In Case Of Emergency, Read Blog

Taking a little time away from their work dealing with the H1N1 flu among other issues for a bit of fun, the staff of the National Association of County & City Health Officials (NACCHO) has assembled their Top 10 list of favorite public health books. As the group explains on their website:

In an effort to develop a new resource for members, NACCHO recently asked its staff, “What are your favorite public health-related books, movies, articles, and novels?” With over 100 avid readers and film watchers on staff, we came up with a long list of favorites to recommend to members—from the seminal 1988 Institute of Medicine (IOM) Report to the recent bestseller The Great Influenza. The top ten titles are listed below.

A list of NACCHO members’ top picks is coming soon. To suggest your favorite title please e-mail Ashley Bowen (abowen@naccho.org).

I have read five of the books on the list including the three pictured below and can attest that they are not only fascinating but also good reads. 

The only book I might add to the NACCHO list is Richard Preston’s novel, Cobra Event, which describes a biological terror attack on the U.S., but it may be that that fiction will have its own Top 10. By the way, when you purchase a title (new or used) from the Top 10 list from Powell’s Books, an independent book store based in Portland, Oregon, NACCHO receives a portion of the sale.