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A review by shelf_1ndulgence
If God Is a Virus by Seema Yasmin
5.0
I have always been interested in medicine and medical advances, but given my background in psych, I have often focused on mental health and neuroscience.
During this pandemic I have found myself drawn to epidemiology and while I have read a lot of scientific articles, I have also read stories about how viruses affect people, family, and communities. How those neediest among us are often affected disproportionately and yet we are seldom aware or seldom care because it has not touched one of us.
Because of this, I instantly jumped on the opportunity to review an ARC of If God Is A Virus by Dr. Seema Yasmin. This is a collection of poems based on the original reporting from West Africa and the US during the Ebola epidemic. Dr. Yasmin is a doctor and a journalist and thus her unique perspective allows us to see the epidemic from multiple lenses in order to give voice to multiple key players, including the virus.
Her poems are poignant and they ask us to understand the true suffering of people, especially those so different from us. It also asks us to understand that not all virus are evil and that some serve bigger purposes and thus we should continue to study them so that we can reap the benefits and avoid the hurt.
In a time where so many of her poems can also be used to describe the Covid-19 pandemic, I think her writing are crucial and timely. I highly recommend this and I am grateful to @booksforwardpr for providing me with an ARC.
During this pandemic I have found myself drawn to epidemiology and while I have read a lot of scientific articles, I have also read stories about how viruses affect people, family, and communities. How those neediest among us are often affected disproportionately and yet we are seldom aware or seldom care because it has not touched one of us.
Because of this, I instantly jumped on the opportunity to review an ARC of If God Is A Virus by Dr. Seema Yasmin. This is a collection of poems based on the original reporting from West Africa and the US during the Ebola epidemic. Dr. Yasmin is a doctor and a journalist and thus her unique perspective allows us to see the epidemic from multiple lenses in order to give voice to multiple key players, including the virus.
Her poems are poignant and they ask us to understand the true suffering of people, especially those so different from us. It also asks us to understand that not all virus are evil and that some serve bigger purposes and thus we should continue to study them so that we can reap the benefits and avoid the hurt.
In a time where so many of her poems can also be used to describe the Covid-19 pandemic, I think her writing are crucial and timely. I highly recommend this and I am grateful to @booksforwardpr for providing me with an ARC.