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mbloudoff's review against another edition
2.0
Great for people who know nothing about vaccinations or immunity.
garnetabel's review against another edition
5.0
I'm lucky to have read this at the right time. Somewhat meandering, though in a way that I found created unexpected connections between ideas, leaving me with profound insights and ilicited empathy. A perfect read for 2022.
flowerwineandbooks's review against another edition
4.0
A non-fiction book that flowed more like a long essay. It wasn't too academic, but rather easily accessible. Biss does not hide from hard topics, like colonization, racism, classism, and the harsh realities of capitalism and how all these play into the adea of "health" being a privilege of a commodity in the world. Biss also does not demean or demonize those who choose not to vaccinate their children, rather explains from where they might be coming from using her own experience as a mother. Instead, Biss chooses to demonize those power hungry career misinformation perpetrators who should know better.
The short sectioned off chapters and the way this was written as a narrative keep the reader's attention. However, I personally would have preferred chapter titles and numbered footnotes that I could use to flip back to in the notes section in using this book as a reference. After reading the notes, I have 5 more books and several essays I've written down to be explored in the future as I continue to go down this rabbit whole of human immunity.
The short sectioned off chapters and the way this was written as a narrative keep the reader's attention. However, I personally would have preferred chapter titles and numbered footnotes that I could use to flip back to in the notes section in using this book as a reference. After reading the notes, I have 5 more books and several essays I've written down to be explored in the future as I continue to go down this rabbit whole of human immunity.
meg_sm's review against another edition
4.0
Fascinating, empathetic, well-researched, and thoughtfully nuanced. I'll be thinking about this one for a long time.
toniclark's review against another edition
5.0
On Immunity is a thoughtful, honest, and eloquent look at the cultural issues surrounding vaccination and immunity. It’s also about fear and trust, illness and wellness, purity and contamination, the workings of capitalism and the workings of the imagination.
As Biss explores the source of many parents’ mistrust of vaccines, she uses herself as an example. When she was pregnant and after the birth of her son, she too was vulnerable to worries about her child’s safety. She, too, wondered about the safety of vaccines. Misinformation about vaccines (and many other things) is part of our culture. It’s everywhere. And it may be unrealistic to expect the average mother, even a well-educated one, to distinguish facts from fallacies. Most of us don’t have strong science backgrounds. Most of us were never even taught critical thinking skills in school. Biss comes down squarely on the side of science: vaccines are safe and life-saving. That’s not at issue. Rather, she explores the cultural and historic sources of many parents’ anxieties over them.
The thing is, Biss accepts the scientific position because she’s put in an inordinate amount of time and effort tracking down the facts. It’s complicated and time-consuming. Most people can’t do that and don’t have the ability to recognize misinformation (though often it’s merely a matter of considering the source). While all parents would agree that it’s “better to be safe than sorry,” many have no way of understanding what the safe choice is.
Even in the face thousands of studies and a lack of any evidence that vaccines are dangerous, more and more parents are choosing not to vaccinate, thereby exposing not their own children, but reducing the general level of immunity in the population (herd immunity) and putting at risk newborns and children who cannot be vaccinated for legitimate reasons (allergies. compromised immune systems). These parents are vulnerable to innumerable fears and to the “troubling dualisms” of our age that pit science against “nature,” public against private, reason against emotion, and self against other. It’s not a problem that can be solved by giving people the facts. “Our fears are informed by history and economics, by social power and stigma, by myths and nightmares. And as with other strongly held beliefs, our fears are dear to us. When we encounter information that contradicts our beliefs, . . . we tend to doubt the information, not ourselves.”
On Immunity is a brilliant exploration of these issues. I wish everyone could read it. The book is also beautifully written. Biss has received many awards and honors for her essays. She’s also a poet. And her love of language shows.
As Biss explores the source of many parents’ mistrust of vaccines, she uses herself as an example. When she was pregnant and after the birth of her son, she too was vulnerable to worries about her child’s safety. She, too, wondered about the safety of vaccines. Misinformation about vaccines (and many other things) is part of our culture. It’s everywhere. And it may be unrealistic to expect the average mother, even a well-educated one, to distinguish facts from fallacies. Most of us don’t have strong science backgrounds. Most of us were never even taught critical thinking skills in school. Biss comes down squarely on the side of science: vaccines are safe and life-saving. That’s not at issue. Rather, she explores the cultural and historic sources of many parents’ anxieties over them.
The thing is, Biss accepts the scientific position because she’s put in an inordinate amount of time and effort tracking down the facts. It’s complicated and time-consuming. Most people can’t do that and don’t have the ability to recognize misinformation (though often it’s merely a matter of considering the source). While all parents would agree that it’s “better to be safe than sorry,” many have no way of understanding what the safe choice is.
Even in the face thousands of studies and a lack of any evidence that vaccines are dangerous, more and more parents are choosing not to vaccinate, thereby exposing not their own children, but reducing the general level of immunity in the population (herd immunity) and putting at risk newborns and children who cannot be vaccinated for legitimate reasons (allergies. compromised immune systems). These parents are vulnerable to innumerable fears and to the “troubling dualisms” of our age that pit science against “nature,” public against private, reason against emotion, and self against other. It’s not a problem that can be solved by giving people the facts. “Our fears are informed by history and economics, by social power and stigma, by myths and nightmares. And as with other strongly held beliefs, our fears are dear to us. When we encounter information that contradicts our beliefs, . . . we tend to doubt the information, not ourselves.”
On Immunity is a brilliant exploration of these issues. I wish everyone could read it. The book is also beautifully written. Biss has received many awards and honors for her essays. She’s also a poet. And her love of language shows.
nekreader's review against another edition
3.0
Reading this book is like sitting down to brunch at college with a group of friends - one philosophy major, one women's studies major, one biology major, one English major etc. and talking about the contemporary issue of vaccinations from all these points of view. After an hour and a half of lively discussion and debate, you rise from the table intellectually stimulated and possibly convinced of one position or another, but equally possibly with the issue still unresolved in your own mind. Kant, Dracula, motherhood, Salk, smallpox, playground etiquette, lit crit, cultural anthropology - this book has a little bit of everything. The prose style is engaging and overall, it's a good quick read.
cathyatratedreads's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting. Basically a long essay reflecting on how vaccinations came to be, how our current cultural landscape is continuing to foster "vaccination doubters", and how -- yes, truly -- vaccinations are beneficial for all. Though Biss' research has led her to be pro-vaccination, and the book does emphasize that the small study (possibly linking autism and vaccines) that led to people choosing not to vaccinate has been shown over and over to be flawed, it's not a book intended to convince people to vaccinate. It's a simple "history" and overview of how people view vaccination, including many of her own observations and experiences as a mother to a young son. Well written and engaging.
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/on-immunity-vaccination-nonfiction-clean-book-review/
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/on-immunity-vaccination-nonfiction-clean-book-review/