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helena_chris's review against another edition
dark
funny
informative
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Medical content, Death, Child death, and Animal death
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Abortion, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Drug abuse and Addiction
jhbandcats's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
4.0
Enjoyable book geared toward the layman, this describes poisons in terms of biochemistry. Alas, I have always been poor at understanding chemistry so I didn’t really get some of the more complicated sections. However, the author used similes that made it easier to picture what he meant, such as referring to the destruction within a cell as a mess of Christmas lights, attached in a string and hopelessly tangled.
He also shows how the chemical can be used for good - atropine is toxic but can be an antidote in controlled doses - and for evil, citing poisoning cases from the past up to our time period. (While he explains the destruction that would result from injecting bleach, I was disappointed that he didn’t mention Trump’s crazy suggestion that this might stop COVID.)
I liked the book a lot but the similes were used far too often. In one single page in the polonium chapter, he refers to its effect on the body a wrecking ball, a right hook from a bare-knuckle prizefighter, and the Vandals sacking Rome.
He also shows how the chemical can be used for good - atropine is toxic but can be an antidote in controlled doses - and for evil, citing poisoning cases from the past up to our time period. (While he explains the destruction that would result from injecting bleach, I was disappointed that he didn’t mention Trump’s crazy suggestion that this might stop COVID.)
I liked the book a lot but the similes were used far too often. In one single page in the polonium chapter, he refers to its effect on the body a wrecking ball, a right hook from a bare-knuckle prizefighter, and the Vandals sacking Rome.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Vomit, Animal death, Blood, Gore, Medical content, Abortion, Child death, Drug abuse, Infidelity, and Murder
horizonous's review against another edition
challenging
informative
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content and Child death
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Vomit, Death, and Abortion
Minor: Toxic relationship, War, Alcoholism, Addiction, Drug abuse, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Sexism
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