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A review by rosepoints
On Immunity: An Inoculation by Eula Biss
3.0
i will preface this review by saying that this book feels like it was not written for me, which probably colors my personal opinion of the book. instead, i think that this book would better serve people who are on the fence about vaccines, especially antivax mothers, and that’s probably what the author was going for, given her constant references to mothers and motherhood.
eula biss traces the history of vaccination through metaphors, and the writing style reflects that perfectly: narrative, slightly pensive, and meditative. she intersperses references to literature like dracula, susan sontag, and mythology with her own experience as a mother, whether that be giving birth or raising her son who has severe allergies. there are tangents related to environmental health, the language we use to describe vaccination and disease (ex: herd mentality, military metaphors), etc. i found her analyses of literature and language to be the strongest part of the book and the part i enjoyed the most. it actually reminded me of a class i took in college called “outbreak narratives” where we discussed medical metaphors in dracula, virginia woolf’s and susan sontag’s writing, eugene roch’s paris malade, etc.
unfortunately, i found myself wanting to learn more about the literature and history she references rather than her personal anxieties and stresses. because of this, the book served as more of a foundation for me to find other things to read rather than a true book i would enjoy on its own. i also found the book to meander a little too much for my liking. her analyses on a single source stretch across the entire book rather than being focused on a single chapter. she also mentions multiple anecdotes again and again but with mildly different references to mildly different metaphors. again, this probably strengthens the narrative for people who are struggling with vaccines, but it didn’t really help my own reading of it. i’m a very strong proponent for vaccines, graduated with a degree in biology, and work in medicine. i largely wanted to learn more about the history of vaccination, which was why i picked up the book in the first place, but found that it was more of an analysis of metaphors and fears around vaccination rather than a true history.
the only real critique of the book that i have is that she talks about autism in an odd way, ascribing it to a plague amongst young boys, which is off-putting. i am unsure if this is an attempt to appeal to the antivax audience but i didn’t love that.
still, i would not let my review of this book discourage you from reading. if anything, it gave me a greater appreciation for vaccines and more sympathy for those who are afraid of vaccines.
eula biss traces the history of vaccination through metaphors, and the writing style reflects that perfectly: narrative, slightly pensive, and meditative. she intersperses references to literature like dracula, susan sontag, and mythology with her own experience as a mother, whether that be giving birth or raising her son who has severe allergies. there are tangents related to environmental health, the language we use to describe vaccination and disease (ex: herd mentality, military metaphors), etc. i found her analyses of literature and language to be the strongest part of the book and the part i enjoyed the most. it actually reminded me of a class i took in college called “outbreak narratives” where we discussed medical metaphors in dracula, virginia woolf’s and susan sontag’s writing, eugene roch’s paris malade, etc.
unfortunately, i found myself wanting to learn more about the literature and history she references rather than her personal anxieties and stresses. because of this, the book served as more of a foundation for me to find other things to read rather than a true book i would enjoy on its own. i also found the book to meander a little too much for my liking. her analyses on a single source stretch across the entire book rather than being focused on a single chapter. she also mentions multiple anecdotes again and again but with mildly different references to mildly different metaphors. again, this probably strengthens the narrative for people who are struggling with vaccines, but it didn’t really help my own reading of it. i’m a very strong proponent for vaccines, graduated with a degree in biology, and work in medicine. i largely wanted to learn more about the history of vaccination, which was why i picked up the book in the first place, but found that it was more of an analysis of metaphors and fears around vaccination rather than a true history.
the only real critique of the book that i have is that she talks about autism in an odd way, ascribing it to a plague amongst young boys, which is off-putting. i am unsure if this is an attempt to appeal to the antivax audience but i didn’t love that.
still, i would not let my review of this book discourage you from reading. if anything, it gave me a greater appreciation for vaccines and more sympathy for those who are afraid of vaccines.