In a riveting biography that reads like a crime novel, Sibert medalist and Newbery Honor winner Susan Campbell Bartoletti uncovers the true story of Mary Mallon, a.k.a. Typhoid Mary, one of the most misunderstood women in American history.

With archival photographs and text, among other primary sources, this riveting biography looks beyond the tabloid scandal of Mary’s controversial life. How she was treated by medical and legal officials reveals a lesser-known story of human and constitutional rights, entangled with the science of pathology and enduring questions about who Mary Mallon really was.

How did her name become synonymous with deadly disease? What happens when a person’s reputation has been forever damaged? And who is really responsible for the lasting legacy of Typhoid Mary?

Terrible Typhoid Mary also examines extreme public health measures at the time and public misconceptions around disease. Includes an author’s note, timeline, annotated source notes, and bibliography.