In this gripping, often harrowing study, Laurie Garrett takes readers on a 50-year journey through the world's battles with microbes, and examines ...
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Oct 28, 2011
Lisa
rated it: 
This is my kind of horror book. I think it scared me more than just about any other book I’ve ever read, but I loved it. I appreciated the author’s skillful and entertaining story telling and admired her scientific accuracy.
I can’t vouch that the information is current; I read this when it was first published. At the time it was pertinent and I can’t imagine that the basic theory (regarding epidemics) isn’t still valid. I’d continue to recommend this to anyone who’s interested in med More...
I can’t vouch that the information is current; I read this when it was first published. At the time it was pertinent and I can’t imagine that the basic theory (regarding epidemics) isn’t still valid. I’d continue to recommend this to anyone who’s interested in med More...
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Oct 28, 2011
Angela
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This book terrified me.
If you think globalization and urbanization in distant places have had no ill effect on the quality of life on this planet, think again. We discover new diseases faster than we learn to treat them, and our current methods of treatment tend only to make the diseases stronger and more virulent. The author makes a grand case for a major change of mindset in funding not only medical research and health organizations, but also supporting basic human rights to safe liv More...
If you think globalization and urbanization in distant places have had no ill effect on the quality of life on this planet, think again. We discover new diseases faster than we learn to treat them, and our current methods of treatment tend only to make the diseases stronger and more virulent. The author makes a grand case for a major change of mindset in funding not only medical research and health organizations, but also supporting basic human rights to safe liv More...
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Apr 06, 2009
Valerie
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Written by a UCSC graduate, this book covers all of the many ways are actions contribute to the spread of disease vectors. Fascinating, scary and informative.
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May 14, 2011
Mike
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Garrett, a medical reporter, has in this book taken the key pathogenic threats to human populations of the 20th century and written a powerful, nuanced (and very long) book telling the tales of not only these diseases but the patients they affected and the doctors and researchers who've battled them. It's a book for a lay readership but heavy on detail and the best, and I mean the very best, single book to introduce anyone to how public health works in modern America plus the evolution of a vari
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Jan 29, 2008
Matt
rated it: 
Still on hiatus. It's exhaustively but not dully written. I'll get there. Anyone want it when I'm done?
So far: contentwise it's fantastic but formally it falls into that true-crime, appositive-phrase-filled narrative style--"When they studied their results under powerful microscopes, the mystery for Casals only deepened." (79), for example--that I dislike.
Fits well into the postapocalyptic groove I've been in lately.
So far: contentwise it's fantastic but formally it falls into that true-crime, appositive-phrase-filled narrative style--"When they studied their results under powerful microscopes, the mystery for Casals only deepened." (79), for example--that I dislike.
Fits well into the postapocalyptic groove I've been in lately.
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Mar 04, 2008
Stacy
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The title puts me off a little, because it sounds like it will be a doomsday alarmist proclamation about how we are creating and ignoring new diseases, and that new diseases are somehow "winning" the evolutionary "war". But in essence, it is a thorough look at how and why "new" diseases emerge and the fight that goes on against new and old diseases every day.
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Aug 31, 2007
Stefanie
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although it's now somewhat out of date, this remains far and away the most comprehensive and interesting book about diseases i've read. what sets this apart from the rest of the disease books on my shelf is the sheer amount of ground covered and how well it's presented. it doesn't particularly seem like it would be a fast read, yet it is.
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Oct 01, 2011
Gregory
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A couple weeks after I read this wonderful book (years ago) I was walking across the Brooklyn Bridge and saw a woman that looked just like the jacket photo of Laurie Garrett. I stopped and asked "Are you Laurie Garrett?" And, of course, she was. Then I said something impossibly stupid--like "You are to disease what the Beatles are to music." That wasn't what I actually said, but it was something equally idiotic and I'm sure I embarrassed the poor woman.
I attended a More...
I attended a More...
Jan 21, 2008
investigative reporting and science coinciding --two of my favorite things and Garrett methodically and encyclopedically shows the intersect between corporate, institutional, and political mercenaries and the unfolding ecological brilliance of microbes
Aug 17, 2011
A terrifying and humbling look at the manner in which human behavior is serving to intensify, spread and otherwise benefit viral and bacterial agents. Everything from anti-immunization efforts, prostitution, non-sterile hospital equipment, re-use of syringes, global warming, refugees, global animal trade, increased UV radiation, pollution... all make the world more hospitable to microbes, and less hospitable to humans. In an age when the most wealthy nation in the world can't agree to give healt
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Jul 13, 2009
Jennifer
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I read this book when it first came out and I was working in a biological chemical factory. This really hit home to me. We were in a way already dealing with some of the issues mentioned in the book. My job title at the time (my tongue-in-cheek title) was mad cow queen. I did research to verify the animal products we used and manufactured were bse-free.
You have to wonder what people who don't want universal health care are thinking. With so many people out of work and losing their h More...
You have to wonder what people who don't want universal health care are thinking. With so many people out of work and losing their h More...
Mar 08, 2009
Tish
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The Coming Plague is my all time favorite about the history of diseases and the challenges that we face as a modern society in dealing with diseases. It is a little dated now as it is 13 years old, but the themes still hold true and the history doesn't change. I just re-read it. Unfortunately, we haven't done much to change the prognosis for rise of new, or old, diseases in the intervening years. Laurie Garrett, who I have loved since her time as an NPR reporter, does a thorough job of tracing t
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Oct 25, 2011
Laura
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I did it! I finished this book before the end of the year, albeit with only a few days to spare. I did have to put it down for a long time as I was buried in schoolwork and during that time a coworker borrowed it to start his way through it. When he needed a break from it, I borrowed it back and finished it up, so now it's back in his hands. He'll probably finish it next month some time so this book has been well read in the past six months I've had it.
I LOVED it. I was utterly fascin More...
I LOVED it. I was utterly fascin More...
Oct 28, 2011
Tippy
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As you can see from the number of shelves this book is on, this book has everything. Although it's a little outdated, a lot of it is history and her points there are still relevant. In particular, the AIDS stuff is outdated, but her comments on the spread of HIV and the reaction, timing, history and politics of the disease is still relevant and is important for evaluating where we could have improved and will hopefully be applied in the future, should another disease like this emerge.
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Oct 28, 2011
Corbin
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Both fascinating and frightening, The Coming Plague explores the dark side of human life and death. From the deep Congo where the Ebola virus lurks, to the streets of New York and San Francisco where the AIDS virus made its American debut, this book is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat.
I highly praise Garrett for her medical storytelling abilities. She has a way of capturing her readers’ attention and keeping it--something rarely done in medically-descriptive writing. Thi More...
I highly praise Garrett for her medical storytelling abilities. She has a way of capturing her readers’ attention and keeping it--something rarely done in medically-descriptive writing. Thi More...
Aug 23, 2008
Antigone
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I read this one one my honeymoon..... but full disclosure, it isn't a romantic lark. This book reawakens my desire for paranoia (every so often I just know I am being too complacent and a book like this will jog that right outta me). This was the author's Masters in Public Health thesis (I believe). I lay blame with her for starting the Hot Zone craze all those years ago. By my calculation, she was the first to write scientifically verifiable and relatively accurate accounts of the spreads o
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Oct 28, 2011
Carrie
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Wow. This woman is amazing. I would never have thought that I'd spend entire days reading an 800-page book about diseases...but I did, because Laurie Garrett is one of those rare scientists who can write captivating sentences. This book chronicles both the emergence of, and response to, historically important deadly diseases and the role of the CDC, other government agencies, and nasty scientist political maneuvering in the attempts to contain said diseases.
I also like this book More...
I also like this book More...
Jun 24, 2009
Daniel
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This is a very informative book if your interested in learning something about some of the more serious viruses in the world, in particular the ones classified in Bio-hazard Level 3 or 4. Some of the worst Hemorrhagic Fevers around the world are discussed in the book. Histories and source material are included. There is also a large section on the HIV virus. Maps and research texts make it well rounded. This is a good book to read if you're taking a serious interest viral epidemics.
Jun 14, 2011
Ashley
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There are a few books that stay with us long after we put them down. That earn a permanent place on our bookshelves, and are frequently reached for and discussed. The Coming Plague is one of those books. It provides a comprehensive look at the history of civilization's war on disease-a war that we are frighteningly failing.
Garrett covers issues we're all aware of (the AIDS epidemic, for one), as well as some truly terrifying diseases that some of us have never even heard of (Lassa More...
Garrett covers issues we're all aware of (the AIDS epidemic, for one), as well as some truly terrifying diseases that some of us have never even heard of (Lassa More...
Jul 03, 2009
Lis
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I picked this up without checking the publication date. I was surprised that Garrett didn't mention some of the outbreaks later in the nineties or more than glance at the Rwandan genocide. It was only afterward that I checked the copyright date: 1994. This book is fifteen years old! And while some of it is dated--biology has certainly advanced since then--so much of it is so pertinent that I was 400 pages through before I noticed the date oddity. Surprising that the issues have changed so l
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May 29, 2010
Sandy
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I read this several years go and still refer to it. It's a look at diseases in the world and their emergence throughout the world. How did an African disease end up in the US? What is the impact of environmental changes made by humans to the germs that are present? I think this is a fascinating and very informative read. It remains contemporary even though it was published in 1994.
Jul 11, 2010
Duzzlebrarian
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This is not merely one of those great books that you read and enjoy and that makes you think. This is one of those great books that does all of the above, as well as sends you on a long-term path to read more and deeper into the subject. What's more, it's had a similar inspirational effect on others, so that I keep spotting it in the bibliographies of other books.
Apr 18, 2011
Mary
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Very interesting yet very frightening book. I've always loved the epidemiology and this one was a crash course in some of the new super bugs that threaten the world. Some parts of the book got a bit preachy as it's obvious the author didn't care much for the Reagan administration's handling of the spread of HIV. If you can look past that, I'd highly recommend it!
Aug 31, 2009
Sandra
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This enormous book will scare you silly! It details the history of modern diseases that might threaten our civilization (no joke!), including ebola, AIDS, antibiotic resistant TB, etc. Excellent narratives that read like fiction tell the reader how each disease has already affected populations and policies and predicts future problems. (That's the scary part.)
Aug 06, 2011
This is a fascinating book about new viral diseases in the 20th century. It is a story of medical detection, public health and epidemiology. It can be read by medical professionals and those without medical background and is equally interesting to both groups. This is the successor to De Kruifs The Microbe Hunters.
Aug 09, 2011
After having read and savored Richard Preston's "The Hot Zone," I saw this keep popping up as a must read for those who enjoy books regarding epidemiology and hot viruses. I was even more pleased to see that, with over 1,000 reviews, it has an average rating of 4.25/5 (which is exceptionally high). Can't wait!
Jan 01, 2010
Jeff
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Still the benchmark nearly 15 years after publication, this is likely the most thoroughly researched books on infectious diseases, with immense detail contained within the pages, that is still accessible to most readers. It deals in particular with emerging diseases of the sort that are currently or could in the future play hugely important roles in global public health. The chapters in this book are comprehensive enough that they provide full accounts of the outbreaks and diseases they discus
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Sep 15, 2010
John
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Another book about human suffering and diseases. A little too scientific for me, but still pretty interesting stuff. It's a bit dated and makes a lot of predictions about the number of people world-wide infected with different viruses. I do wonder if these predictions were met.
Apr 30, 2009
Liz
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Loved this book! Detailed histories of Ebola, AIDS, the black plague and many other diseases- fascinating stuff. Also provides a very readable description of how diseases work and spread through society, why some survive when so many don't- why vaccines or antidotes don't always work.
Jul 02, 2009
Jafr
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Great book on diseases. Each chapter is organized around a specific desease or historic outbreak, so linear reading isnt required. It's a great book on bacti and the viruses and especially the vectors that introduce them to human populations. Its definitely an eye-opener.
