7 Stories Up at SNFL, Author Talks: Edna Bonhomme with Linda Villarosa: A History of the World in Six Plagues: How Contagion, Class, and Captivity Shaped Us, from Cholera to Covid-19
Location
Historian and writer Edna Bonhomme joins us to discuss her new book "A History of the World in Six Plagues: How Contagion, Class, and Captivity Shaped Us, from Cholera to Covid-19" with fellow writer Linda Villarosa.
This event will take place in person at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library on the 7th Floor.
Epidemic diseases enter the world by chance, but they become catastrophic by human design. With clear-eyed research and lush prose, A History of the World in Six Plagues shows that throughout history, outbreaks of disease have been exacerbated by and gone on to further expand the racial, economic, and sociopolitical divides we allow to fester in times of good health.
Princeton-trained historian Edna Bonhomme’s examination of humanity’s disastrous treatment of pandemic disease takes us across place and time from Port-au-Prince to Tanzania, and from plantation-era America to our modern COVID-19-scarred world to unravel shocking truths about the patterns of discrimination in the face of disease. Based on in-depth research and cultural analysis, Bonhomme explores Cholera, HIV/AIDS, the Spanish Flu, Sleeping Sickness, Ebola, and COVID-19 amidst the backdrop of unequal public policy. But much more than a remarkable history, A History of the World in Six Plagues is also a rising call for change.
At this event, historian and writer Edna Bonhomme will discuss her new book with fellow writer Linda Villarosa.
To join the event in person | Doors will open 30 minutes before the program begins. For free events, we generally overbook to ensure a full house. Priority will be given to those who have registered in advance, but registration does not guarantee admission. All registered seats are released shortly before start time, and seats may become available at that time. A standby line will form 30 minutes before the program.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Edna Bonhomme is a historian of science, culture writer, and book critic whose work has appeared in Al Jazeera, The Atlantic, Esquire, frieze magazine, The Guardian, The Nation, London Review of Books, The Washington Post, and more. She is coeditor of After Sex, a collection of essays, poems, and short stories. She earned a PhD from Princeton University, a master’s degree from Columbia University, and a bachelor’s degree from Reed College. She previously held fellowships at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, the Camargo Foundation, Baldwin for the Arts, and Nancy B. Negley Artists Residency Program at Maison Dora Maar. Edna is a recipient of the Robert Silvers Foundation Grant for Works in Progress and the Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Grant.
Linda Villarosa is a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine, where she covers race, inequality and public health. Her award-winning work has examined HIV/AIDS, maternal mortality, environmental justice, COVID-19 racial health disparities and life expectancy. A former executive editor of Essence Magazine, she is the author of the book Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives and on the Health of Our Nation. It was a finalist for the 2023 Pulitzer Prize.
Linda’s contribution to The New York Times’ Pulitzer Prize-winning 1619 Project highlights race-based physiological myths that have endured in medical practice since slavery, and an expanded version of her essay was included in the book The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story.
A graduate of the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY, where she is now a professor, Linda also teaches journalism, English and Black Studies at the City College of New York.
GET THE BOOK
- Borrow: NYPL Catalog
- E-Book app: SimplyE, available on iOS and Android
Don't have a New York Public Library card? Get one here!
ACCESSIBILITY NOTES
In-Person
- Assistive listening devices and/or hearing loops are available at the venue.
- You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation or CART (Communication Access Real-Time Translation) captioning service by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org or use this Gmail template.
- This venue is fully accessible to wheelchairs.
CONNECT WITH US
Sign up for our e-newsletters to stay up to date on upcoming events and Library offerings.
Please submit all press inquiries to Lizzie Tribone at least 48 hours before the event: email lizzietribone@nypl.org.
SUPPORT THE LIBRARY
The New York Public Library's free services and resources are made possible thanks to the support of the Friends of the Library. Join this group of Library lovers and take advantage of special membership benefits, like invitations to members-only virtual events, discounts at the Library Shop, and more. Join now.
All programs are subject to change or cancellation. All events at The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library are subject to recording and photography.
The 7 Stories Up Series at SNFL is made possible by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).