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literary_faerie's review against another edition
3.0
I really loved the prose and I am grateful that Biss provided a list of works that inspired her essays because the quotes that she pulled were fascinating and thought provoking. However, I personally think this book is just a tad too white, ableist, and subtly racist to truly be anything more than a very low 3 stars.
She means very well, I can tell but, while she interrogates and shakes her head at other people’s biases towards vaccines and modern medicine, she’s unable to interrogate her own biases and conclusions that are largely borne of the fact that she’s a (presumably) straight, white, upper-class woman living in the suburbs.
Some of the anecdotes that she shares are downright annoying. There is a part towards the end where she recalls having a conversation with one of her gay male friends about plagues or whatever and he has to tell her something to the effect of “you don’t need to lecture me about plagues. I lived through the AIDS crisis.” She doesn’t follow up with an apology in the moment and there is no mention about how condescending and unthinking she was to have even put him in that very awkward position. There are also a few vaguely racist and ableist anecdotes and lines that are enough to let me know that the only people who laid eyes on this book before being published were white, straight, abled people. Disappointing.
She means very well, I can tell but, while she interrogates and shakes her head at other people’s biases towards vaccines and modern medicine, she’s unable to interrogate her own biases and conclusions that are largely borne of the fact that she’s a (presumably) straight, white, upper-class woman living in the suburbs.
Some of the anecdotes that she shares are downright annoying. There is a part towards the end where she recalls having a conversation with one of her gay male friends about plagues or whatever and he has to tell her something to the effect of “you don’t need to lecture me about plagues. I lived through the AIDS crisis.” She doesn’t follow up with an apology in the moment and there is no mention about how condescending and unthinking she was to have even put him in that very awkward position. There are also a few vaguely racist and ableist anecdotes and lines that are enough to let me know that the only people who laid eyes on this book before being published were white, straight, abled people. Disappointing.
uditnair24's review against another edition
4.0
The author tries to weave a story through hard hitting research and personal experiences. The intergenerational approach added with current political environment over vaccination makes it an interesting read.
The areas where the book stands out is the precise combination of science of vaccination added with other aspects related to vaccination. The author is able to give out the historical data along with some of the personal anxieties which surround the individuals. Another exciting aspect is the use of literary metaphors throughout the essays. It might not be liked by all but surely is a novel approach.
If one is not very comfortable with reading dry non fiction book then this turns out as a saviour. The narration is beautifully weaved as a story and hence can be termed as fiction and non fiction at the same time.
Only problem with the book is that the view point of the author is not clearly articulated. Often the message is hidden behind the wide usage of metaphors. Though largely she addresses the science behind the vaccination but also tries to cater towards the fears of anti vaccine brigade. I think the balancing act here might not be liked by all.
Being said that this book is actually a nice read overall.
The areas where the book stands out is the precise combination of science of vaccination added with other aspects related to vaccination. The author is able to give out the historical data along with some of the personal anxieties which surround the individuals. Another exciting aspect is the use of literary metaphors throughout the essays. It might not be liked by all but surely is a novel approach.
If one is not very comfortable with reading dry non fiction book then this turns out as a saviour. The narration is beautifully weaved as a story and hence can be termed as fiction and non fiction at the same time.
Only problem with the book is that the view point of the author is not clearly articulated. Often the message is hidden behind the wide usage of metaphors. Though largely she addresses the science behind the vaccination but also tries to cater towards the fears of anti vaccine brigade. I think the balancing act here might not be liked by all.
Being said that this book is actually a nice read overall.
hellodarlinggirl's review against another edition
slow-paced
2.75
I understand the point of the book and why some people love it as parents, but to me she was just academically sounding enough to convince an on-the-fence/inexperienced reader of unsupported "scientific evidence" and that makes it dangerous to me. She essentially just quoted a bunch of people and random articles without weaving a thorough thread through the whole idea.
sterlingisreading's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
Spent a snowy day reading one of my favorite writers, Eula Biss. In this book, she tackles vaccines, immunity, and inoculation from every angle. She weaves together history, science, culture, and her personal experience into a book that’s highly informative and also moving. She writes from her perspective of being a new mother, having to make choices for her child, and being bombarded by anti-vax opinions of those around her. She runs in very white, privileged circles and she’s aware of it. (Don’t worry, she’s pro-vaccines.) So many of the topics she covers, in this and in her other work, often come down to this: In this modern world, where we feel like community is crumbling and the divides between people only grow larger, what do we owe to each other? She takes the concept of herd immunity and not only breaks it down by its scientific merits but also the emotional, social ones. At the end of the day, vaccination is not about the individual, but about the collective. It’s about the healthy making a choice not just for themselves, but to help keep those around them, who may not share their same privileges, safe. This book was published in 2014 but obviously holds new relevance now. I could write a rambling personal tangent about being disabled and my relationship to the concepts she covers in this book, but I’ll spare you. Basically, I’ll leave it at this: every time I read Eula Biss’ work, I come away from it feeling more knowledgeable and thoughtful about the way I live my life and the world around me.
eliza_bangert's review against another edition
5.0
This was written in 2014, but I highly recommend it for 2020.
saracat's review against another edition
5.0
This was a very well written and truly thought provoking book. There were just countless lines I want to remember and to quote.
Biss did a wonderful job of speaking honestly about the anxieties and worries she experienced in her son's first few years of life, while balancing it with talking about vaccinations, immunity, etc. from social, historical, economical, and cultural points of view. She never shames anyone for how they feel about these topics. And even though it often feels like an 'us' vs. 'them' type of conversation, she delves into the nuances without making the text feel bogged down or dense. The short chapters and the interweaving of history and her personal story with science keep the text engaging and interesting.
Despite the book having been published in 2014, it feels like it could have been published just this year.
Biss did a wonderful job of speaking honestly about the anxieties and worries she experienced in her son's first few years of life, while balancing it with talking about vaccinations, immunity, etc. from social, historical, economical, and cultural points of view. She never shames anyone for how they feel about these topics. And even though it often feels like an 'us' vs. 'them' type of conversation, she delves into the nuances without making the text feel bogged down or dense. The short chapters and the interweaving of history and her personal story with science keep the text engaging and interesting.
Despite the book having been published in 2014, it feels like it could have been published just this year.