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micksland's review against another edition
dark
informative
fast-paced
4.0
4 stars
This "nonfiction thriller" tells the story of an Ebola outbreak that occurred in Reston, Virgia, in 1989. Monkeys at a research lab began dying from hemorrhagic fever symptoms, and eventually the Army was called in to prevent the outbreak from spreading.
This outbreak is virtually unknown in popular culture, but an Ebola outbreak in Washington, D.C. could realistically have been one of the deadliest and most geopolitically important events in world history. The Army and CDC were caught unprepared. The soldiers who participated in the lab extermination were willing to risk their lives for the safety of the United States, not knowing what they would find inside. It was a nailbiter, even knowing that the outbreak was successfully contained.
Parts of the narrative and the science have become outdated since the publication. In particular, I note that Marburgvirus was once considered to be substantially less deadly than Ebola. That may have been true when the book was published, but in more recent history there have been several outbreaks with a fatality rate between 80 and 90%.
This narrative is a prime example of the reason why public health needs to be highly funded. We'll never know when a filovirus or other emerging pathogen will land on American soil. But we do know that it will happen at some point, and we best be prepared when it does.
This "nonfiction thriller" tells the story of an Ebola outbreak that occurred in Reston, Virgia, in 1989. Monkeys at a research lab began dying from hemorrhagic fever symptoms, and eventually the Army was called in to prevent the outbreak from spreading.
This outbreak is virtually unknown in popular culture, but an Ebola outbreak in Washington, D.C. could realistically have been one of the deadliest and most geopolitically important events in world history. The Army and CDC were caught unprepared. The soldiers who participated in the lab extermination were willing to risk their lives for the safety of the United States, not knowing what they would find inside. It was a nailbiter, even knowing that the outbreak was successfully contained.
Parts of the narrative and the science have become outdated since the publication. In particular, I note that Marburgvirus was once considered to be substantially less deadly than Ebola. That may have been true when the book was published, but in more recent history there have been several outbreaks with a fatality rate between 80 and 90%.
This narrative is a prime example of the reason why public health needs to be highly funded. We'll never know when a filovirus or other emerging pathogen will land on American soil. But we do know that it will happen at some point, and we best be prepared when it does.
faithaup's review against another edition
5.0
Love love love, very captivating read. Highly recommend!
laurengraue1's review against another edition
4.75
like thoroughly enjoyed this book and did not want to put it down. At some points I was like “is this necessary idc” and that’s why I gave it 4.75 stars
I found the conclusion quite interesting - how some of these viruses are a response to human infiltration on the biosphere, how it’s an “immune response to the human species”. an interesting thing to say
I found the conclusion quite interesting - how some of these viruses are a response to human infiltration on the biosphere, how it’s an “immune response to the human species”. an interesting thing to say
mhugie2's review against another edition
3.0
I found this book really interesting. I have a background in bsl3 so am familiar with the current regulations, a lot of which were developed after the events in this book. The only thing I worry about in this book is that because of when it was written people may incorrectly assume that labs managing these type of biologics still run this haphazardly and they don't.
_zara's review against another edition
challenging
informative
tense
fast-paced
3.0
I read this in my freshmen's year of HS in 2007 as required reading in my advanced English class for our unit on infectious diseases. This was required reading for all freshmen in our health themed HS. I distinctly remembering that I thought this was 5 stars. I am how, rereading this 17 years later.
Revisiting it one pandemic later and as an adult, oof - this aged terribly. This can best be described as more fearmongering than informative. This is sensationalist and dehumanizing. , of Africa. Lots of language about the "other", the "exotic", the "primitive". Very post colonial. Also extremely cheesy in a dad thriller type of way. Once you catch the pattern of how Preston hand delivers you dread, you can't unsee it and becomes like a running gag in what would otherwise be an informative non fiction book.
Good reminder to read more non fiction. My taste in books as an adult is definitely influenced my reading taste as an adult.
Revisiting it one pandemic later and as an adult, oof - this aged terribly. This can best be described as more fearmongering than informative. This is sensationalist and dehumanizing. , of Africa. Lots of language about the "other", the "exotic", the "primitive". Very post colonial. Also extremely cheesy in a dad thriller type of way. Once you catch the pattern of how Preston hand delivers you dread, you can't unsee it and becomes like a running gag in what would otherwise be an informative non fiction book.
Good reminder to read more non fiction. My taste in books as an adult is definitely influenced my reading taste as an adult.
aradne's review against another edition
4.0
So, I'm a sensitive person. I was listening to this audiobook, and I passed out. I woke up hearing static and trying not to think about all the people who would die because of that one taxi driver.
This book is intense, and obviously not for those who are sensitive. It gets four stars because while I wouldn't read it again, it provoked a strong reaction from me.
This book is intense, and obviously not for those who are sensitive. It gets four stars because while I wouldn't read it again, it provoked a strong reaction from me.
sarakuhn's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
tense
medium-paced
4.5
vampireweekend's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.0
sariene's review against another edition
3.0
Well, there are A LOT of inaccuracies and exaggerations in here, but if you know that going in and don't get suckered in by them, it's an interesting enough read.