Really enjoyed this book, especially as a healthcare professional. Does a wonderful job of encompassing the deadliness and history of TB. Spans several decades and touches on a lot of lesser known parts of American History. The heart of it though is the stories of these incredible black nurses. Highly recommend 

 Excellent book. These nurses worked as hard as they could to advance, to take care of the most contagious patients, to help determine ways to treat...and cure TB. They were the front line of care, and keeping track of what worked and didn't work. Meanwhile they were dealing with segregation and racism in their education, their work place, their dining choices, their ability to find housing and buy housing. It is recent history. It is important. 

This was an interesting look at a part of history I didn't know about before. Smilios has clearly done extensive research, but the book still felt accessible. I would highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in medical history.