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PORTSIDE CULTURE

BEFORE THE NEXT CRISIS  
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Joelene Pynnonen
November 11, 2025
Independent Review of Books
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_ This study of the Covid-19 pandemic looks for ways that public
health officials and political figures can lessen the negative impacts
of similar events in the future. _

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_Before the Next Crisis_Tista S. GhoshColumbia University PressISBN:
9780231220934

Tista Ghosh is an epidemiologist and award-winning journalist who has
worked in public health for 15 years. At the center of the Covid-19
pandemic, she saw the issues that arose from a chronically underfunded
and misunderstood system. Unfortunately, the risk of another pandemic
is all too real. Our best chance of navigating one successfully is to
look to humanity’s response to Covid-19.

Ghosh believes that there are several key areas we can focus on to
improve everyone’s odds in a similar situation. The first is the
healthcare industry and their messaging of the crisis. The next is
large employers and how they go about protecting their workers. The
political side of things is important too. As are ordinary, everyday
people.

_Before the Next Crisis_ offers a fantastic summary of how the
Covid-19 pandemic affected multiple sectors in the USA. It gives an
overview of what was happening on a national level both in the
healthcare field and on the political front. But deeper than this, it
delves into the lives of ordinary people who were trying to survive
during these events. It uncovers the uncertainty, frustration, and
difficulties people had as they navigated unprecedented events.

The goal of _Before the Next Crisis_ is to determine what could have
been done better during the Covid years in the hopes of implementing
these systems if a new pandemic arises. On that front, it does a good
job.

The people’s stories are from a diverse range. Different
occupations, different political affiliation, different ages, and
experiences. By going through the problems that these people had
during Covid, it lays the groundwork for managing the same issues
should there be a new crisis. Aside from this, though, reading about
these people and their thoughts and experiences, is absolutely
riveting. It’s easy to understand why they have the qualms they may
have had during Covid, because they’re explained so eloquently.
Knowing their situation gives true insight into why they may not have
chosen to vaccinate or wear a mask. It discusses why things like
political views or ethnicity may have shaped people’s responses. It
touches on the heart of the problem, US citizens’ lack of public
health literacy and lack of trust in those who understood the health
crisis.

As a lot of the public responses to the pandemic were shaped by trust
issues, either with political parties, confusing media updates, or
loss of trust in the healthcare industry, this is the key area that
needs to be addressed. In _Before the Next Crisis_ Ghosh explains
where these problems arose with a view of keeping the same issues from
burgeoning in a future crisis. She also examines businesses or health
practitioners who had a lot of success during Covid-19. Drawing from
these examples and continuing to build on what we have learned from
this epidemic will better prepare us for the future.

This is a surprisingly optimistic book for one that delves so
thoroughly into such a recent, divisive, and devastating crisis.
Rather than focusing on the things that went wrong or that were
managed poorly, Ghosh leans into the areas that nailed their responses
to the pandemic. There’s an emphasis on physical health, but the
importance of mental health during an epidemic like this is also given
weight.

_Before the Next Crisis_ is a thoughtful, well-researched piece that
retains its humanity while mapping a way to a safer future.

* Covid-19; Public Health
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* Health Care Industry. Public Officials
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