Michael T. Osterholm
This is a non-fiction book, and therefore there are no real "characters" as such. However, we do get a good indication of Michael Osterholm's character through his writing style and the information he tells us about his life. In the introduction, he tells us that he had been the state epidemiologist of Minnesota, and was even nicknamed "Bad New Mike," as he didn't "tell them anything they wanted to hear." Osterholm uses the introduction of this text to inform us about his experiences dealing with pandemics. We discover that he is knowledgeable about this issue, and we can, therefore, trust his opinion.
Allusions
Osterholm refers to a number of historical figures in this text to illuminate his arguments. For example, he compares himself to Abraham Lincoln in the following passage:
"Like Abraham Lincoln, I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts."
He also includes quotes from historical figures, such as Winston Churchill. He takes these quotes and applies them to the issue of pandemics.
