Terrible Typhoid Mary: A True Story of the Deadliest Cook in America by Susan Campbell Bartoletti (review)

“If you’re squeamish and don’t like to read about germs, then you should stop now and find some other book to read.” And with that provocative opening comment, Bartoletti should have readers ready and riveted for her account of Mary Mallon, the early twentieth-century Irish immigrant who, as an asymptomatic carrier of typhoid bacteria, infected the well-to-do families that employed her to cook. Bartoletti covers much the same ground as Gail Jarrow’s Fatal Fever (BCCB 4/15), but with a different emphasis and narrative style. Whereas Jarrow tackled the topic as a medical mystery with the germ fighters in lead roles (albeit with explicit sympathy for Mallon’s personal plight), Bartoletti delivers a fast-moving biography of Mallon herself. The heavy-handed tactics of sanitary engineer, George Soper, and the public health officials who twice incarcerated Mallon on a New York island are cast in a different and decidedly dimmer view in Bartoletti’s account. This is enthusiastic and accessible, but it remains respectful, offering understanding and empathy for the numerous people affected by the outbreaks that followed in Mallon’s wake. It’s a rare treat for information book readers to happen upon two fresh accounts of a fascinating episode in the history of disease control, so be sure to pair this with the Jarrow for a compete picture. A gallery of black and white photos, a timeline, annotated citations, a topically organized bibliography are appended; the bound book will include an index.