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A review by mediaevalmuse
Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
As a disclaimer, I've been a fan of John and Hank Green for well over a decade now, so my review may or may not have some bias as a result.
I can't say that I ever had a huge interest in global health, per se, but I do care deeply about injustice. This book, then, was a compelling case study for how Healthcare and injustice (particularly in former colonized countries) are intertwined. As Green shows us, the story of tuberculosis in the 21st century is the story of both human ingenuity and human failure: while we have developed effective treatments for what has been humanity's deadliest infectious disease, systemic racism and putting profit above people has ensured that millions still die from tuberculosis every year.
Green makes his case by focusing primarily on humans. There is some science in this book, and lucky for me, it's simplified enough where I can understand it without being overwhelmed. But Green stirs a passionate response in readers not by relaying the science, but by offering a social or cultural view of the history of the disease. He tackles 19th century beliefs about tuberculosis and art, linguistic roots that shape the way different cultures thought of the disease, and the way germ theory changed the way tuberculosis was perceived by rich, primarily white countries.
Even more powerful is the story of Henry Reider, a teenager in Sierra Leone who survived a drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis. Henry and Green are friends in real life, which shows me that Green is using his platform to boost marginalized stories. But Henry's story is a powerful statement not just about the injustice of Healthcare in impoverished nations, but about the humanity of those infected and the hope that a better world is possible. It also serves as a nice foil to the macro-view of tuberculosis treatment elsewhere in the book: while it's easy to lose the humanity in a survey of statistics and historical trends and "fun" facts, Henry reminds us that everyone who has had the disease is a full person as complex as you and I.
My criticisms regarding this book are minimal and probably have to do with personal preference. Mainly, I wanted a little more prolonged discussion from Green on certain topics; this book moves fast in part because sections (and chapters) are short, and while that might be fine for casual readers, I was hoping for a more sustained train of thought or argument. I was also mildly annoyed by the formatting of the Further Reading section, but I'm a crotchety old ex-academic, so take that as you will.
TL;DR: Everything is Tuberculosis is a powerful call-to-action against the injustices within global health. Looking at the history of tuberculosis through a human (and societal) lens ensures that people like Henry don't slip through the cracks, and I think this book serves as a good introduction to one of our many global health crises.
I can't say that I ever had a huge interest in global health, per se, but I do care deeply about injustice. This book, then, was a compelling case study for how Healthcare and injustice (particularly in former colonized countries) are intertwined. As Green shows us, the story of tuberculosis in the 21st century is the story of both human ingenuity and human failure: while we have developed effective treatments for what has been humanity's deadliest infectious disease, systemic racism and putting profit above people has ensured that millions still die from tuberculosis every year.
Green makes his case by focusing primarily on humans. There is some science in this book, and lucky for me, it's simplified enough where I can understand it without being overwhelmed. But Green stirs a passionate response in readers not by relaying the science, but by offering a social or cultural view of the history of the disease. He tackles 19th century beliefs about tuberculosis and art, linguistic roots that shape the way different cultures thought of the disease, and the way germ theory changed the way tuberculosis was perceived by rich, primarily white countries.
Even more powerful is the story of Henry Reider, a teenager in Sierra Leone who survived a drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis. Henry and Green are friends in real life, which shows me that Green is using his platform to boost marginalized stories. But Henry's story is a powerful statement not just about the injustice of Healthcare in impoverished nations, but about the humanity of those infected and the hope that a better world is possible. It also serves as a nice foil to the macro-view of tuberculosis treatment elsewhere in the book: while it's easy to lose the humanity in a survey of statistics and historical trends and "fun" facts, Henry reminds us that everyone who has had the disease is a full person as complex as you and I.
My criticisms regarding this book are minimal and probably have to do with personal preference. Mainly, I wanted a little more prolonged discussion from Green on certain topics; this book moves fast in part because sections (and chapters) are short, and while that might be fine for casual readers, I was hoping for a more sustained train of thought or argument. I was also mildly annoyed by the formatting of the Further Reading section, but I'm a crotchety old ex-academic, so take that as you will.
TL;DR: Everything is Tuberculosis is a powerful call-to-action against the injustices within global health. Looking at the history of tuberculosis through a human (and societal) lens ensures that people like Henry don't slip through the cracks, and I think this book serves as a good introduction to one of our many global health crises.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Racism, Terminal illness, Blood, Medical content
Minor: Bullying, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Classism