Author Publishes Book on Pandemic in the Local Area
John Dale charts the course of the outbreak as seen on social media
Cover of John Dale's book on the pandemic
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Local author John Dale, the man behind the Brentford Today and TV Facebook group, has published a book on the impact of the pandemic in the London Borough of Hounslow.
The retired magazine editor and newspaper reporter uses the prism of social media to track the progress of the disease and reactions to the disease from a specifically local angle.
John Dale said, "The book is about the Covid pandemic across the borough, as seen through social media. It shows how the West Middlesex Hospital was hit by a surge of patients and, despite deaths and serious illnesses, in the end rose heroically to the challenge. At the same time the Council – led by Cllr Steve Curran and CEO Niall Bolger – put together systems to feed and help the shielded and most vulnerable. In both cases there was huge support from community groups, with lots of people volunteering to get involved.
"As well as the personal toll, the book also shows the catastrophic economic impact – in the words of Cllr Curran: ‘This Borough heads the national league table for furloughed and unemployed workers – 40%. This is likely to worsen.’ He also said: ‘It's our greatest crisis since World War Two. Thousands can't put food on the table.’"
Mr Dale adds, "I thought 2020 was a year which needed to be remembered. 2020 has lessons for the future."
The book is in the public domain and can be downloaded from Lulu for just £0.99. Any profit from the book itself will be donated to the charity fund of West Middlesex University Hospital.
It is a large file of 206 page or 1.28 GB, so takes a while to download. Mr Dale says reads better on a tablet, laptop or desktop than on a mobile.
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March 12, 2021
