had the priviledge of growing up listening to so many other "Bard Family stories" told by DeDe, their grandmother. It's too bad we don't have that grit, humor and determination that Betty and the rest of her family had. Those characteristics would help so many of us get through the tough times we face today. She was a great author and a classy lady. So glad these books have come back into print.

fun at the sanatarium!

you wouldn't think that a stay in a tb hospital could be a subject for a funny book; at least not until you read betty macdonald's "the plague & i". she is the author of the wonderful classics, "the egg & i", "anybody can do anything", "onions in the stew", and the children's series, mrs. piggle-wiggle. this particular book brings her light hearted outlook to what could have been a very stressful time in her life. through betty's eyes the reader is invited to look at a serious subject with humor and wit. i'd recommend this to any reader of erma bombeck or jean kerr.

First read this book as a patient in a TB hospital.

When I was 15, I acquired TB and was hospitalized for 7 months. What a grim sentence for a teenager. A library assistant gave this book to me and it began my long love affair with Betty MacDonald's books. This is a favorite of mine. Her descriptions of the personnel and patients in the sanitorium are hilarious. Wit and a talent for the language makes each of MacDonald's books a treasure to be read over and over.

It always makes me laugh outloud.

I have read all of Betty MacDonald's books and highly recommend them to anyone who enjoys the wonderful release of laughter. The Plague and I is such an interesting book about the methods of treating TB during the 40's in contrast with the use today of antibiotics. She keeps the reader laughing at the antics of the staff and the patients at the sanatorium. I stuggle to slow down whenever I read any of her books because they are so much fun to read,that before I realize it, I have come to the end. The Plague and I is no exception. If you want to have fun and laugh alot and laugh outloud, get a copy. I had to wait 3 months for my local library to round up a copy. Sadly, all of Betty's books are out of print. I hope someone will do a reprint very soon.