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Reviews
Virology: Essays for the Living, the Dead, and the Small Things in Between by Joseph Osmundson
thealyssalo's review against another edition
5.0
Made me feel less alone in my continued COVID precautions
honorsenglishdropout's review
3.0
"I want to live a life dedicated to pushing the needle in the direction of the well, not for my body -- a true lost cause -- but for us, our world, and the people we'll leave behind when we go."
thecolourblue's review
challenging
emotional
informative
slow-paced
3.0
I was abit disapointed by the ratio of memoir to science writing in this collection - but I am someone who rarely enjoys memoirs. The book is quite scattered, but not in a way that serves it's purpose well for me.
There are some interesting and well-constructed essays in here about virology and the connections between the HIV epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic and the language used (both similiar and different) between them. I particularly like his essay on the purpose and importance of viruses as part of our biological system.
However, a lot of the book is writing about personal experiences of the author during lockdown, or transcriptions of journals or calls, and that I found a lot less interesting.
There are some interesting and well-constructed essays in here about virology and the connections between the HIV epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic and the language used (both similiar and different) between them. I particularly like his essay on the purpose and importance of viruses as part of our biological system.
However, a lot of the book is writing about personal experiences of the author during lockdown, or transcriptions of journals or calls, and that I found a lot less interesting.
lxmn_s's review
at first i found the queer theory stuff to be more compelling than the virology stuff but it all came together quite well
alicerossi's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
A very unique piece of science nonfiction which manages to beautifully bring together molecular concepts, queer theory and social commentary.
Each essay can be stand alone, and naturally readers might prefer some over others (I did). The author does a great job at explaining and conveying how and why science does not exist in a vacuum, but is indeed impacted by politics as much as any other discipline.
Overall this book spoke deeply to me both as a scientist and a human being leaving me feeling tender and hopeful towards our shared society. It's been the best science communication book I ever read, and will be reccomending it to colleagues and friends.
Each essay can be stand alone, and naturally readers might prefer some over others (I did). The author does a great job at explaining and conveying how and why science does not exist in a vacuum, but is indeed impacted by politics as much as any other discipline.
Overall this book spoke deeply to me both as a scientist and a human being leaving me feeling tender and hopeful towards our shared society. It's been the best science communication book I ever read, and will be reccomending it to colleagues and friends.
hamantha's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
2.75
I have complicated feelings. A little boring, but better towards the end. This is like getting into someone’s head, reading their journal. Which is interesting. I did audio, so I especially liked hearing interview excerpts. That being said, felt a bit disjointed at times, like it was written then the author tried to make it all tie together after the fact. Still, I did enjoy a good portion of it.
_toristorytime's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.25