Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Terrible Typhoid Mary: A True Story of the Deadliest Cook in America
    Unavailable
    Terrible Typhoid Mary: A True Story of the Deadliest Cook in America
    Unavailable
    Terrible Typhoid Mary: A True Story of the Deadliest Cook in America
    Audiobook3 hours

    Terrible Typhoid Mary: A True Story of the Deadliest Cook in America

    Written by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

    Narrated by Donna Postel

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    Read the ebook instead

    About this audiobook

    What happens when a person's reputation has been forever damaged?

    With archival photographs and text among other primary sources, this riveting biography of Mary Mallon by the Sibert medalist and Newbery Honor winner Susan Bartoletti looks beyond the tabloid scandal of Mary's controversial life. How she was treated by medical and legal officials reveals a lesser-known story of human and constitutional rights, entangled with the science of pathology and enduring questions about who Mary Mallon really was.

    How did her name become synonymous with deadly disease? And who is really responsible for the lasting legacy of Typhoid Mary?

    This thorough exploration includes an author's note, timeline, annotated source notes, and bibliography.

    ©2015 Susan Campbell Bartoletti (P)2015 Dreamscape Media, LLC

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDreamscape Media Audio
    Release dateAug 4, 2015
    ISBN9781681415161
    Author

    Susan Campbell Bartoletti

    Susan Campbell Bartoletti is the acclaimed author of many award-winning nonfiction books, including the Newbery Honor winner Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow, the Sibert Medal winner Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine, and Terrible Typhoid Mary: A True Story of the Deadliest Cook in America. Susan makes her home in Pennsylvania. Visit her online at www.scbartoletti.com.

    Related to Terrible Typhoid Mary

    Related audiobooks

    YA Health & Daily Living For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Havenfall

      Feb 26, 2020

      RELEASED 3 MARCH 304 pages | Paperback/ebook Author Sara Holland Publisher Bloomsbury Adolescence is hard enough at the best of times, but throw in a murdered brother, a mother on death row and a high school full of bullies that really don’t apprecia

      1 min read

    • Article

      A Load Of Bollocks

      Oct 3, 2021

      A Load Of Bollocks
      2 min read

    • Article

      Robert B. Reich: Musk, Trump, And The Demeaning Of America

      Dec 28, 2022

      Before the midterms, Elon Musk fired half of Twitter's 7,500 employees, including teams devoted to combating election misinformation -- and did it so haphazardly and arbitrarily that most had no idea they were fired until their email accounts were sh

      3 min read

    • Article

      The Royals Are Just Like Much Of Our Press - Trapped In A Fantasy Version Of Britain’s Past | David Olusoga

      Mar 14, 2021

      Among the justifications habitually wheeled out by the monarchy’s defenders is the claim that a queen or a king – a head of state by birth rather than election – stands above politics and, from that lofty position, is able to unite the nation in ways

      4 min read

    • Article

      Toxic Truth

      Apr 14, 2021

      Toxic Truth
      6 min read

    • Article

      When The Court Of Public Opinion Begins To Favor Women

      Feb 26, 2018

      TO ALL THE MEN WHO ARE WORRIED since the start of #MeToo that their careers and reputations could be shattered by mere allegations, as the President put it recently, I’d like to say: Welcome to the club. Even before social media made slander user-fr

      2 min read

    • Article

      Roy Moore’s Deplorables

      Nov 14, 2017

      Roy Moore’s Deplorables
      3 min read

    • Article

      Gender Gymnastics

      Feb 23, 2023

      “THE FUTURE IS FEMALE.” Cohorts of corporate t-shirts and signs have displayed that progressive motto for a while. It didn’t age very well. Today, what counts as a “female” leader is subject to ideological scrutiny. A variety of qualifying labels — s

      4 min read

    • Article

      Gender Gymnastics

      Feb 23, 2023

      “THE FUTURE IS FEMALE.” Cohorts of corporate t-shirts and signs have displayed that progressive motto for a while. It didn’t age very well. Today, what counts as a “female” leader is subject to ideological scrutiny. A variety of qualifying labels — s

      4 min read

    • Article

      Partisans On Both Sides Are Hell-bent On Total Victory

      Jun 27, 2018

      After the deadly shooting in Tucson that wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in 2011, many people erroneously and instantaneously blamed Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann and others on the right for their violent or "eliminationist" rhetoric. In the wake of

      3 min read

    • Article

      The New Canon Of #MeToo

      Nov 18, 2019

      Several new books seek to define the values of #MeToo. Will they change popular consciousness, or turn suffering into forgettable entertainment?

      3 min read

    • Article

      Get Hooked

      Oct 26, 2023

      SELECTED BY DR NICOLA TALLIS Crown of Blood: The Deadly Inheritance of Lady Jane Grey By Dr Nicola Tallis (Michael O'Mara, 2016) In this dramatic retelling of an often misread tale, historian and researcher Dr Nicola Tallis explores a range of eviden

      1 min read

    • Article

      March Of The Trump Memoirs: Mark Meadows And Other Republican Reads

      Dec 12, 2021

      The Chief’s Chief is the most consequential book on the Trump presidency. In his memoir, Mark Meadows confesses to possibly putting Joe Biden’s life in jeopardy and then covering it up – all in easily digested prose and an unadorned voice. If nothing

      6 min read

    • Article

      We Wish We’d Written That: STAT Staffers Share Their Favorite Stories Of 2017

      Dec 19, 2017

      With the end of the year upon us, it’s time to go back and recognize the stellar journalism other publications produced in 2017.

      5 min read

    • Article

      “The ‘Rabbit-breeder’ Hoax Could Be Read As An Eloquent Political Protest”

      Jan 23, 2020

      Ellie Cawthorne: In 1726, a woman named Mary Toft perpetrated an extraordinary hoax that lasted several weeks and captured the imagination of the British public. What did it involve? Karen Harvey: Essentially, Mary Toft claimed to have given birth

      7 min read

    • Article

      Forgotten Heroes

      Sep 28, 2023

      Tuberculosis was often referred to as the ‘Great White Plague' – but 100 years ago, in New York, the nurses who cared for its victims were predominantly black. Recruited from all over the country but often lured from southern states with the promise

      1 min read

    • Article

      The Knotty Lives of Victorian Soothsayers

      Oct 7, 2022

      Despite their tremendous achievements, it isn’t possible—nor advisable—to cast any of these women in a wholly heroic light. The post The Knotty Lives of Victorian Soothsayers appeared first on The Millions.

      5 min read

    Reviews for Terrible Typhoid Mary

    4.5/5

    17 ratings8 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      I've heard the term Typhoid Mary as far back as I can remember, but I knew nothing about this infamous person. Even though Mary Mellon was responsible for causing innocent people to become severely sickened and even die, I felt sorry for her. This is a thoroughly researched book and one you'll feel compelled to share so others will really know and understand Mary Mellon.
      Little is known about Mary Mallon, other than the unkind term, Typhoid Mary. The facts in this biography, was garnered from case studies and wildly sensational newspaper articles, but the author deftly fills in the gaps with illuminating historical context and lively descriptions of events.

      At the turn of the twentieth century, typhoid could swiftly kill thousands, and the public health department would go to great lengths to stave off an epidemic. Once investigators identified Mallon as a healthy carrier and spreader of the disease, she was quarantined and tested against her will. In other words, Mary was imprisoned which raised questions. Can the health department go too far when protecting the public? Why was Mallon locked up but not scores of other healthy carriers who infected far more people? While addressing these questions, Bartoletti also explains the prejudice that led Mallon—a single, lower-class, immigrant woman—to be treated differently, the extent to which yellow journalism had a hand in Mallon’s infamy, and the generalized suspicion of science and medicine. Bartoletti expertly details historical background and contemporary knowledge about disease and public health.
    • 4/5
      A young adult sort of biography about a woman who ended up as a phrase in our vocabulary meaning someone who spreads diseases without caring about others. This book while discussing why Mary Mallon ended up with the moniker and how her issues may have happened it also talks about the Health Department and just how much they were legally allowed to do things that would cause an uproar these days. It also gives some background on the people who cause Mary to be incarcerated for most of her life. I felt really sorry for her due to what she went through and how fearful she was of doctors and the "experiments" they did on here. Also, how badly her life was curtailed by fear of illness in that era.
    • 3/5
      Not a thrilling audiobook, but I learned a bunch listening to the story of the first discovered healthy carrier of typhoid. Mary Malan was a cook whose upper class households had frequent typhoid outbreaks. After tracking her down, health department officials demanded she be tested and removed from her job. This suggestion was not met kindly and there were two times when she tried to stab these doctors with kitchen serving forks. Ultimately kidnapped and imprisoned in quarantine, Mary's case is a case study in what should be done to protect public health and issues of individual rights. A quick read (3 hour audiobook) and interesting glimpse into history.
    • 5/5
      Terrible Typhoid Mary is an informative, fascinating and well-written account of Mary Mallon, a cook in who was believed to be the carrier of Typhoid in the 1900's in New York. I was riveted by this compassionate and emphatic telling of Mary Mallon's story; of her life as an immigrant, the impact of class and gender, her quarantine by the state of New York against her will and what this meant about civil rights and the judiciary system, how health and disease were perceived at that time and more. The book is fast paced and Susan Campbell Bartoletti lays out a complex story is accessible and perfectly pitched for middle grade children. Although my sympathy lie with Mary and I felt outraged for the pain and humiliation she suffered, Ms Campbell Bartoletti's story-telling is so fine that I came to understand and appreciate the multiple perspectives presented. Thank you to Edelweiss for allowing me to review this book for an honest opinion
    • 4/5
      Incredibly researched, this is the story of Irish immigrant Mary Mallon who took a position as a cook in the wealthy area of Oyster Bay, Long Island. August 1906 found Mary at the home of Mrs. Chalres Elliot Warren who found Mary via a employment service.Mary came with excellent references, the only not so great thing mentioned was that she had quite a temper accompanied by the mouth of a sailor in her ability to swear. Marking a very good living for the position and time in history, there was a lot to admire about Mary. She originally lived with relatives who died, leaving her young, an immigrant in a new land, and alone. Tenaciously driven, she worked her way through the ranks of various positions and was very good at the trade of cook.Mary had a long history of holding positions for a short time, still she never had difficulty supporting herself and finding new jobs. Mary's specialty was making ice cream, and she made lots of this for the Warren family, using fresh peaches. Soon members of the family, their nine year old daughter, and some servants were diagnosed with typhoid fever. In 1906 one of every five people who contacted the disease died. When inspectors carefully ruled out the water, toilets and kitchen as containing the germs. Hiring Dr. George Soper, a sanitary engineer working for the Army Sanitary Corps, he was able to discover that one woman, Mary Mallon, was responsible for the outbreak not only in the Warren home, but in many/most of the homes where she cooked.Mary quit working for the Warrens, thus it became difficult to locate here, and when she was located was asked to provide urine, blood and fecal specimens. The fortitude and strong will of Mary was evident as she refused to cooperate. Priding herself on cleanliness, she would not believe she could be a carrier.From here on, Soper was on a mission to hound Mary, and also to make a name for himself. Mary was healthy and thus Soper had a difficult time explaining that she could be healthy because she previously had the disease and built and immunity to it. She denied ever having the illness.At this time in history, Irish immigrants were perceived as dirty, stupid, and drunkards. Mary was anything but those things. Still, using the prevailing thoughts about Irish people, Sopher was able to incarcerate Mary. Obtaining specimens, Mary tested positive. Newspapers blatantly used Mary's name and ruined her opportunities for well paying jobs. She was jailed twice, told she must have her gall bladder removed -- she declined -- and was given various medications which she promptly threw away.Stubborn and tenacious, she was branded all her life. The author does a very credible job in telling Mary's story and rendering her a very likable woman. She was intelligent, and, though quiet, she was quite capable of making friends.Mary demanded a trial, and was refused. Living on North Brother Island, where a man who also tested positive for this disease was freed. Mary had to remain.Mary died in 1932, and was buried in the Saint Raymond's Cemetery in the Bronx. As one of the chapters in the book notes, a weaker spirit might have been broken. Mary continually advocated for herself, demanded respect and died with savings of $4,800 ($63,100 today) which she gave to charities and friends.Held illegally, suffering slander, dying with the moniker of Typhoid Mary the author was excellent in portraying the historical time period of Mary's life.
    • 3/5
      I had very high hopes for this, and it wasn't at all what I was expecting. The timeline of Mary's bleak life is punctuated by comparisons to modern-day practices, including lessons about how science, law, and politics interact today. I found those elements a bit jarring, but they might be useful for the intended audience. Either way, it was a quick, informative read.
    • 5/5
      I am very impressed by Susan Campbell Bartoletti’s determination to thoroughly document Mary Mallon’s life in Terrible Typhoid Mary. The author made no assumptions that I could detect. In the back of this book is large source section with added details of her research. This is truly a nonfiction book instead of a historical fiction book and sets a wonderful example for young readers for sticking to the truth. There is also a section in the back of many photos and drawings of Mary and others who played important roles in her life.The author also includes a detailed Timeline that starts with the Great Irish Famine caused by potato blight to the publication of another biography of Mary written by George Souper. Mr. Souper had methodically investigated how typhoid could be spread in Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York. As the author went through the steps that Souper carried out, she also explained how typhoid is spread and how the living conditions could contribute to it. Souper’s encounters with Mary Mallon add excitement to this book. Also Dr. Josephine Baker or Dr. Joe, was shown to be one of the few who was able to see Mary Mallon’s point of view. Mary Mallon herself had a temper and was not above cursing but she did like to read. It is easy to figure out that there may have been ways that Mary could have avoided her enforced time on North Brother Island. This book opens up issues for thoughtful discussion for the young readers.I would be delighted to read more nonfiction by Susan Campbell Bartoletti.I received this Advanced Reading Copy by making a selection from Amazon Vine books but that in no way influenced my thoughts or feelings in this review. I also posted this review only on sites meant for reading not for selling.
    • 4/5
      Terrible Typhoid Mary is a nonfiction book about Mary Mallon, one of the first healthy carriers of Typhoid in the US. It chronicles her time as a cook spreading Typhoid by accident and her unwillingness to help the Board of Health. Before reading this I really had no clue anything about Mary and the disease - yes, I knew the name Typhoid Mary but her story wasn't something I knew. This was a great book about her and her story but also about the difficulties of the time period. Mary did not trust medical doctor and she was not sick, there was filth and she was considered a clean woman, and she did not intentionally spread her disease (at least not initially). Some might say that after she was informed about the issues she could have prevented spreading it afterward but she was a stubborn woman it seems.I found the book fascinating and really enjoyed the way it portrayed Mary and the health people involved with her capture. I did find some of it pretty unjust but even after being informed Mary was a pain about everything and so I can't really feel too sorry for her. It was a very informative book and if you would like to learn about her and the time this is a great way to do it. The author includes citations, clarifications, an index, and images as well.