5By March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had hit the northeastern United States. As the year progressed, it truly became a national and international crisis, affecting all aspects of life. In Philadelphia, hospital physician and historian Christopher Haines documented the pertinent issues of the day, while informing his audience on the science, medicine, history and policy behind the COVID-19 pandemic. All the while Dr. Haines offered personal accounts of how his own history and perspective shaped his personal response to the crisis. "COVID-19 Essays from the Front: the First Six Months" helps the reader to understand the science and medicine while putting the pandemic into historical perspective. The book also offers comfort and hope in a time of fear and uncertainty.