Crisis in the Red Zone is a non-fiction book about the Ebola outbreak, which began in 2013. Written by American author Richard Preston, the book details the devastating and deadly impact the virus had, and the attempts that were made to discover a cure.
Richard Preston is a bestselling author who has previously written a number of books about epidemics and infectious diseases. This includes "The Hot Zone," published in 1994, which focuses on an outbreak of the Ebola virus that had traveled to America, originating in the Philippines. As such, this book is underpinned by years of experience, and various interviews undertaken by Preston. In the preface to this book, he writes that:
"The people in this story have been largely unnoticed by the world. Yet, for me at least, their actions and choices, their lives and deaths, seem to look at the center of the most destructive rapid epidemic in anyone's lifetime."
This book details the story of the highly-contagious Ebola virus, from its beginning to the creation of a possible treatment. At the end of the book, Preston questions the risk of future epidemics, and whether humanity has done enough to prevent this. On the whole, the text was received positively, becoming a popular book and a New York Times bestseller.
