Nemesis - Philip Roth

After a less than stellar run of books, I was pleased to pick up this one.  I'd been a bit intimidated by Philip Roth in the past, but the review of this book by one of my favorite bloggers had been so stellar and the topic was so compelling, that I couldn't resist.

Roth tells the story of the polio outbreak in Newark during the blazing summer of 1944.  His prose evokes the fear felt by children and their parents that they may contract polio.  The novel focuses in particular on one of the children's instructors (a playground coordinator) and his reaction to this epidemic.  It hones in on how polio influences his faith and how this equips him (or not) with the tenacity to cope in such a difficult time.  Roth also flashes forward in his novel to explore the fallout of polio many years later.  He speaks to the fact that polio need not make one a permanent victim and that for some, there is hope.

I found this book interesting in that this was a point in history that I knew little about.  I was fascinated by the fact that polio spread most rampantly during the summer.  I'd had  no idea and this pattern lies in contrast with other communicable diseases, like influenza.  I found myself wanting to read more of the medial literature to find out why.

All in all, I highly recommend this book and it has compelled me to pick up more Phillip Roth novels.