Bitten, Kris Newby
Bitten, Kris Newby
1 Rating(s)
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Bitten
The Secret History of Lyme Disease and Biological Weapons

Author: Kris Newby

Narrator: Coleen Marlo

Unabridged: 5 hr 1 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperAudio

Published: 05/14/2019

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

A riveting thriller reminiscent of The Hot Zone, this true story dives into the mystery surrounding one of the most controversial and misdiagnosed conditions of our time—Lyme disease—and of Willy Burgdorfer, the man who discovered the microbe behind it, revealing his secret role in developing bug-borne biological weapons, and raising terrifying questions about the genesis of the epidemic of tick-borne diseases affecting millions of Americans today.

While on vacation on Martha’s Vineyard, Kris Newby was bitten by an unseen tick. That one bite changed her life forever, pulling her into the abyss of a devastating illness that took ten doctors to diagnose and years to recover: Newby had become one of the 300,000 Americans who are afflicted with Lyme disease each year.As a science writer, she was driven to understand why this disease is so misunderstood, and its patients so mistreated. This quest led her to Willy Burgdorfer, the Lyme microbe’s discoverer, who revealed that he had developed bug-borne bioweapons during the Cold War, and believed that the Lyme epidemic was started by a military experiment gone wrong.In a superb, meticulous work of narrative journalism, Bitten takes readers on a journey to investigate these claims, from biological weapons facilities to interviews with biosecurity experts and microbiologists doing cutting-edge research, all the while uncovering darker truths about Willy. It also leads her to uncomfortable questions about why Lyme can be so difficult to both diagnose and treat, and why the government is so reluctant to classify chronic Lyme as a disease.A gripping, infectious page-turner, Bitten will shed a terrifying new light on an epidemic that is exacting an incalculable toll on us, upending much of what we believe we know about it.

About Kris Newby

Kris Newby is an award-winning science writer at Stanford University and the senior producer of the Lyme disease documentary, Under Our Skin, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and was a 2010 Oscar semifinalist. Previously, Newby was a technology writer for Apple and other Silicon Valley companies. She lives in Palo Alto.


Reviews

Goodreads review by E.P. on May 19, 2019

Amongst the Lyme community, of which I am, very reluctantly, a member, there's always a certain amount of talk about bioweapons. "Plum Island," people will whisper. "Nazi scientists." I always dismissed that as crazy conspiracy talk. But in "Bitten" Kris Newby, a science writer who was herself infect......more

Goodreads review by Valerie on May 15, 2019

I feel like a lab rat This frightening expose on the history of Lyme disease has been a long time coming. Last summer I spiked a relapsing fever of over 104° for over a month. I tested positive for Bartonella, Anaplasmosis, Toxoplasmosis, Ehrlichia, Mycoplasma Pneumonia and Tick Borne Relapsing Fever......more

Goodreads review by Darcia on July 02, 2019

Thank you, Kris Newby, for writing this book. Most of us living with chronic Lyme disease have been betrayed by doctors. All of us have been betrayed by our government. The truth of this disease needs a giant spotlight exposing all the dark secrets, and this book is that spotlight. The story unravele......more

Goodreads review by Megan on May 15, 2019

I devoured this book in a day. The author refers to the Lyme epidemic as an “American Chernobyl” and it rings horrifically true. She uncovers the United States’ insidious role in contracting scientists to weaponize ticks for biological warfare during the Cold War. As a Lyme sufferer, I am shocked. I......more

Goodreads review by Foppe on July 29, 2019

Glad the author was able to piece this story together, and write about it in an accessible way. Useful book, which gives a nice peek into this sick business, plus into the life of yet another human being who ignored the moral questions because he wanted to be a 'scientist', and who never really esca......more