Includes bibliographical references (pages 261-301) and index.

In the definitive inside account of the United States' failed response to the Coronavirus pandemic, Slavitt chronicles what he saw and how much could have been prevented. The result is an unflinching investigation of the cultural, political, and economic drivers that led to unnecessary loss of life. Readers will be in the room as fateful decisions are made, meeting people at the center of the political system, health care system, patients, and caregivers. The story that emerges is one of a country in which bad leadership, political and cultural fractures, and an unwillingness to sustain sacrifice light a fuse that is difficult to extinguish. -- adapted from jacket

Is this really happening? -- Unexploded bombs -- Waking up late -- The virus and the White House, Part I -- The virus and the White House, Part II -- Trump eats the marshmallow -- No one left in charge but the virus -- The room service pandemic -- The folly of the free market pandemic -- Anti-expert, pro-magic -- Deniers, Fauxers, and herders (oh my) -- The work to do -- Afterword: what happened next.