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pothosethos's review against another edition
Really approachable writing on the science of our immune system. I appreciated how every time he brought in a new piece of the puzzle, he quickly summarized what you’ve already learned. Although, I’m probably not going to remember any of the nuts and bolts stuff.
Big takeaway: your immune system is constantly looking to keep the peace and balance in your body, and can be just as deadly if it can’t properly recognize what is “self.” Some of the stories he covered aren’t easy to read. Also may be difficult to read if you have trouble sleeping or have an autoimmune disorder, but it’s still good information, especially in this age where there is a lot of “boost your immune system” advertising (spoiler alert: you don’t really want to boost your immune system)
Big takeaway: your immune system is constantly looking to keep the peace and balance in your body, and can be just as deadly if it can’t properly recognize what is “self.” Some of the stories he covered aren’t easy to read. Also may be difficult to read if you have trouble sleeping or have an autoimmune disorder, but it’s still good information, especially in this age where there is a lot of “boost your immune system” advertising (spoiler alert: you don’t really want to boost your immune system)
alittlebird's review
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
3.75
It's clear that the author had the closest relationship with Jason, as his 'case study' dominates the narrative. I wish the women were given equal space. Additionally, the failure of our HIV/AIDS crisis response (and Fauci's role) was also extremely watered down; I don't know if it is explicitly needed for the narrative, but it's absolutely offensive to not touch on what a monumental human failure that was for so many and only laud the 'achievements' of the science brought about. Also, let's actually name and shame Bayer, yeah?
All that said, this is a very accessible read on a very complex subject that we are still learning about today. If you have studied Immunology and Molecular Pathogenesis, there probably won't be anything new to take away here. Some of the metaphors might also feel like they are distinctly oversimplified. For someone new to Immunology, it’ll give you an excellent foundation and I can definitely recommend it.
All that said, this is a very accessible read on a very complex subject that we are still learning about today. If you have studied Immunology and Molecular Pathogenesis, there probably won't be anything new to take away here. Some of the metaphors might also feel like they are distinctly oversimplified. For someone new to Immunology, it’ll give you an excellent foundation and I can definitely recommend it.
mildsensation's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.25
moumita's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
Wonderful insight into the working of the immune system! Absolutely amazing how these tiny immune cells function in protecting us from a host of diseases, cancer, and removal of nasty cells from our festival of life!!
ameyawarde's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent book, and important reading for folks with health issues, from chronic illness to cancer. Its definitely aimed at the layman with little to know background knowledge about immunology. I felt like he did a great job overall explaining things that can be complicated, though other reviewers said it was overly simplified... still a good entry point, I think.
This was definitely heavy on the biography of Jason, which I don't mind in principle but I think it could have been scaled back a bit, and the other folks, especially the women, should have been given more attention. I feel like the stories weren't thoroughly integrated into the immunology bits as well as they could have been, despite them all having immune issues. I knew their lives better than why their conditions were immune system related. I listened to this book at bedtime, though, and a few times i used a sleep timer to listen, so there's a chance I fell asleep quickly and missed some parts.
But when it comes to the information about the immune system and it's discovery, it was very interesting, and quite important for people to read, especially those with health problems, imo.
This was definitely heavy on the biography of Jason, which I don't mind in principle but I think it could have been scaled back a bit, and the other folks, especially the women, should have been given more attention. I feel like the stories weren't thoroughly integrated into the immunology bits as well as they could have been, despite them all having immune issues. I knew their lives better than why their conditions were immune system related. I listened to this book at bedtime, though, and a few times i used a sleep timer to listen, so there's a chance I fell asleep quickly and missed some parts.
But when it comes to the information about the immune system and it's discovery, it was very interesting, and quite important for people to read, especially those with health problems, imo.
mllqnn's review
3.0
This book didn't really tell me much I didn't already know from [b:The Beautiful Cure: Harnessing Your Body’s Natural Defences|35079704|The Beautiful Cure Harnessing Your Body’s Natural Defences|Daniel M. Davis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1514394252l/35079704._SY75_.jpg|56379716] and furthermore, was not as easy to read. I also didn't find myself connecting with the people whose lives were used to tell the story. This may just be a personality thing, but I found this weaving of life and science done much better in [b:Breath from Salt: A Deadly Genetic Disease, a New Era in Science, and the Patients and Families Who Changed Medicine Forever|53847362|Breath from Salt A Deadly Genetic Disease, a New Era in Science, and the Patients and Families Who Changed Medicine Forever|Bijal P. Trivedi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1607792693l/53847362._SY75_.jpg|84174159] which easily got me invested in the people driving the change, and still explains the science well.
kpierce94010's review
3.0
I am a scientist, and I find it fascinating to put the personal side of the story together with the science. However, I found this book lacking for a couple of reasons:
1) I am pretty knowledgeable about some of the science presented and there were some glaring inaccuracies. As one example, Richtel reported that 5 patients died in the Tegenero trial of the CD28 superagonist antibody. This is wrong. Actually all patients went home (they did suffer long term side effects). There were other inaccuracies as well. Seeing these inaccuracies that I know about makes me wonder how many other inaccuracies there are in the book, in areas where I am less knowledgeable.
2) Sometimes the writing about the science felt too superficial. For example, with the man infected with HIV, although we don't know why he is resistant to full blown AIDS, other resistance mechanisms are known (for example, mutations in CCR5 have gotten a lot press). This was never mentioned.
3) The character of Merrideth, in particular was underdeveloped. I think the point of her inclusion was to say, look how little we still know about immunology, but I felt no connection at all to her.
1) I am pretty knowledgeable about some of the science presented and there were some glaring inaccuracies. As one example, Richtel reported that 5 patients died in the Tegenero trial of the CD28 superagonist antibody. This is wrong. Actually all patients went home (they did suffer long term side effects). There were other inaccuracies as well. Seeing these inaccuracies that I know about makes me wonder how many other inaccuracies there are in the book, in areas where I am less knowledgeable.
2) Sometimes the writing about the science felt too superficial. For example, with the man infected with HIV, although we don't know why he is resistant to full blown AIDS, other resistance mechanisms are known (for example, mutations in CCR5 have gotten a lot press). This was never mentioned.
3) The character of Merrideth, in particular was underdeveloped. I think the point of her inclusion was to say, look how little we still know about immunology, but I felt no connection at all to her.