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markproxy's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent example of science writing that targets a mainstream audience without hyped-up, unsupported conclusions. Fascinating, entertaining, and full of tidbits that made me see the world a little differently. Good mix of breadth and depth in its survey of recent discoveries in the exploding field of microbiology.
I'll definitely be keeping my eye out for more Ed Yong books. He's also become one of my favs on Twitter (@edyong209), and has made me realize how much good science writing there is in The Atlantic.
I'll definitely be keeping my eye out for more Ed Yong books. He's also become one of my favs on Twitter (@edyong209), and has made me realize how much good science writing there is in The Atlantic.
omegarob's review against another edition
funny
informative
medium-paced
4.0
A fascinating and insightful book about microbes. The light tone of the novel kept me interested in the science throughout, with lots of anecdotes and jokes. I leant a lot - this book really changed my perspective on bacteria as I now see the huge number of ways in which we rely on them.
pallavi_sharma87's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
neglet's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
This adult nonfiction work covers what you've probably heard called our "microbiome"--essentially how bacteria and various microorganisms work together with more complex creatures, often becoming crucial parts of the larger creature's survival. (Did you know that mitochondria, our cells' "power plants," are essentially captured bacteria that became symbiotic and then just part of our bodies?) It's utterly fascinating and helps engender a new way of looking at something familiar, which I would have expected from this author. Highly recommended!
jenmangler's review against another edition
3.0
Fascinating! Yong gives the reader a new way to view the world. Who are we? Answering that question is infinitely more complex than most of us realize. There is still so much we don't know. I wonder how different our knowledge of ourselves and our world will be 100 years from now.
kitkat962's review against another edition
5.0
Phenomenal book. Ed Young's writing is of a scientist: he drew from analogies to explain it better, but didn't try to oversimplified the interwoven lives of us and of microbes, nor he glossed over the outliers and incongruence. A good book should not answer all of your questions, but rather, to help you ask more questions, and "I contain multitude" did exactly that for me. It took me so long to read this book, though, since I tried to read it when my brain are functioning at optimal capability (lol).
Definitely my favorite the book of 2020.
Definitely my favorite the book of 2020.