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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed this book. Contemplating between a 3 and 4 but I think it falls on the higher end due to the unique topic.
The Herd is a fiction book on the difficult subject of childhood vaccinations. This is a decision every parent has to make for their child, particularly the MMR vaccine which is the main highlight of this book.
So what if your best friend knows your child needed to be kept safe as they could not have the vaccines due to poor health and then decided to tell a lie about their child’s vaccine status so her child could attend the other child’s party? How would you react? Especially when things take a turn for the worse.
This was an interesting and enlightening read. I see and hear about it frequently in real life, especially having three children, should you vaccinate or not, do these vaccines cause problems down the line? It’s all thoughts that go through our minds. I can also understand why people choose not to have them. It is a very personal choice and people should be allowed to make their own decisions.
This would make a good book club read as there is plenty to discuss throughout.
So what if your best friend knows your child needed to be kept safe as they could not have the vaccines due to poor health and then decided to tell a lie about their child’s vaccine status so her child could attend the other child’s party? How would you react? Especially when things take a turn for the worse.
This was an interesting and enlightening read. I see and hear about it frequently in real life, especially having three children, should you vaccinate or not, do these vaccines cause problems down the line? It’s all thoughts that go through our minds. I can also understand why people choose not to have them. It is a very personal choice and people should be allowed to make their own decisions.
This would make a good book club read as there is plenty to discuss throughout.
I am speechless. This was one of the best books I've read in many years. I did find it difficult to read on a personal level as the topic of vaccinations is quite triggering to me after the last two years I have worked in health care, at certain times I wasn't sure if I could finish the book. But this book, it is extremely well written and had me in tears several times throughout. I appreciated the author laying out the complexities and really having a neutral stance in her writing even though I found it maddening, it's what made the book great. The character layout was so well done, at multiple times in the book you loved/hated each of the parents. I would find this book difficult to recommend because of the subject matter to be honest, but anyone who is ready for this kind of heavy topic, I do not think you will be disappointed.
Very well written with relatable characters and an engaging twist. Loved it!
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What perfect timing for the publication of this book when covid vaccination has become the topic of daily conversation its seems only right that we look at all childhood vaccinations in a novel .
Im a Paediatrician and have had many a conversation about childhood vaccines with my families and often met with people very anxious about vaccinating their precious children , in addition to this one of my own children developed a severe egg allergy necessitating them to have to be vaccinated in hospital for the mar vaccine so I know from first hand how difficult and contentious this topic can be .My third and hardest personal story was a child who was in my son's city nursery class who developed the awful condition subacute sclerosis pan encephalitis SSBE a severe brain disease that may occur after measles infection in the unvaccinated and was left brain damaged and died from measles .This was at the turn of this century in the uk , it can and does happen and measles epidemics unfortunately are a recurring problem
Perhaps because of my own history I did pick up the plot twist very early and in fact worried about it spoiling the book as I initially thought the writter had got it wrong , no indeed it was deliberate and I was so delighted as I could stop worrying g about this tiny fact and enjoy the rest of the novel .
I would strongly recommend the book to all parents and grandparents of young children as it undoes so much off the bad done by Mr Wakefield inches vaccine autism scare of the 1990s which has done untold damage to our attempts to get sufficient percentage cover to prevent outbreaks of horrendous infectious diseases such h as measles, the herd of herd immunity of the title .
The book I suppose would fit the chick lit category with the topic elevating it and giving it a certain amount of distinction holding it above others of the genre
I found the characters utterly believable as sadly were some of their reactions which held my interest throughout
The medical details were accurate with one tiny niggle that a Neurologist would be called Dr not Mr .
I would say that the book should be recommended reading for anyone with a young child in the family and it is my hope that it may persuade someone to take up the offer of immunisation who might otherwise be vacillating
Im a Paediatrician and have had many a conversation about childhood vaccines with my families and often met with people very anxious about vaccinating their precious children , in addition to this one of my own children developed a severe egg allergy necessitating them to have to be vaccinated in hospital for the mar vaccine so I know from first hand how difficult and contentious this topic can be .My third and hardest personal story was a child who was in my son's city nursery class who developed the awful condition subacute sclerosis pan encephalitis SSBE a severe brain disease that may occur after measles infection in the unvaccinated and was left brain damaged and died from measles .This was at the turn of this century in the uk , it can and does happen and measles epidemics unfortunately are a recurring problem
Perhaps because of my own history I did pick up the plot twist very early and in fact worried about it spoiling the book as I initially thought the writter had got it wrong , no indeed it was deliberate and I was so delighted as I could stop worrying g about this tiny fact and enjoy the rest of the novel .
I would strongly recommend the book to all parents and grandparents of young children as it undoes so much off the bad done by Mr Wakefield inches vaccine autism scare of the 1990s which has done untold damage to our attempts to get sufficient percentage cover to prevent outbreaks of horrendous infectious diseases such h as measles, the herd of herd immunity of the title .
The book I suppose would fit the chick lit category with the topic elevating it and giving it a certain amount of distinction holding it above others of the genre
I found the characters utterly believable as sadly were some of their reactions which held my interest throughout
The medical details were accurate with one tiny niggle that a Neurologist would be called Dr not Mr .
I would say that the book should be recommended reading for anyone with a young child in the family and it is my hope that it may persuade someone to take up the offer of immunisation who might otherwise be vacillating
The book was tedious at times as it went on too long. I am giving it 3 stars instead of 2 because I think the writer was good at telling this story about both sides of the vaccination issue.