On Immunity, Eula Biss
On Immunity, Eula Biss
3 Rating(s)
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On Immunity

Author: Eula Biss

Narrator: Tamara Marston

Unabridged: 6 hr 23 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/30/2014


Synopsis

Upon becoming a new mother, Eula Biss addresses a chronic condition of fear—fear of the government, the medical establishment, and what is in your child's air, food, mattress, medicine, and vaccines. She finds that you cannot immunize your child, or yourself, from the world.

In this bold, fascinating book, Biss investigates the metaphors and myths surrounding our conception of immunity and its implications for the individual and the social body. As she hears more and more fears about vaccines, Biss researches what they mean for her own child, her immediate community, America, and the world, both historically and in the present moment. She extends a conversation with other mothers to meditations on Voltaire's Candide, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, Susan Sontag's AIDS and Its Metaphors, and beyond. On Immunity is a moving account of how we are all interconnected—our bodies and our fates.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Dr. Appu on November 01, 2023

This book enlists the importance of vaccination, taboos associated with it, and how to remove it. The use of metaphors and reference to fictional characters from multiple books makes this book an exciting read for everyone. Immunity is a topic that is continuously evolving and very difficult t......more

Goodreads review by Claire on September 17, 2014

Just lovely: so thoughtful and empathetic and intellectually wide-ranging. I've often wondered why people--privileged, educated people, no less--choose not to vaccinate their children, disregarding scientific evidence and social responsibility. I've especially wondered why this position seems so una......more

Goodreads review by Glenn on June 30, 2021

NOTE: I hope this brilliant book receives an updated edition that includes Biss’s thoughts about vaccination and the novel coronavirus. *** Eula Biss isn’t a scientist; she’s an award-winning non-fiction writer and a mother. But based on On Immunity: An Inoculation, she’s clearly done copious amounts......more

Goodreads review by Ayelet on March 23, 2015

This book is remarkable. Read it.......more

Goodreads review by Robert on October 29, 2014

There was a lot of very informative and insightful material in On Immunity. I liked the section focused on perceptions of risk, where the belief of the validity of a particular risk by many people in society is often at odds with quantifiable facts. I also enjoyed the metaphorical comparisons that E......more