Steven Johnson's The Ghost Map

In 1850s London, life was a lot different than it is today. Different aspects of the city played a role in the spread of disease and poverty such as lack of structured sanitation systems, over populated neighborhoods and homes, and high costs of living. Steven Johnson’s The Ghost Map is a descriptive narrative that showcases the relation between the spread of disease, population density, the common folk and life in London in the 1850s. In an attempt to discuss the narrative of The Ghost Map and factors around it, what follows will introduce Steven Johnson and his qualifications, briefly summarize The Ghost Map, explain the structure of the book, explain Johnson’s central thesis, and discuss Johnson’s evidence used throughout the book. Steven Johnson is an American author and university graduate. Johnson is the author of many best selling books, such as Future Perfect and How We Got to Now, as mentioned in the end of The Ghost Map. As an author, Johnson also writes for many high standard news outlooks, such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Johnson also worked to set up and maintain the news website FEED. These qualifications cement the professional career of Johnson and helped to build …show more content…
This book showcases this central thesis by explaining many different links within the four subjects mentioned: the disease itself, at a microbial level, and how it was spread through contaminated water; the massive population of the city and its neighborhoods, allowing for spread amongst the different areas throughout the city; and the spread of disease no matter the social class or standing. These four themes inside the book are crucial to each other and explored in depth throughout the