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Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection

John Green

Start date: August 1, 2025

Finish date: August 31, 2025

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May 16, 2025 Elle rated it it was amazing

John Green simply has a way of getting me interested in anything. I don't pick up nonfiction very often, but this is the second time he has gotten me hooked on...reality. Hmm. Not my usual state.

There is a lot of information packed into this slim read. There are amazing historical tidbits and it is very clear that Green did his research. The history is presented in a way that is linear and not overwhelming, despite its being woven between chapters settled in the present. The construction of the John Green simply has a way of getting me interested in anything. I don't pick up nonfiction very often, but this is the second time he has gotten me hooked on...reality. Hmm. Not my usual state.

There is a lot of information packed into this slim read. There are amazing historical tidbits and it is very clear that Green did his research. The history is presented in a way that is linear and not overwhelming, despite its being woven between chapters settled in the present. The construction of the narrative is really well done.

Focusing on Henry as the alternate storyline to the medical facts is absolute perfection. There is a clinical side and a personal side to the read. Yes, you receive all of the "boring" information about tuberculosis, but then you also witness how that presents in a real person's life. And keeping that to one individual rather than a group of people seals that intimacy incredibly tight. There was a lot of emotional impact to my read because of Henry's story that would not have been drawn out by simple statistics.

The writing is just what I would expect from a John Green book. The words are stripped down to their truest form and what the reader is presented is confident, bold, and approachable language. There isn't a lot of flowery prose or an intricate medical journal style. Everything felt natural, like a conversation with a friend. And the emotional impact felt by Green with regard to the situation is palpable. This is not lip service, John Green is very passionate about this topic.

In the current state of the world, it is easy to feel like things are out of control, chaotic, and unmanageable. But the information in this book draws it out simply...tuberculosis should NOT be an epidemic anywhere in the world. No one should die from this disease. It is relatively simple to diagnose and treat and...like many other things...those who are suffering are in that state through no real fault of their own. The world has plenty of prosperity to share, yet so many times there are people who are pushed aside, forgotten. This is a situation that, with attention and promotion, could easily be managed. Humans frankly just need to get their act together.

I highly recommend the audio on this one (as I usually do for nonfiction...especially when narrated by the author). ...more

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May 30, 2025 Kylara Jensen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: things-that-matter, nf-science-etc, nf-history

This is such a good book!

When most people think of tuberculosis, they think of the old time disease that results in blood in your hankerchief.

But millions of people still die every year from this completely curable disease.

This is a social history of tuberculosis, and the related injustice, racism and classism in how we as a people address this disease.

In many ways it is also a book about Henry, a young man from Sierra Leone who was diagnosed with tb and spent years trying to fight for a cure.

J ...more

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