American Murderer: The Parasite That Haunted the South

by Gail Jarrow (Author)

Reading Level: 6th − 7th Grade
  • School Library Journal Best Book
  • Included on NPR's 2022 "Books We Love" List
  • Eureka! Nonfiction Silver Honor Award (California Reading Association)
  • Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book
  • Evanston (IL) Public Library's 101 Great Books for Kids 2022

What made workers in the American South so tired and feeble during the 19th and early 20th centuries? This exciting medical mystery uncovers the secrets of the parasite hookworm, commonly known as the "American Murderer," and is the latest title in Gail Jarrow's (YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults award-winning author) Medical Fiascoes series. Imagine microscopic worms living in the soil. They enter your body through your bare feet, travel to your intestines, and stay there for years sucking your blood like vampires. You feel exhausted. You get sick easily. It sounds like a nightmare, but that's what happened in the American South during the 1800s and early 1900s. Doctors never guessed that hookworms were making patients ill, but zoologist Charles Stiles knew better. Working with one of the first public health organizations, he and his colleagues treated the sick and showed Southerners how to protect themselves by wearing shoes and using outhouses so that the worms didn't spread. Although hookworm was eventually controlled in the US, the parasite remains a serious health problem throughout the world. The topic of this STEM book remains relevant and will fascinate readers interested in medicine, science, history--and gross stories about bloodsucking creatures.

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Kirkus Reviews

Despite the odd blink, a searching look at the borders between science and society.

Publishers Weekly

Jarrow (Ambushed!) chronicles the discovery of a deadly parasitic hookworm, the campaign that endeavored to control it, and the epidemic's social implications in this prodigious work, part of the Medical Fiascoes series, which recounts U.S. public health crises occurring in the 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1902, zoologist Charles Stiles encountered a hookworm pervading the Deep South and named it Necator americanus, or "American murderer." The parasite spread through human feces and emaciated its victims, who numbered nearly three million. Believing hookworm was "an inevitable ailment of the poor class," middle- and upper-class white Southerners opposed treatment efforts. Stiles attempted to change their minds by manipulating their racial prejudices, stating that Black people "were better adapted to the parasite and more immune to its most harmful effects"--since it was thought to have originated in West Africa. Scientific and societal intersections are only summarily explored in this introspective work, which features straightforward prose and informative sidebars detailing other historical Southern maladies and the scientists who studied them. Photographs, diagrams, and microscopic slides are included throughout; a timeline, glossary, and additional information conclude. Ages 10-17. (Sept.)

Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

Gr 5-9—Jarrow continues her "Medical Fiascoes" series with this concise yet fascinating history of hookworm disease in the American South. By the early 20th century, large populations in the South were suffering from an unknown illness that left them emaciated, anemic, and unable to work. This was primarily occurring in rural poor communities. At the time, hookworm disease was largely unknown and rarely diagnosed by American doctors, despite it occurring for several decades in the South as well as in other countries. One doctor, Charles Stiles, a renowned parasitologist who worked for the USDA and later the Public Health Service, found that it was easy to diagnose, treat, and prevent. He dedicated much of his career to educating people about this debilitating illness. He faced obstacles on multiple fronts, including cultural resistance to outsiders, economic obstacles to updating sanitary conditions, and his less than charming personality that did not win him many supporters. For the first half of the book, with her usual flair, Jarrow highlights the science of hookworms, which has plenty of gross appeal to keep readers engaged. The second half is equally intriguing as she focuses on Stiles's tireless efforts along with the cultural and historical aspects of the period. VERDICT An excellent addition for middle and high school students.—Karen T. Bilton

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

★ "Jarrow's impeccable research and fascinating details will keep [readers] hooked, especially when they discover that this creature, known as Necator americanus—the American murderer—is a hookworm that once plagued the South...Numerous archival photos place readers in the time period, while a concluding chapter looks at ongoing parasitic-worm dangers across the globe...An engrossing blend of history and STEM." —Booklist, starred review

"Jarrow continues her 'Medical Fiascoes' series with this concise yet fascinating history of hookworm disease in the American South... with her usual flair, Jarrow highlights the science of hookworms, which has plenty of gross appeal to keep ­readers engaged. An excellent addition for middle and high school students." —School Library Journal

"Jarrow's coverage of the biological mystery is well-organized and deftly explained, and she also skillfully handles the social context of a condition that largely affected marginalized populations. Readers who wish to delve deeper into the topic are assisted by a glossary, bibliography and website list, source notes, timeline, index, and author's note on research." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"The title is a literal translation of the hookworm's scientific name Necator americanus, but the lurid details don't stop there as Jarrow goes on to expand...accounts of the creepy creature's life cycle and the discovery of just how disturbingly prevalent 'America's bloodsucking murderer' was in the South in the 19th and early 20th centuries... [A] searching look at the borders between science and society." —Kirkus Reviews

"Scientific and societal intersections are...explored in this introspective work, which features straightforward prose and informative sidebars detailing other historical Southern maladies and the scientists who studied them. Photographs, diagrams, and microscopic slides are included throughout; a timeline, glossary, and additional information conclude." —Publishers Weekly

"Jarrow...who has carved out a niche for herself in the history of science and medicine, here adeptly weaves solid research, primary-source quotes, and historical artifacts with elements of mystery for a compelling read." —The Horn Book


Gail Jarrow
Gail Jarrow's books have earned a YALSA Award for Excellece in Nonfiction for Young Adults award, Sibert Honor, Orbis Pictus Honor, YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults finalist, a Notable Social Studies Trade Book, NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book and Best STEM book, The Jefferson Cup Award, a Eureka! Gold Award, as well as Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal Best Books and VOYA Honor Book distinctions. She lives in Ithaca, New York. Visit gailjarrow.com.
Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9781684378159
Lexile Measure
1080
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Calkins Creek Books
Publication date
September 20, 2022
Series
Medical Fiascoes
BISAC categories
YAN024030 - Young Adult Nonfiction | Health & Daily Living | Diseases, Illnesses & Injuries
YAN050110 - Young Adult Nonfiction | Science & Nature | History of Science
YAN025170 - Young Adult Nonfiction | History | United States - General
Library of Congress categories
History
19th century
Biographies
20th century
Southern states
Prevention
Public health
Illustrated works
Instructional and educational works
Stiles, Charles Wardell
Hookworm disease
Necator americanus
21th century

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