Fever, 1793

Okay, so I am aware that the cover of this book is rather frightening and not at all appealing, unless it's in a potentially "scary story" kind of way. This is why when I wasn't reading the novel I turned it over so I wouldn't have to be intimidated by the yellow eye gleaming menacingly at me from its cover.

But don't let the cover fool you, folks. Fever, 1793, is told through the eyes of the teenager Maltida Cook, a character with real pluck and determination, making this story not horrific so much as it was fascinating.

An event little (if at all) dwelled on in history books, the epidemic of yellow fever rages in Philadelphia in this novel, bringing to light new revelations about America in the seventeen hundreds. Interactions between humans - the wealthy, the poor, the white, and the black - are revealed here as fear grasps the hearts of one of the most influential societies of the time, and the result was absolutely captivating.

Laurie Halse Anderson does more than set up this historical world, though. She includes wit in her novel as well, poking fun at some of the expectations of the time. However, this is done only through the perspective of the main character so that you can understand what it was like to be a young woman in colonial America. 

Thus, the historical account about the realities of yellow fever not only discusses aspects such as the medical failures and social inequalities of the time, but is the inspirational story of a girl who decides to succeed anyway. And that, my friends, makes it a story worth reading.

Appropriate for ages 14+ (the audiobook is fantastic, too)