Illustrations by Slimy Oddity
In history books of the future, the horrors of the COVID-19 pandemic will be described in painstaking detail. Students will learn about the devastating number of lives lost and the vast economic toll wrought by the virus. Authors will explain how, in many ways, life was put on hold indefinitely children in virtual school, travel canceled, weddings and other celebrations postponed.
It’s critical that future generations understand the pandemic’s effect. But what will be left out of the textbooks? Those fears you and your family felt in mid-March when shutdowns began. The TV shows and books that eased your anxiety during quarantine. Historians might not explain the myriad ways some learned to see the world anew. In many cases, a different life was forged in an otherwise dark, isolated time.