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scribepub's review against another edition
This surprisingly ambitious, eminently accessible book brilliantly summarises the essential features of the immune system for a lay audience. The quirky humour masks an underlying authority and competence. The work is right up to date, even incorporating recent Nobel Prize winning insights into the evolutionarily ancient innate immune system. It is a triumph of popular medical science.
Sir Gustav Nossal, Former Chairman of the Strategic Advisory Council of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Children’s Vaccine Program
An accessible account of a complex and important topic.
Prof. Peter C.Doherty, Nobel Prize Winner
… dotted with pub-worthy facts (two to four pounds of human body weight is made up of microbes) and playful footnotes that make for an accessible and amusing look at the hidden world of ubiquitous microscopic creatures like bacteria, archaea, protists, and viruses. Woven into the humor is a bona fide crash course in parasitology, microbiology, and gene transfer …
Seed
I enjoyed this lighthearted insider’s guide to germs… I’d love to shrink down to microscopic size to see some of the odd lifeforms described in this book.
boingboing.net
A terrific introduction to the complicated beast that keeps us alive.
Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, Author of Great Mythconceptions
[F]riendly and engaging ... accessible to anyone who's curious about the mechanics of the human body.
The Age
The book is hilarious in a science-nerd kind of way, and the personal notations and anecdotes from Ben-Barak put a real human touch on information that can sometimes come off as clinical and complex.
Adventures in Poor Taste
I loved this book. Ben-Barak assumes the reader starts with no knowledge of the immune system but does not make the further assumption that we’re ignorant. He explains in simple terms but without condescension. He adds liberal doses of humour, often self-deprecating. He writes with an unusual kindness that makes me think he is a kind person, one who would be a lovely dinner guest.
Tonstant Weader Reviews
Sir Gustav Nossal, Former Chairman of the Strategic Advisory Council of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Children’s Vaccine Program
An accessible account of a complex and important topic.
Prof. Peter C.Doherty, Nobel Prize Winner
… dotted with pub-worthy facts (two to four pounds of human body weight is made up of microbes) and playful footnotes that make for an accessible and amusing look at the hidden world of ubiquitous microscopic creatures like bacteria, archaea, protists, and viruses. Woven into the humor is a bona fide crash course in parasitology, microbiology, and gene transfer …
Seed
I enjoyed this lighthearted insider’s guide to germs… I’d love to shrink down to microscopic size to see some of the odd lifeforms described in this book.
boingboing.net
A terrific introduction to the complicated beast that keeps us alive.
Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, Author of Great Mythconceptions
[F]riendly and engaging ... accessible to anyone who's curious about the mechanics of the human body.
The Age
The book is hilarious in a science-nerd kind of way, and the personal notations and anecdotes from Ben-Barak put a real human touch on information that can sometimes come off as clinical and complex.
Adventures in Poor Taste
I loved this book. Ben-Barak assumes the reader starts with no knowledge of the immune system but does not make the further assumption that we’re ignorant. He explains in simple terms but without condescension. He adds liberal doses of humour, often self-deprecating. He writes with an unusual kindness that makes me think he is a kind person, one who would be a lovely dinner guest.
Tonstant Weader Reviews
tbr_the_unconquered's review
3.0
Why aren’t we dead yet ? - while you can cite a hundred thousand reasons as to why not, the focus here narrows down just to diseases through microbes or pathogens. Why are we really still alive in a world teeming with microbes, some of which are incredibly lethal to us ? Before we look for a book length answer to this question, it would be worthwhile to take a moment to appreciate how your internal body mechanics have been tirelessly working to keep you breathing. The immune system and its capabilities is something we take for granted. There is not much thought given to this factor much like the function of your ears, eyes and motor functions (unless you are an immunologist, an immunobiologist or a doctor in which case it becomes part of your job). The earlier question about our being still alive is explained in book length detail here.
If this book is any indication then immunology is quite a vast and incredibly complex subject. You can easily summarize the functioning of the immune system in human beings as a being an impregnable fortress against the never-ending onslaught of pathogens but answers to questions about the impregnability of the system and nuances of it are filled with jargon. If you had even an inkling of how mind-bogglingly intricate the efforts of this system is, you would certainly have a newfound respect for your health and wellbeing.
The advantage that the author has is that he is able to break down his subject matter into very accessible language and terms. Even if you are someone (like me) whose only medical acquaintance is with a doctor when you fall sick, there is enough material here to act as direction boards that help you get acquainted with human immunity. Some of the recent developments in the field of immune research, the history of immunology are all topics that get covered in concise detail in the span of a few chapters.
A witty and accessible overview of the immune system. There was nothing ground breaking or perspective shifting that I found and yet it gave a fuller understanding of immunity as a topic. Recommended !
If this book is any indication then immunology is quite a vast and incredibly complex subject. You can easily summarize the functioning of the immune system in human beings as a being an impregnable fortress against the never-ending onslaught of pathogens but answers to questions about the impregnability of the system and nuances of it are filled with jargon. If you had even an inkling of how mind-bogglingly intricate the efforts of this system is, you would certainly have a newfound respect for your health and wellbeing.
The advantage that the author has is that he is able to break down his subject matter into very accessible language and terms. Even if you are someone (like me) whose only medical acquaintance is with a doctor when you fall sick, there is enough material here to act as direction boards that help you get acquainted with human immunity. Some of the recent developments in the field of immune research, the history of immunology are all topics that get covered in concise detail in the span of a few chapters.
A witty and accessible overview of the immune system. There was nothing ground breaking or perspective shifting that I found and yet it gave a fuller understanding of immunity as a topic. Recommended !
juddicted's review against another edition
Besides 2 sexist comments - one of them coming from the inner child of the author, rather than the scientist he should be in this book - it is a very good book to start learning about the immune system if you are not looking for all scientific details, but are looking for a general overview. :)
tonstantweader's review
5.0
If someone had told me I would be laughing over antibodies and the immune system, I would have rolled my eyes, but it’s true. I challenge anyone to read Why Aren’t We Dead Yet? and not laugh at least once. Twice I had to read parts to a friend of mine just because it was so fun to read. Why Aren’t We Dead Yet? is an introduction to the immunology for nonscientists.
Idan Ben-Barak is a microbiologist and children’s author which makes a perfect combination for writing books that are easy to understand. That is essential from a topic as complex as our immune system that works with pretty much every system, even possibly our brains. Wow!
The book is organized into five chapters. The first is about the encounter when bacteria or virus meets the immune system and the various strategies both sides take in the battle. Then he covers how our immune system develops, a form or learning. Then he talks about the evolutionary process of both armies developing their strategies and armaments. It’s clear there will be no cease-fire. The history of research into immunology which leads into some of the new things like immune therapies and of all things “plantibodies.” Really, they are injecting antibodies into fused spleen and stem cells that can be put in chickens for eggs that deliver antibodies or into plants which is where the “plantibodies” come from. Who knows? Someday there might be anti-cancer veggies that are not over-hyped.
I loved this book. Ben-Barak assumes the reader starts with no knowledge of the immune system but does not make the further assumption that we’re ignorant. He explains in simple terms but without condescension. He adds liberal doses of humor, often self-deprecating. He writes with an unusual kindness that makes me think he is a kind person, one who would be a lovely dinner guest. If he’s ever in Portland, I will bake him some krumkake.
I fell a little bit in love with Ben-Barak while reading the introduction. He wrote "this book is not going to make your health choices more informed, your diet more sustaining, your hair more luxuriously radiant..." and I just sighed with happiness. I can't stand the over-promising self-help books that promise to fix my life. Like Ben-Barak, I am allergic to useful information. When he talks about boosting the immune system and questioning whether that's such a good idea since overactive immune systems can be a problem. Over and over, the good sense of the author was a comfort to this person who is allergic to self-help.
I learned a lot from this book. When I finish this review I am going to research more about Ipilimumab so I can forward it to a friend. I look forward to plantibody brussels sprouts someday.
I received a copy ofWhy Aren’t We Dead Yet? from the publisher, Scribe Publications..
Why Aren’t We Dead Yet? at Scribe Publications
Idan Ben-Barak author site
★★★★★
Science that made me laugh
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2018/12/03/9781947534377/
Idan Ben-Barak is a microbiologist and children’s author which makes a perfect combination for writing books that are easy to understand. That is essential from a topic as complex as our immune system that works with pretty much every system, even possibly our brains. Wow!
The book is organized into five chapters. The first is about the encounter when bacteria or virus meets the immune system and the various strategies both sides take in the battle. Then he covers how our immune system develops, a form or learning. Then he talks about the evolutionary process of both armies developing their strategies and armaments. It’s clear there will be no cease-fire. The history of research into immunology which leads into some of the new things like immune therapies and of all things “plantibodies.” Really, they are injecting antibodies into fused spleen and stem cells that can be put in chickens for eggs that deliver antibodies or into plants which is where the “plantibodies” come from. Who knows? Someday there might be anti-cancer veggies that are not over-hyped.
I loved this book. Ben-Barak assumes the reader starts with no knowledge of the immune system but does not make the further assumption that we’re ignorant. He explains in simple terms but without condescension. He adds liberal doses of humor, often self-deprecating. He writes with an unusual kindness that makes me think he is a kind person, one who would be a lovely dinner guest. If he’s ever in Portland, I will bake him some krumkake.
I fell a little bit in love with Ben-Barak while reading the introduction. He wrote "this book is not going to make your health choices more informed, your diet more sustaining, your hair more luxuriously radiant..." and I just sighed with happiness. I can't stand the over-promising self-help books that promise to fix my life. Like Ben-Barak, I am allergic to useful information. When he talks about boosting the immune system and questioning whether that's such a good idea since overactive immune systems can be a problem. Over and over, the good sense of the author was a comfort to this person who is allergic to self-help.
I learned a lot from this book. When I finish this review I am going to research more about Ipilimumab so I can forward it to a friend. I look forward to plantibody brussels sprouts someday.
I received a copy ofWhy Aren’t We Dead Yet? from the publisher, Scribe Publications..
Why Aren’t We Dead Yet? at Scribe Publications
Idan Ben-Barak author site
★★★★★
Science that made me laugh
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2018/12/03/9781947534377/
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