William T. Close's account of the 1976 Ebola outbreak in the Yambuku region of Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) provides a startling look at the emotions, fears and struggles of the individuals involved in a virus outbreak. In the case of this outbreak, the etiological agent was not yet known to human-kind, thus enhancing the fear of the disease caused by the virus.
It is unfair to compare this book to The Hot Zone since The Hot Zone is written more as a thriller rather than to be informative. It is full of sensationalistic phrases and thoughts and leaves out many important scientists involved in the Reston outbreak.
Close's Ebola gives you the knowledge needed to appreciate an outbreak of a deadly disease and I highly recommend it.