Black Death at the Golden Gate

The Race to Save America from the Bubonic Plague

By: David K. Randall

Narrated by: Charles Constant

A spine-chilling saga of virulent racism, human folly, and the ultimate triumph of scientific progress.

For Chinese immigrant Wong Chut King, surviving in San Francisco meant a life in the shadows. His passing on March 6, 1900, would have been unremarkable if a city health officer hadn't noticed a swollen black lymph node on his groin - a sign of bubonic plague. Empowered by racist pseudoscience, officials rushed to quarantine Chinatown while doctors examined Wong's tissue for telltale bacteria. If the devastating disease was not contained, San Francisco would become the American epicenter of an outbreak that had already claimed 10 million lives worldwide.

To local press, railroad barons, and elected officials, such a possibility was inconceivable - or inconvenient. As they mounted a cover-up to obscure the threat, it fell to federal health officer Rupert Blue to save a city that refused to be rescued.

In the tradition of Erik Larson and Steven Johnson, best-selling author David K. Randall spins a spellbinding account of Blue's race to understand the disease and contain its spread - the only hope of saving San Francisco, and the nation, from a gruesome fate.

©2019 David K. Randall (P)2019 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Gripping and unsettling

This nonfiction work reads like a medical thriller, as teams of dedicated doctors race to understand the pathogen killing dozens and then scores of people in 1900-1907 San Francisco. This book came out a year before the Covid pandemic but listeners today will be repeatedly struck by the parallels. Good narration, too.

Phenomenal History Information

Could not turn this off!! concerned at first about a medical history - this was so well written it was engaging from the first "page". Annoying to have to stop for any reason. Learned so much about San Francisco area. I will surely read it again in future.

First time

Never listened to a book through audio. Didn’t think I would have retained the information but I did. Will probably listen to books this way from now on.

good book with adjusted audio

very interesting informative, well-written historical novel with good leadership lessons for public health. I slowed the audio to .85x which made the narration sound much more natural. I enjoyed it very much after doing that.

totally relevant in this pandemic age

Super well written. Great history of early 1900's San Francisco and California. Greed and racism made it so hard for scientists to control a plague outbreak. Much like today!!