tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7730888263639781223.post7737910087744924780..comments2023-12-29T04:56:40.723-05:00Comments on NineteenTeen: In Flanders FieldsMarissa Doylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11248406475808085694noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7730888263639781223.post-50080511110352089332014-05-30T12:26:14.391-04:002014-05-30T12:26:14.391-04:00er...I got the subtitle of Barry's book wrong....er...I got the subtitle of Barry's book wrong. It's <i>the epic story of the <b>deadliest</b> plague in history</i>." *blushes*Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7730888263639781223.post-29267063876670019952014-05-30T11:43:17.861-04:002014-05-30T11:43:17.861-04:00I read that, Marissa, I think in a book that came ...I read that, Marissa, I think in a book that came out about 10 years ago, <i>The Great Influenza: the epic story of the greatest plague in history</i> by John M. Barry. Talk about your scary novel (which is why I don't read horror--real life is scary enough!) I was upset for days. IIRC, Wilson was so changed that the French negotiator was able to push through all sorts of punitive measures--another nation may have been involved as well.<br /><br />Another image that haunts me is the troop train that left one Army base--maybe Maryland?--and by the time it arrived at its destination --Atlanta or maybe Florida--so many soldiers had sickened and died.<br /><br />I'm not sure if it was in that book or someplace else, but I did read that the effects of the flu were so devastating in this country that it was suppressed (probably not deliberately) in literature and in academic study for decades. With all the fiction I've read--probably hundreds of books a year throughout my life, it's stunning to realize that the first mention I'd ever seen of the flu epidemic in a novel was after 2000, in (<i>Palace Beautiful</i> by Sarah deFord Williams, a middle-grade novel. My theory is that the flu goes a long way to explain the giddiness of the Twenties, doesn't it? "We survived, but tomorrow is uncertain so let's live for the day!"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7730888263639781223.post-85875572554528444892014-05-29T21:00:27.061-04:002014-05-29T21:00:27.061-04:00There's a very interesting theory about the Tr...There's a very interesting theory about the Treaty of Versailles, Anne--that Woodrow Wilson was not happy about many of the terms and reparations being imposed on Germany...and then he caught a late case of the flu. After that, his attitude toward the treaty changed, and he supported the harsh terms; some medical historians wonder if he suffered brain damage during his illness, which caused his about-face.Marissa Doylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11248406475808085694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7730888263639781223.post-40128137280230059762014-05-29T18:59:13.683-04:002014-05-29T18:59:13.683-04:00I still have last weekend's poppy tied to the ...I still have last weekend's poppy tied to the buckle of my purse. WWI was such a tragedy in all regards, not least of which, as I understand it, were the terms of the Armistice, which were so severe as to sow the seeds for WWII.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7730888263639781223.post-78949340385422667652014-05-28T19:18:53.193-04:002014-05-28T19:18:53.193-04:00Growing up near military bases, I remember veteran...Growing up near military bases, I remember veterans selling or giving out the red cloth poppies. Thanks for putting it in context. A sobering and thought-provoking post.Regina Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16122254474376535221noreply@blogger.com