A review by skylar2
Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen

4.0

This was a good book on the history of zoonotic diseases, especially in light of current events. The author discusses outbreaks that I had heard of (HIV, SARS1, Ebola, malaria) and others I had not heard of (Hendra virus, Q fever). Even in the familiar cases, Quammen gave context and history that I didn't have before, and at no point did it feel digressive. Given all that we're learning of SARS-CoV-2, the book didn't feel dated but like the next chapter could be written about 2020 (at the end, there's even a discussion of the role of super-spreading in disease mechanics).

The only thing marring it was the author's occasionally dismissive tone to the cultures in which the zoonoses were occurring. I think his intent was to be amusing, but fell flat.