“Keeping the City Going” by Brian Floca
Atheneum books, for Young Readers, New York, 2021, 40 pages, Grades 1-3
The 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic devasted countries worldwide. In 1918, with the science of virology in its infancy, there was little that countries can do other than isolate sick people and prohibit public gatherings.
When COVID-19 strikes the world several years ago, it raises fears everywhere. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) works frantically to develop a vaccine. Business begins to grind to a halt and people are frightened. Soon, people begin working remotely and classes are taught through computer programs like Zoom.
The death rates rise to unprecedented levels. For some crazy reason, people begin buying excessive amounts of toilet paper. Immunizations are developed but the COVID virus is constantly changing.
Some people, like white collar workers, tend to be able to ride out the pandemic because they can work from home. Others are not so lucky. They must go out every day and do the hard work that keeps a society functioning.
Brian Floca writes an inspiring account of the bravery of these people. The name of this perceptive book is “Keeping the City Going.”
Children look out a window at the nearly empty streets of New York. There is very little traffic and the noise is minimal. But some people are out working, despite the pandemic. These courageous people are working in grocery stores, picking up garbage and caring for the huge number of sick people coming to hospitals. This type of work sometimes exposes the workers to COVID-19.
In spite of the risks, they continue to work and keep New York City running. They do not shirk responsibilities. These brave souls feed people, care for others and keep the society functioning. Some of these jobs have low pay, but most have high stress. How do these people do it?
Throughout the book, Floca draws ordinary people working in situations that call for extraordinary strength. The afterword uses a quote from Pope John Paul II: “It is necessary that the heroic becomes daily and the daily becomes heroic.”
As one able to work from home during the pandemic, I salute the courageous people that Floca draws and writes about with such eloquence. At home, I never worried about catching COVID-19 from someone I met at a job site. The workers, nurses and medical personnel in this book were exposed to these dangers every day.
It is a tribute to the insights of an outstanding author/illustrator as Brian Floca to write so sensitively about these unsung heroes. I encourage you to go to the library and check out this excellent book, “Keeping the City Going.” It is a fitting tribute to those who kept society running through the painful days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
