Indie Book Award - Finalist Best Covid-19 Pandemic
Bronze Medal Readers' Favorite - Nonfiction Anthology
Finalist International Book Awards - Best Anthology
Winner - New England Book Festival - Best Anthology
Winner - San Francisco Book Festival - Best Anthology
New York Book Festival Honorable Mention
2020 brought about a change in everyone's lives. This change had no specific target, much like the wind, the corona virus – Covid-19, swept across our nation like a swarm of locusts that affected every facet of our society. Quarantine, job loss, schools and stores closed, and people lived in fear of what the future held.
We have tried to capture voices from the Pandemic — healthcare workers, educators, people who have experienced loss, writers and entertainers without audiences, and a special group, sixth graders trying to understand, why? None of these voices know what the future holds. We don’t either, but we have tried to document where we are now. From deep sorrow to confusion and yes, even humor, the stories in this anthology capture a glimpse of society and how we coped—and perhaps will help us better understand what this trying period has meant to so many of us.
Contributors
Don Helin
Robert Furey
Marie McGowan
Joe Coleman
Jennifer Diamond
Janet Cincotta
Rick Robinson
Frank Pandora
Dick Vieth
Connie Cousins
Lisa McCombs
Suzanne Alexander
Don Stansberry
Edwin Daryl Michael
Donna Leiss
Krystian Leonard
Lynn Salsi
Dennis Hetzel
Stacie Haas
Ellen Still
Joyce Nissley
Warren Clark
Lew Dobbins
Dreama Denver
Dr. Sabrina Runyon
Student Writers
Rilee Ruggles
Colson Manko
Dayton Wilson
Tyler Cole
Lilly Moats
Bella Miller
Garrett Haymond
Jullian Conn
Randy B. Lichtman for Readers’ Favorite –
As I write this review in January 2021, we continue to experience the terrible circumstances brought to us by the pandemic, COVID-19. In spite of our individual differences, so many similarities are brought to light in the powerful anthology of memoir articles contained in Voices from the Pandemic, compiled by Headline Books and edited by Don Helin. The book contains a variety of authors with different professional backgrounds including health care professionals, entertainers, teachers, writers, administrators, and so many more. In addition, the writings of seven student authors who are currently experiencing school online in 6th grade are just as important, as these experiences will be memorable in their future educational experiences.
So many common experiences are here, such as working from home, entertainers not able to work, students and teachers working online, people unable to get simple grocery items such as toilet paper, health challenges, loneliness, experiencing and viewing the death of patients, and families not being able to be with their loved ones as they lose their lives from Covid-19. These are only a sample of the issues expressed so personally and sensitively throughout the book in diverse voices. They remind us that we are not alone and that others are going through some of the same challenges we are—and some are having very different ones. Together the book paints a tapestry of life in the Covid-19 world from different people, perceptions, professions, ages, and backgrounds. Many of the writers have published articles, short stories, and books while many are expressing their personal experiences to help themselves cope and understand their own situations in this collection of memoirs.
After the pandemic ends and life becomes more “normalized”, these memoirs will become even more valuable as we look back and see what we lived through, how we survived, and how we have been impacted in a post-pandemic world. Pandemic history is still being written at the time of this publication. Voices from the Pandemic, compiled by Headline Books, and edited by Don Hein stands as a testimony to the courage of ordinary people as they survive one of the most challenging times in their lives. I continue to be very moved as I reflect on stories I read from this remarkable anthology. There are so many personal and sensitive stories that make this volume a monument to all who have lived through this extremely challenging time for all of us. An excellent book to remind us of how we are surviving during this unique time in our lives and the resilience that will bring us into the next stage of our lives.”