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drpeeper's review against another edition
3.0
Maybe I was spoiled by DT Max's fascinating "The Family That Never Sleep", but this one did not enthrall me to the same degree. The last section of the book seemed to drag on a lot longer than the first, got a bit preachy and political, and overall just didn't seem to flow as well. Lots of solid information, however.
a_bitof_parsley's review against another edition
dark
sad
fast-paced
4.0
A unique look at animal consumption and seemingly unlikely ways we wish viruses and diseases didn't alter because of human intervention. An extremely short read, but packed a lot of information about Kuru and the cattle industry in both America and England, with the spread of BSE and the hesitancy politicians place in order to keep their pockets full and the public blind.
grubnubble's review against another edition
4.0
Little did I know when I picked this book up that it gives a perfect background of the real events that inspired the novel The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara. I really enjoyed the style of this book, though it was too technical in parts for me to follow.
skepticalri's review against another edition
5.0
Robin Cook, move over. If you like real-life medical thrillers that take you from the rainforests of Indonesia to the sheep farms of Yorkshire, this book will scare the $h!t out of you. And possibly make you pursue a more vegetarian lifestyle. 'Cause it doesn't get much more frightening than species-jumping prion diseases, which essentially turn the brain into Swiss cheese.
innae's review against another edition
3.0
enjoyed this book. It broke down not only the discovery of a new disease, but how that process works. Experimentation and research abound in this book. You also get to read about many a researcher - some of whom have not previously gotten the credit they deserve for their efforts in the discovery. It is a little scary, as toward the end they start mentioning the epidemic (pandemic even) that could happen by March 2016 -- well, while this is still an issue (CJD is asked about every time I give blood) it certainly hasn't turned out to be the deaths for 100,000s that this book foreshadowed.
on a side note, while reading this book I kept thinking about a fiction novel I read a while back Meat by Joseph D'Lacey. If you enjoyed the pacing and "story" line in this nonfiction tale, I highly recommend seeking out [b:Meat|2222947|Meat|Joseph D'Lacey|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327883754s/2222947.jpg|2228740] .
on a side note, while reading this book I kept thinking about a fiction novel I read a while back Meat by Joseph D'Lacey. If you enjoyed the pacing and "story" line in this nonfiction tale, I highly recommend seeking out [b:Meat|2222947|Meat|Joseph D'Lacey|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327883754s/2222947.jpg|2228740] .
rohini_murugan's review against another edition
5.0
It was chilling. Much more than a standard Stephen King novel. The fact that it is not fiction made it even more scarier. The stealthy progress of the disease and its varied diverse forms only adds to the terror-mingled surprise of reading about one of the most deadliest plagues. Author, quite brilliantly takes you through the signs and symptoms of the disease, after which I can assure you of some very bad nights and some really good thoughts of changing into a vegetarian. There comes the catch, even they aren't spared!