Science · Book club
The Coming Plague book club questions
Here are 12 book club questions for The Coming Plague by Laurie Garrett, ordered to open easily and end somewhere worth arguing about. Copy them, print them, or bring them up one at a time.
The Coming Plague, published in 1994, is Laurie Garrett's argument that the era of conquest over infectious disease declared in the 1960s was a dangerous illusion, and that the conditions for catastrophic new pandemics were already in place.
Laurie Garrett · 1994 · 14h 45m
Full summary and key takeaways →The 12 questions
- 1.
Garrett published The Coming Plague in 1994. What did she get right, what did she overstate, and what did she miss?
- 2.
The book argues that antibiotic resistance was an emerging crisis three decades ago. Why has the response been so slow despite the warnings?
- 3.
Garrett traces how hospital conditions in resource-poor settings amplified several outbreaks. What would adequate international health infrastructure investment look like?
- 4.
She argues that the conquest-of-disease narrative of the 1960s was dangerous because it led to neglect of public health systems. Where do you see similar premature triumphalism today?
- 5.
The HIV sections argue that political and social taboos delayed response by years. What are the equivalent taboos that might delay response to the next pandemic?
- 6.
Garrett gives a lot of space to the economic disincentives for developing new antibiotics and treatments for tropical diseases. Is there a market solution to that problem, or does it require public funding?
- 7.
Which outbreak case in the book was most surprising to you? What made it surprising?
- 8.
The book is very long and extremely detailed. Is that the right format for a warning about systemic risk? What does the length cost you as a reader?
- 9.
How do you evaluate Garrett's claim that the conditions for a major pandemic were already in place in 1994? What would she need to be wrong about for that claim to fail?
- 10.
She emphasizes the role of ecological disruption repeatedly. Does that framing change how you think about environmental policy as a public health issue?
- 11.
The political obstacles to effective public health response appear in almost every case study. What makes public health such a politically difficult domain?
- 12.
Reading this book after COVID-19: which of Garrett's warnings most directly predicted what happened in 2020?
How to run the discussion
- Pick six to eight, not all of them. An hour of real discussion covers fewer questions than anyone expects, and racing the list is what makes a book club feel like homework.
- Open with what people noticed, not what they concluded. Asking for a verdict first hardens opinions before anyone has heard each other.
- Let the disagreement run. The questions below that split a room are the ones worth the time; the ones everyone answers the same way can be skipped.
- Ask the quiet person a specific question. A direct, narrow question is far easier to answer than an open invitation to contribute.
Themes worth steering toward
If the conversation stalls, these are the threads that usually restart it.
Common questions
What are good book club questions for The Coming Plague?
Here are 12 book club questions for The Coming Plague by Laurie Garrett, ordered to open easily and end somewhere worth arguing about. The strongest openers ask what each reader noticed rather than what they concluded, and the discussion usually turns on emerging diseases, epidemics, public health.
How long should a book club discussion of The Coming Plague last?
Most groups run 60 to 90 minutes of actual discussion. That is roughly six to eight questions, not all of them, so pick the ones that suit your group rather than working down the list in order.
What are the main themes in The Coming Plague?
Emerging diseases, Epidemics, Public health, Ecology, Global health systems. Those are the threads most likely to divide a room, which makes them the useful places to steer a discussion that has gone quiet.
Picking the next one? See books like The Coming Plague or questions for other book club picks.
