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lisettemarie's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Body horror, Pandemic/Epidemic, Miscarriage, Animal death, Blood, and Medical content
paulken's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Excrement, Terminal illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, Vomit, Blood, Body horror, Animal death, Death, and Medical content
Moderate: Forced institutionalization
westcoast_pizzaghost's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Animal death, Blood, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Gore
caro6408's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Medical content, Animal death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Vomit, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Medical trauma, Death, and Excrement
ekcd_'s review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Animal death, Blood, Terminal illness, Body horror, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Vomit
buer's review against another edition
4.0
Preston traces the virus in specific people, which are surprisingly gory, as well as its eventual discovery at a facility that houses monkeys that are sold for medical purposes.
This book is a fast read due to Preston’s charismatic prose, but is also a book I had to put down multiple times due to the gore of an Ebola case and the violence enacted against the monkeys infected with the virus.
Very informative for those who are curious about the spread of viruses and the protocols surrounding emerging viruses.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Death, Gore, Pandemic/Epidemic, Vomit, and Medical content
grimmauxillatrix's review against another edition
2.5
The good: the writing is still dramatic and interesting. It's a gripping, well-paced book that compelled me to finish it even though a lot of the information contained within is at best exaggerated, and at worst completely incorrect thanks to continuing advances in medical science.
The bad: this book did for epidemiology what Jaws did for sharks; that is, incited panic and fear about disease that has done far more harm than good to society. The 2014 Ebola outbreak surprised many of us who'd grown up in terror of the supernatural powers of the disease: it turns out that the disease didn't turn people into exploding blood zombies. The outbreak wasn't the end of the world. Ebola is a virulent and deadly disease, but understanding it is key to fighting it, and understanding, rather than treating it as a mysterious unknown, reduces fear and allows for action.
The ugly: this book singlehandedly turned Africa into a disease ridden dark continent for an entire generation. The colonialist tones are unmistakable, with the various African peoples treated more like part of the backdrop than people with agency. Disease is around every corner, and so dangerous to the civilized white man that they can only journey there in a "level four space suit". Calling the Kinshasa highway the AIDS highway and blaming the spread of the disease on the people who live and travel there is disingenuous and counterproductive to both helping the people of Africa rise up, and to continuing disease research.
The portions taking place in America are steeped in 90s typical sexism, even though it primarily discusses Army personnel. Though not nearly as egregious as the white man's burden colonial mindset in the African portions, it still rubs the wrong way.
Overall, this is a well written but bad book that should be forgotten.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Gore, Medical content, Vomit, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Medical trauma, Terminal illness, Blood, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Murder, Cursing, Sexism, Violence, and Excrement
reading_under_covers's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Blood, Gore, Death, and Medical content
Moderate: Animal death