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Covid Wars: America’s Struggle Over Public Health and Personal Freedom
COVID WARS is a sweeping, deeply researched chronicle of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, weaving together science, politics, and personal freedoms. Ronald Gruner, with the precision of a historian and the curiosity of a citizen, takes us from the roots of virology in the 19th century all the way to the chaotic years of 2020–2022. The book doesn’t just tell the story of a virus—it lays bare the cultural and political divide that shaped America’s uneven and often painful response.
I was surprised at how readable this book was, given the mountain of data it packs. Gruner’s writing is crisp, and he breaks down complex topics without dumbing them down. I really enjoyed his opening chapters—“Contagium” and “The Warning”—which build a compelling backstory on pandemics past, from the 1918 Spanish Flu to the eerie predictions of the Bush and Obama administrations. I didn’t expect to be pulled in by 19th-century plant viruses, but Gruner somehow made that story feel urgent and important. His calm but clear-eyed tone gave me confidence in what he was saying, even when it felt frustrating to relive just how preventable some of this was.
The book isn’t shy about calling out failures. Politicians, conspiracy theorists, media figures, and even some public health leaders get held accountable. The chapter “The Divide” lays it all out—how the pandemic morphed from a health emergency into a political food fight. Gruner points fingers but backs it all up with evidence, charts, and historical comparisons. His takedown of the 2019 Global Health Security Index was a real eye-opener: America was ranked the best-prepared country in the world, yet we fumbled the ball harder than most. I felt both informed and a little angry reading that section.
What I appreciated most, though, was Gruner’s balance. He’s clearly frustrated with misinformation and poor leadership, but he doesn’t come across as bitter or one-sided. The chapter “Lockdowns” captures this tone perfectly. He acknowledges the economic devastation and emotional toll, especially on kids and small business owners, while also recognizing that something had to be done.
If you’re curious about what really happened, how we got here, and how it could’ve been different—this is worth your time. I’d recommend COVID WARS to history buffs, policy nerds, teachers, and frankly anyone who wants to understand how a virus exposed the fractures in American society. It’s not just a book about a pandemic. It’s a mirror, and what it reflects is both sobering and necessary.
Pages: 394 | ASIN : B0DXR5FL7K
Troubled By How Divided Our Nation Had Become
We the Presidents: How American Presidents Shaped the Last Century talks about how policies and actions from past administrations have led the country to where it is today. Why was this an important book for you to write?
Starting around 2015, I became troubled by how divided our nation had become. Politicians and the media have divided us making it difficult to discuss even life-threatening issues such as COVID and vaccines objectively. History and economic books have taken on a partisan bias catering to their respective audiences. It was this growing political tribalism that motivated me to write a non-partisan presidential issue that ignored politics and rather focused on the issues which actually affect individuals and the nation from personal income to national security.
While researching facts for this book, what was one thing that you discovered that shocked you?
During World War II, Ho Chi Minh was a loyal ally of the United States fighting a guerilla war against the Japanese in IndoChina alongside the American OSS. After the war, Ming repeatedly asked President Truman to support Vietnam’s independence from the French. His requests were ignored. Thirty years of war resulted with Vietnam ultimately gaining its independence after 58,000 American soldiers, and millions of Vietnamese, lost their lives.
What is one event in history that you feel had the greatest impact on how we live today?
Today, it is certainly Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, NATO chose to expand eastward threatening Russia’s borders. America’s most experienced Cold War diplomat, George Kennan, predicted: “…it is the beginning of a new cold war. I think the Russians will gradually react quite adversely and it will affect their policies. I think it is a tragic mistake.” (pages 340 – 347) Kennan was, unfortunately, right.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I have several ideas, but nothing firm, yet.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon | Website
Rather than politics, WE THE PRESIDENTS focuses on the issues which affect Americans today. Soaring inflation, resurgent nativism, income inequality, budget deficits, the Ukraine crisis and other critical issues, all have their roots in presidential administrations over the past century. For example:
President Harding’s treasury secretary, Andrew Mellon, promoted radical, new tax policies which later provided the rationale for deep tax cuts under Reagan, GW Bush and Trump — and ballooning deficits.
President Clinton’s encouragement of NATO’s eastward expansion after the end of the Cold War contributed to Russia’s evolution into a dangerous adversary rather than an ally as are Germany and Japan.
Presidents Reagan, Clinton and GW Bush promoted the deregulation of the financial industry which eventually led to the 2008 Financial Crisis..
WE THE PRESIDENTS is more than an absorbing read; it is a great education about how our country works. The author’s engaging and straightforward writing brings alive a century of presidencies and how their actions have led to what America is today.
We the Presidents
In We the Presidents author Ronald Gruner has comprehensively written about more than a dozen American presidents, covering every significant aspect of their presidency and the impact they had in the United States and the world at large. The author did not just talk about the former presidents’ policies and politics, but he also touches on their personal lives, ideologies, and the roles they played. I love that the author wrote about both popular presidents and those whose history is not widely known.
Author Ronald Gruner is a great teacher of history, as he takes the reader through significant events chronologically, explaining how one event affected the next. Reading this book will make you appreciate democracy and get you interested in America as a nation and its significance to world superpowers. This fascinating book is easy to follow as the author uses simple language. You will come across complex jargon, but Ronald Gruner defines and further breaks down new vocabulary and words that are not familiar to the average reader. From presidents Warren G. Harding, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Nixon, Reagan, Obama, and Donald Trump, Ronald Gruner has everything you need to know about these once powerful men and how they shaped the nation and global politics while they were in power.
Reading about the seventeen presidents was a fascinating experience, as the author also included fun facts and bits of their personalities that are not known by many. Ronald Gruner is objective. The author is rational and non-biased. His reasoning is clear, and one can only help but admire how Ronald Gruner views issues. After reading this book, you realize how hectic it can be to be the Commander In Chief of a nation. I appreciate the author, for he, without bias, highlighted both the wins and failures of the presidents. The discussions on the status quo and current global affairs were eye-opening. The author writes about different crises in the world, the war on terror, democracy, the military, NATO, and much more. I especially enjoyed the arrangement of chapters where each chapter covers an individual president because I thought this helped the reading.
We the Presidents: How American Presidents Shaped the Last Century is an overview biography of the last seventeen presidents of the United States of America, and their accomplishments and failures. Without focusing on political parties the author gives readers a non-biased but intriguing overview of American history.
Pages: 628 | ASIN : B09NLG54RV
LITERARY TITAN 