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Last Train to Paradise Book Review

Posted on by Econogal

Henry Flagler and the Florida East Coast Railway

If Last Train to Paradise existed during my school days, I am sure the Les Standiford history would have been required reading. However, the text was not published until the early 21st Century. Thus, the non-fiction account was an option. And a very good one for history buffs and others.

The Last Train to Paradise is more than a biography of Henry Flagler. The book chronicles his life and work. But at heart, the writing conjures the trials and tribulations of building the Florida East Coast Railway. A feat most said was not possible, indeed only a folly.

Author

Les Standiford writes both fiction and non-fiction. This gives Last Train to Paradise an edge in literary circles because the writing is engaging even though it is at core factual history. Standiford catches the reader from the start with a snippet on Ernest Hemingway as the Hurricane of 1935 approaches. Then he dives into a deep history of Henry Flagler.

This roundabout approach works. The reader knows a catastrophe is on the horizon. The writer is up to the task of both entertaining and positing the inevitable outcome of building a railway over the open sea. Last Train to Paradise captures the reader.

Last Train to Paradise

For readers unfamiliar with Henry Flagler, the author does an outstanding job from a biographical viewpoint. Flagler made the choice to develop the Atlantic Coast of Florida instead of remaining actively involved with Standard Oil. The development of cities, hotels and railway lines used up much of Flagler’s oil fortune.

So, while J.D. Rockefeller remains a recognizable name, outside of Florida, Flagler is not as well known. Fortunately for history buffs, historians such as Les Standiford are preserving the past.

The details of the Florida East Coast Railway construction are preserved in books such as Last Train to Paradise as well as museums and other writings. Visitors to the Florida Keys can see remnants of the passageway. Those vacationers driving to Key West will have the best understanding of the magnitude of the task of building the railway.

The Premonition: A Pandemic Story Book Review

Posted on by Econogal

The Premonition

The Premonition: A Pandemic Story by Michael Lewis is an indictment on America’s response to Covid-19. This non-fiction account is critical of various governmental entities. But the bigger takeaway is the hard work of many individuals. Their attempts to stop the spread were hampered by red tape.

Key Players

The Premonition is like a series of mini-biographies. The opening chapters focus on a school science project. Laura Glass, as a high school student, studied the social spread of pathogens. With the help of her father, Bob, a scientist at Sandia National Laboratories, a computer model was developed to predict outcomes. The experiment keyed on social distancing. (Fast forward to the crisis in 2020 and the computer model found a real-life application.)

Carter Mecher is another linchpin in The Pandemic narrative. Mecher’s biography is quite interesting. He was raised in a working class household. Nonetheless, he pursued a medical degree and shined in critical care situations. Eventually, he climbed the ranks of the Veteran’s Affairs as a troubleshooter of the program.

He was in this position in 2005 when then President Bush called for a national pandemic plan. Mecher along with Richard Hatchett became the principle authors of the plan. Furthermore, the two men with diverse personalities, remain close colleagues. We also learn Hatchett’s history.

2005 Pandemic Plan

Hatchett and Mecher discover the computer model developed by Glass. Then they incorporate major pieces of Laura Glass’ project into the plan. Vaccines were only a piece of the puzzle. Pathogens are spread in social settings. Since two of the largest places of socialization are schools and work settings, both were addressed. Next, the plan had to be sold to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) and later to the American public.

Another key author of the national pandemic plan is Lisa Koonin , at the time with the CDC. But, her work on the document took place after hours. In the end, the CDC published its’ own work and the Hatchett and Mecher collaboration was published sans Koonin listed as an author. However, the two men gave direct praise to Koonin.

The Premonition

Charity Dean is the woman with the premonition, or more accurately premonitions. Her biography is the most compelling of the bunch. Lewis spends quite a bit of time detailing  her background. And with good reason. Dean is a force to be reckoned with. As is her devotion to public health.

In The Premonition, the State of California employed Dean. Her career spanned from the county level to the position of Assistant Director of the State Department of Public Health. The Premonition details the roadblocks Dean encountered. It is inferred that the pushback experienced during the early months of 2020 led to her new position in the private sector.

Indictments within The Premonition

Criticism of various governmental groups is a part of The Premonition. Neither political party escapes. Both the Trump White House and the Gavin Newsom California administration failed to recognize the talent and expertise available to them. But the most glaring failure of all belongs to the CDC.

Lewis traces the weakness of the CDC back to the Swine Flu debacle of the late 1970s. This is the point the agency lost its’ independence. Since then, politics has played a big part.

He also portrays the agency as a large bureaucracy unable or unwilling to make decisions. Instead, he suggests the CDC prefers to study and analyze problems. Not solve them.

Lewis is not all negative. His mini-biographies demonstrate that the country has many hard-working and brilliant scientists. He blames the pandemic response, or lack thereof, more on process than on people. I agree to a point.

Recommendation

I found a few things missing.

First of all, the lack of accurate statistics is not really mentioned. Lewis cites the U.S.A. as a country with four percent of the world’s population. But having more than twenty percent of the Covid-19 cases. I use the Johns Hopkins Covid Tracker for my data. These numbers do not match. Furthermore, an open society such as the United States will have a more accurate account (although not perfect) of cases. Numbers from communist countries should be taken with a large grain of salt. This leeriness of the presented data is particularly true considering the calculated death rate of the United States is in line with the world rate.

Secondly, Michael Lewis handled several governmental experts with kid gloves. Most notably, Dr. Anthony Fauci. Nothing was discussed about Fauci’s admitted lies to the American public concerning the airborne transmission of the virus and the proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) especially masks. I see this as a failure on the author’s part.

Furthermore, I found the delay in recognizing Covid-19 as a concern. I first wrote about the coronavirus in January 2020. Only Charity Dean’s December 2019 premonition predates me.

Overall, the hours spent reading The Premonition were well spent. The individuals above are only a small representation of those highlighted in the book. All give hope for a better future. If you are not tired of the pandemic, this book provides information of interest.