Surprising Pulitzer
Another set of Pulitzers was announced this week, while the spotlight always shine on categories like Public Service, Investigavtive reporting (Journalism awards), I am really heartened by the selection of the book "Polio An American Story" in the category History for the awards in the Letters and Drama section. Yes, there is more to Pulitzers than Journalism.
The book by Oshinsky one of the greatest contemporary historian, narrates the American struggle with Polio. While Polio doesn't mean anything to Americans anymore, recent NY Times series on world's communicable diseases highlight the struggles the world community faces to wipe out the disease.
My father was afflicted with polio, which gives me a ringside view of what that disease can do a person. By rewarding this book Pulitzer has done a great service to the world community; reminding the challenge that lays ahead for the world's public health experts.
I am awaiting for the day, when the 1000 or so Polio outbreaks per year becomes zero.
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