RaveThe Washington PostSmith renders an exquisite first-hand account of a brain dissection, offering just enough vivid detail without churning stomachs ... Avoiding dry jargon, Smith masterfully infuses details from medical records to offer intimate glimpses into the heartbreaking paths taken by the disease as it robs people of all the little things that make them who they are.
Jonathan Kennedy
PositiveThe Washington Post[A] gripping premise ... Kennedy re-excavates the past, one in which we are much less significant than we think ... Kennedy, a sociologist, catapults the reader around the world ... Kennedy, for his part, wrangles an astonishing breadth of material into easily accessible, plain prose. He challenges us to think big and long about the enduring impacts of infectious-disease outbreaks ... The book gathers fiery momentum as it goes, especially from colonial plagues on ... Even readers familiar with the material will find fascinating how Kennedy arrived at some of these revelations ... Occasionally, the book overreaches ... Despite Kennedy’s seemingly demoralizing thesis, his narrative tilts toward hope and empowerment.
