"In the book the authors look at different aspects of preparedness through the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lessons we've learned. Some of the lessons should be obvious by now, but are in danger of being forgotten or de-prioritized when the dust finally settles. Others relate not to technical capabilities that we need, or best practices for public health, but to societal issues that we didn't foresee and which have to be considered in any future outbreak planning. For instance, what does preparedness look like if the federal government takes a strong coordinating role, and what does it look like if states and cities are left largely to fend for themselves (even competing against each other for scarce resources); and how do we plan for a scenario in which the best public health guidance is met with not only skepticism, but outright hostility by a large swathe of the country? The book offers concrete and conceptual guidance, but in doing so also asks difficult questions"--