Carville's Cure by Pam Fessler. LiveRight, a division of W.W. Norton, 2020. Adult nonfiction.Remember the people in the Bible who were outcast because they had leprosy? Or what happened to them in Ben Hur? Fast forward to 2020. Pam Fessler has written a fascinating and well researched book about the disease, now known as Hansen's Disease, patients who have suffered, and treatments over the years.
While this is her first book, Fessler writes like a pro. Her husband has a family connection with Hansen's Disease, but the narrative is not at all just first person. She chronicles the history of the Louisiana Leprosarium in Carville, Louisiana and follows many of its patients. While many would compare the facility to a prison, Fessler explains how the federal government got involved, what happened to the patients, what happened to the facility, and what happens to patients today. Most readers would never think that they may work with, teach, or associate with patients who have Hansen's Disease in the modern world. Help end the stigma and discrimination by updating your own information by reading Fessler's book. Extensive notes and a bibliography are included.
