The award-winning New York Times journalist, Donald G. McNeil, Jr., reflects on 25 years of covering pandemics—how governments respond, how the media covers events, how situations are exploited, and what we can do to prepare for the next pandemic, in this “gripping, fierce attack on the two deadliest enemies of humanity: disease and itself” (The Economist). For millions of Americans, Donald G. McNeil, Jr. was a comforting voice when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. He was a regular journalist on the popular New York Times podcast The Daily and alerted listeners early to prepare for the worst. In his 25-year career in public health journalism, he quickly understood that an unknown virus in Wuhan, China was destined to evolve into a global pandemic that would rival the 1918 flu. Thanks to his clear advice, a generation of Times readers recognized the actual danger but also that they could protect themselves by following the right precautions. Thanks to his prophetic work, the New York Times won the Pulitzer Gold Medal in 2021 for Public Service. The Wisdom of Plagues is “essential reading for better preparation for the next inevitable outbreak” (Peter Piot, MD, co-discoverer of Ebola) as McNeil shares his experience from 25 years of reporting in over 60 countries. Many science reporters understand the basics of diseases—from how a virus works to the process of creating a vaccine. But very few understand the psychology of how small outbreaks turn into pandemics, why people refuse to believe they are at risk, or why they dismiss protective measures like quarantines or vaccines. The COVID-19 pandemic was the story that McNeil had trained his whole life to cover. His expertise and depth of sources allowed him to make many accurate predictions in 2020 about the trajectory a deadly new virus would take and how different countries would respond. By the time McNeil wrote his last articles for the New York Times, he had not lost his compassion—but he had become much tougher on how governments should respond. He had witnessed numerous disasters and read enough history to understand that while every outbreak is different, failure was the one constant. Small outbreaks spiraled into catastrophe because weak leaders succumbed to denial. Citizens refused to make even small sacrifices for the common good. They were encouraged in this by entrepreneurs seeking profit and populists seeking power. Science was ignored, obvious truths were rejected, and the innocent often died. In The Wisdom of Plagues, “one of the most illuminating books on public health” (Lena Wen, MD), McNeil offers stern, guiding advice on what we can do to improve global health and be better prepared for the inevitable next pandemic.