Book Review: The Next Pandemic by Ali S. Khan
Originally published in 2016 with an updated introduction added during the Covid-19 pandemic, The Next Pandemic by Ali S. Khan is a nonfiction narrative work about the author’s travels around the world working for the Centre for Disease Control as an epidemiologist. Far beyond medical jargon, he writes about his firsthand encounters with some of the deadliest diseases ever described, and more importantly, with the people who are most at risk of contracting them. Unsurprisingly, Khan criticizes the larger political systems responsible for making administering vaccines, accessing medicine and sharing education so difficult. In this review I will go over why I loved this page-turner, some suggestions for how it could have been even more excellent, and why people should pick it up.
In short: I liked the book. I would probably put it up there among my favourite books of all time. I don’t get paid to say this, so you know it’s true.
Every page gave me new insights, and everything was high-stakes. Despite the Indiana Jones-esque framing of his career, the author remains humble in his accounts, admitting when he or his team made mistakes and that they learned a lot from people of vastly different qualifications.
I didn’t like that it ended! In all seriousness, I think that more input from the people who were living in the rougher areas traversed by Khan, especially the patients and victims of political conflict, would have been interesting. Surely, a language barrier and time constraints must have been part of why this book lacked more of that, but it would have added some depth.
Whenever another healthcare worker was introduced, especially ones Khan met on-site, I was intrigued by their worldview and how they handled difficult situations. As much as I loved how the narration was throughout the book, and admired the author’s bravery and intelligence, nothing beats the excitement and concern I felt whenever he mentioned his peers who worked with much less resources (supplies, time, or help).
I appreciated that the sensitive topics, specifically about discrimination and geopolitical instability, were handled with care. He discusses victims’ hardships with delicate compassion without treating them like near-mythical case studies or mere numbers.
Overall, I would definitely recommend the book to a friend, or anyone for that matter. It is a great first read for anyone interested in knowing more about narrative medicine. To those more well-versed in medicine, who more likely (or hopefully) have progressive views about healthcare access, this is a book that affirms those motivations. To those who have little to no interest in medicine but care about global social-justice issues, this book puts into perspective the dangers both on the providers’ side and the public’s side when it comes to lack of healthcare access, from small scale interventions to considering the larger scale impacts of disregarding the safety and wellbeing of rural communities. Even to people who are more conservative, maintaining indifference to structural inequality around the world: this book will give you an upbeat, easily digestible narrative experience that introduces you to healthcare disparities and how it will affect you one way or another. Even if somehow you go through life unburdened by the pain suffered by patients, their families, and the medical professionals doing their best to protect these vulnerable populations, I am certain that newfound empathy and critical thinking will creep its way into you through this book.
By Mina Baehaki | Blog Committee Member
