Metropolitan Library System

Roth's "Nemesis" is the story of a wartime polio epidemic in the summer of 1944 and the effect it has on a closely knit, family-oriented Newark community and its children.

From the 1930s to the 1950s, in response to the rising epidemic of polio, Texas researchers led a wave of discoveries in virology, rehabilitative therapies, and the modern intensive care unit. Polio also had a sweeping cultural and societal effect. It engendered fearful responses from parents trying to keep children safe from its ravages and an all-out public information blitz aimed at helping a frightened population protect itself. Houston and Harris...

Almost twenty years ago, in a riveting story of courage and hope, Peg Kehret wrote of months spent in a hospital when she was twelve, first struggling to survive a severe case of polio, then slowly learning to walk again. The book deeply touched readers of all ages and received many awards and honors. This anniversary edition includes an updated and extended epilogue about the author's experiences since the original publication. It also includes

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Seldom has society come full circle in the cycle of a disease - from illness, to epidemic, to cure. Polio is the 20th century's most notable exception. Every baby boomer remembers collecting dimes in their dime cards, hearing the success of the Salk shot, and lining up for oral vaccines taken in a sugar cube. But few know the story of how polio came to America in 1916 and grew into the frightening epidemics of the 1940's and 50's when the disease...

During the 1930s, severe and extended drought struck the Southwest and central plains, Oklahoma in particular. Dust and sandstorms were common and gave rise to the name of an era that still colors stories of that time and place. Of course, it was not one dust storm, but a series of storms that continued for many years throughout the decade. In Dust Storm, Oklahoma Heritage Association Publishing's first historical fiction title, Clara is an eleven-year-old...

When polio paralyzed Franklin Roosevelt at the age of thirty-nine, people wept to think that the young man of golden promise must live out his days as a helpless invalid. He never again walked on his own. But in just over a decade, he regained his strength and seized the presidency. This was the most remarkable comeback in the history of American politics. And, as author James Tobin shows, it was the pivot of Roosevelt's life-the triumphant struggle...

Ethelda Bleibtrey was a girl with guts who loved the water. As a child with polio in the early 1900s, swimming set her free. The water released her from her pain and helped her build strong muscle-and a powerful spirit. From then on, from the New York beaches to the choppy waters of the 1920 Olympics to the Central Park Reservoir, Ethelda made a splash wherever she went. For Ethelda, doing the right thing sometimes came with a price-change often does-but...