Category: Nonfiction

The Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston

Nonfiction

This man might be my new favorite author. His storytelling talent is so great that he can make anyone enjoy reading about biology and disease. Two months ago I read his book, The Hot Zone, and it was the scariest piece of nonfiction I have ever read. This book was less frightening in my opinion, partly due to the less graphic descriptions of what the smallpox virus can do to the human body. But, the implications of what could happen if someone somewhere decided to release one of the many strains of smallpox that are kept frozen in tubes and stored in chained containers in secret locations, that induces worry and fear. In addition to exploring the history of smallpox and the possibility of it being used as a biological weapon, we are also treated to a play by play of what happened in the days following September 11, 2001 with the anthrax scare. What happened with anthrax could happen with smallpox, or any airborne killer, only it would most definitely be much more devastating.

I am looking forward to reading the rest of Richard Preston’s novels. I feel like I won’t be making a bad decision in purchasing another one of his books since I have immensely enjoyed two of his works already.

The Art Of Deception: An Introduction To Critical Thinking by Nicholas Capaldi and Miles Smit

Nonfiction

This book does not live up to what I imagined it might be. I thought it would be eye opening and insightful, and instead I just found it very dry. It was like I was reading a high school science textbook and an English textbook at the same time, the information was presented to you in that kind of nap-inducing manner. But I couldn’t help but be surprised, especially after reading about the importance of adhering to the English rules of grammar in the introduction, when I found a grammatical error less than fifty pages in. For me, that was the most exciting thing in the entire text.

In the introduction, six parts, and appendix, part three was the only section that I found mildly interesting, or less dry at least, but it definitely peaked there and then fell off. I will say, there is a lot of well thought out information in this book. It is definitely a must read if you are either a law student or considering studying law, I imagine it would be very helpful for learning techniques to implement in the courtroom. Each chapter ends with summary and exercises, and although I did read the summary I did not practice any of the exercises. I didn’t think pursuing the exercises would be worth my time, much like I now feel about having read this book. It’s well written and very educational, it’s just not the kind of knowledge I was interested in gaining.

The Perfect Predator by Steffanie Strathdee and Thomas Patterson

Nonfiction

I can’t believe that I found another book about disease and illness that I loved so much when I just finished one not too long ago. It’s the perfect mix of biography and advocacy, but also medical science that an average person will be able to understand. Steffanie Strathdee and Thomas Patterson do an incredible job of telling the story of his battle against a killer bacteria, from the days leading up to his first symptoms, to a year after he finally was able to leave the hospital.

While I was already aware of the dangers our society is facing regarding antibiotic resistance, these two doctors really get the point across that this is an issue that we need to be more aware of and that we need to start making a plan of action towards. In this book, you can learn about how some bacteria have gone from harmless to deadly, the speeds at which they can detect threats and adapt to them, and how quickly they are able to pass along what they have learned when they reproduce, which all factor into how and why some bacteria have become resistant to antibiotics. When a deadly bacteria is resistant to all the medications you can throw at it, the last thing you may be able to do is attack it with bacteriophages, or viruses, but most people do not know about this type of treatment. Even so, knowing about this treatment doesn’t mean you can get it because the treatment is not available everywhere. It has pretty much only been implemented in medical facilities in Georgia and Poland since phage therapy was discovered. Other than that, phage therapy is mostly only studied in labs in very few locations elsewhere and it’s not tested or used to treat humans. This is pretty frightening. 

While not as terrifying as some of the other medical and psychology books I have read, it is still scary to know that there is a really good treatment out there that is not being utilized to its full potential because it is thought of as dangerous, taboo, or second best to traditional antibiotics. I am going to keep my eye out for more books on the subject because I am very curious about this subject seeing as it could be the future of medicine.

David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, And The Art Of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell

Nonfiction

Malcolm Gladwell is one of my favorite authors. I was browsing through the aisles of Barnes and Noble a week ago and I saw one of his books that I had not read yet, but had been meaning to, and I bought it. It was an easy decision for me to make knowing how much I had enjoyed his other books. Also, the book had the original cover design. Personally, I don’t like the new covers as much, plus, I already have the other books in the original white covers and I would only allow myself to buy David and Goliath if it matched. 

I like the way Gladwell writes. He is very obviously an intelligent man, but his books are written in such a way that the concepts are easy to comprehend. It makes me feel as though he wants everyone to be able to get a grasp on the topic at hand, not only the intellectuals, and I like that. I enjoyed how he interviewed many different people and used their real life stories to explain why the seemingly weaker party in a confrontation may end up in a David and Goliath type of outcome. It’s a very inspirational book, it makes me feel like I can one day defeat a giant. If you need a pick me up, pick this up. It took me very little time to read, as I was enjoying it so much, and I feel like it is worth spending a little bit of time when you could benefit so much intellectually and psychologically. I feel as though I gained a lot of insight into how I can prepare for any future battles if I recognize that I am being viewed by others as a longshot.

The Hot Zone by Richard Preston

Nonfiction

I never thought that the most horrifying book I would ever read would be nonfiction. The first twenty pages alone are just as anxiety-inducing and frightening as the beginning of a scary movie. I felt nearly the same as I would during the first few minutes into watching a new thriller, I was unsure as to what type of horror awaited me and I was anticipating being scared.The narrative, the detail, it’s incredible, the way this man writes is absolutely brilliant. I couldn’t turn my eyes from the page, so much so that I haven’t read a piece of nonfiction this fast in a long time. I can’t even remember where I heard about this book and why I thought it was wish list worthy, but I am so elated that I finally made the decision to buy it. I could read this book over and over again. I feel like this says a lot for a book that is about the Ebola and Marburg viruses. 

However, if you have a hard time reading about blood and gruesome bodily functions, I would suggest staying away. I love the macabre, but there were times when I was like, wow, the author really isn’t holding back here, this couldn’t be any more graphic. There were passages that even I thought were a bit too much. At the same time, this attention to detail will not deter me from purchasing another book written by this man, a book that happens to contain the same subject matter, Crisis in the Red Zone, which I hope to read and review in the near future.