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petrag's review against another edition
5.0
Nuanced discussion of how vaccines came to be and is currently understood. Compelling reading, given the current Covid-19 crisis and the need for an effective vaccine. Great discussion of how class and vulnerability influences attitudes and policies as to whether vaccinations should or should not be administered, especially to children.
glindaaa's review against another edition
3.0
Actually 3.5 stars.
I found this interesting. Some of the things I kind of knew already but the way Biss explained it and the methaphors she used made it interesting. And sometimes made me chuckle with the idea how she explained the situation. The whole vampire obsession during Vampire Diaries and Twilight definitely made me chuckle. It is funny and interesting how she brings back these points. This made it more lively than just dropping information. Her experience with her son and just the situations that she describes in this way makes it easier to follow.
But what a strange thing to read during a pandemic. When she mentioned Covid (as Sars was also a covid virus) I peeked up and was like: wait what. Obviously a pandemic is not new, but it is a strange situation to be in.
(Also using the blood/puss of cows like noooooo that sounds gross)
I found this interesting. Some of the things I kind of knew already but the way Biss explained it and the methaphors she used made it interesting. And sometimes made me chuckle with the idea how she explained the situation. The whole vampire obsession during Vampire Diaries and Twilight definitely made me chuckle. It is funny and interesting how she brings back these points. This made it more lively than just dropping information. Her experience with her son and just the situations that she describes in this way makes it easier to follow.
But what a strange thing to read during a pandemic. When she mentioned Covid (as Sars was also a covid virus) I peeked up and was like: wait what. Obviously a pandemic is not new, but it is a strange situation to be in.
(Also using the blood/puss of cows like noooooo that sounds gross)
bookishblond's review against another edition
2.0
This isn't a science book. It's not a book about health care. It's not even a book about vaccination. Instead, On Immunity is a confusing collection of essays with no cohesive theme. Biss cycles between motherhood and literary analysis and never brings it all together.
With the measles outbreak splashed across every newspaper, I picked up a copy of On Immunity, aiming to educate myself on vaccination, and expecting a primer on vaccines and vaccine culture. I was disappointed to discover that this book is an unorganized collection of vague musing about Biss' decision to vaccinate her son, and her obsession with Stoker's Dracula.
I'm not sure what this book is, and I don't think Biss is, either. It's definitely not a comprehensive history of vaccination. I'm not even convinced that Biss is pro-vaccine. She treats the anti-vaccine movement like a valid philosophy, and that's a dangerous approach. The truth is, anti-vaxxers are not parents with valid concerns. They spread misinformation, information known to be false, and their message results in low vaccination rates that put vulnerable members of the population at risk. It's not okay. From all her "research," I expected more from Biss.
And was this a book about vaccination, or a book about Dracula? I'm convinced that Biss had an idea for a thesis about medicine as the modern Dracula, and it never got approved, so she turned it into a book. She practically mentions Dracula on every page. It quickly became annoying, then infuriating. The constant discussion of Dracula wasn't relevant to Biss' larger goal to discuss the sociology of vaccines. Her editor should have taken most of that out.
Parts of this book struck me as insightful, specifically where Biss highlighted the contrast between mothers and doctors, and how the disconnect can impact vaccination rates, which is why I'm giving it two stars instead of one. But I would never recommend this book to anyone.
With the measles outbreak splashed across every newspaper, I picked up a copy of On Immunity, aiming to educate myself on vaccination, and expecting a primer on vaccines and vaccine culture. I was disappointed to discover that this book is an unorganized collection of vague musing about Biss' decision to vaccinate her son, and her obsession with Stoker's Dracula.
I'm not sure what this book is, and I don't think Biss is, either. It's definitely not a comprehensive history of vaccination. I'm not even convinced that Biss is pro-vaccine. She treats the anti-vaccine movement like a valid philosophy, and that's a dangerous approach. The truth is, anti-vaxxers are not parents with valid concerns. They spread misinformation, information known to be false, and their message results in low vaccination rates that put vulnerable members of the population at risk. It's not okay. From all her "research," I expected more from Biss.
And was this a book about vaccination, or a book about Dracula? I'm convinced that Biss had an idea for a thesis about medicine as the modern Dracula, and it never got approved, so she turned it into a book. She practically mentions Dracula on every page. It quickly became annoying, then infuriating. The constant discussion of Dracula wasn't relevant to Biss' larger goal to discuss the sociology of vaccines. Her editor should have taken most of that out.
Parts of this book struck me as insightful, specifically where Biss highlighted the contrast between mothers and doctors, and how the disconnect can impact vaccination rates, which is why I'm giving it two stars instead of one. But I would never recommend this book to anyone.
quietdomino's review against another edition
3.0
As much about the fear of being alive as anything more particular.
karp76's review against another edition
4.0
This is a personal story. This is Biss' story. But also, this is a parent's story. It speaks more to the parent, mother or father, than the single person out there awash in the internet or arguing in some pub the stupidity of anti-vaxxers or the demonology of science. We want protection. Safety. Especially for our children. What lies in that syringe? Do we dare? Biss explores those fears, the fears of the parent, of the society, with special care and sensitivity. To vaccinate or not. What is disease? This ideas transcend us, yet involve each of us deeply. These ideas stretch back through history, through culture, weaving us all together. We must understand to accept. We must try and understand, both sides, with intelligence and tenderness if we truly we wish to tend and grow this garden we share.
balletbookworm's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent short of book of essays and meditations on the nature of vaccination as both a concept and a practice, the logic behind anti-vaccination, the history of compulsory medicine, the nature of scientific research, language/semantics, skepticism, the undying nature of stuff that gets on the Internet, and the anxiety that comes with being a parent.
As an epidemiologist, I requested (and was granted - thanks Graywolf Press!) an advance copy because I wanted to know what Biss - from the position of a parent and writer, not a scientist in any way - had to say about vaccination. Vaccination, in my line of work, is one of our front-line infectious disease prevention tools right behind handwashing and covering your cough/sneeze. It protects not only the individual but also those who cannot be immunized (infants, those with compromised immune systems, etc) from diseases that can take a huge toll in mortality and morbidity. A world where we lose that herd immunity due to "anti-vaxxers" which allows diseases like measles (a disease that killed tens of thousands of children in the pre-vaccine era of the 20th century) to run rampant is truly terrifying to me. Biss looks at a lot of her own fears and those of other mothers and then collates/arranges/dissects her research. I don't really want to comment a lot on her conclusions - because that would ruin the work of the book - but suffice to say she posits a lot of good arguments and writes it all very well. Everyone should read this.
As an epidemiologist, I requested (and was granted - thanks Graywolf Press!) an advance copy because I wanted to know what Biss - from the position of a parent and writer, not a scientist in any way - had to say about vaccination. Vaccination, in my line of work, is one of our front-line infectious disease prevention tools right behind handwashing and covering your cough/sneeze. It protects not only the individual but also those who cannot be immunized (infants, those with compromised immune systems, etc) from diseases that can take a huge toll in mortality and morbidity. A world where we lose that herd immunity due to "anti-vaxxers" which allows diseases like measles (a disease that killed tens of thousands of children in the pre-vaccine era of the 20th century) to run rampant is truly terrifying to me. Biss looks at a lot of her own fears and those of other mothers and then collates/arranges/dissects her research. I don't really want to comment a lot on her conclusions - because that would ruin the work of the book - but suffice to say she posits a lot of good arguments and writes it all very well. Everyone should read this.
sweeneysays's review against another edition
4.0
january nf book club: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GSm7_Hj2IM