{"product_id":"9781586488093","title":"Dread: How Fear and Fantasy Have Fueled Epidemics from the Black Death to Avian Flu","description":"\u003cp\u003eBubonic Plague. Aids. Swine Flu. For most of human history we have lived in fear of lurking epidemics. Today, deaths from epidemic disease are rare in the developed world. Yet alarmist headlines, government-issued warnings, and public health announcements maintain the illusion that the next big outbreak is just around the corner.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn Dread, Philip Alcabes examines epidemics through history to show how they reflect the particular social and cultural anxieties of their times. From Typhoid Mary to bioterrorism, as new outbreaks are unleashed or imagined, diseases can become convenient explanations for deep-seated societal anxieties. Epidemic alarm bells can be used to disguise moral crusades, racist propaganda, or political agendas. To regain our senses, argues Alcabes, we must reexamine our choice of enemies and meet future scares with a more critical eye.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"PublicAffairs","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47036519612656,"sku":"9781586488093","price":16.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781586488093_p0.jpg?v=1763784339","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781586488093","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}