Read Elegant Defense An The Extraordinary New Science of the Immune System A Tale in Four Lives Matt Richtel 9780062698537 Books
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Magnificently reported and soulfully crafted, An Elegant Defense is an epic, first-of-its-kind exploration of the human immune system and the secrets of health, by the Pulitzer Prize–winning New York Times journalist
“Vividly told. ... Explicates for the lay reader the intricate biology of our immune system." —JEROME GROOPMAN, New York Review of Books
“One of those rare nonfiction books that transcends the genre. ... Extraordinary.” —DOUGLAS PRESTON
A National Indie Bestseller
A terminal cancer patient rises from the grave. A medical marvel defies HIV. Two women with autoimmunity discover their own bodies have turned against them. Matt Richtel's An Elegant Defense uniquely entwines these intimate stories with science’s centuries-long quest to unlock the mysteries of sickness and health, and illuminates the immune system as never before.
The immune system is our body’s essential defense network, a guardian vigilantly fighting illness, healing wounds, maintaining order and balance, and keeping us alive. Its legion of microscopic foot soldiers—from T cells to “natural killers”—patrols our body, linked by a nearly instantaneous communications grid. It has been honed by evolution over millennia to face an almost infinite array of threats.
For all its astonishing complexity, however, the immune system can be easily compromised by fatigue, stress, toxins, advanced age, and poor nutrition—hallmarks of modern life—and even by excessive hygiene. Paradoxically, it is a fragile wonder weapon that can turn on our own bodies with startling results, leading today to epidemic levels of autoimmune disorders.
Richtel effortlessly guides readers on a scientific detective tale winding from the Black Plague to twentieth-century breakthroughs in vaccination and antibiotics, to the cutting-edge laboratories that are revolutionizing immunology—perhaps the most extraordinary and consequential medical story of our time. The foundation that Richtel builds makes accessible revelations about cancer immunotherapy, the microbiome, and autoimmune treatments that are changing millions of lives. An Elegant Defense also captures in vivid detail how these powerful therapies, along with our behavior and environment, interact with the immune system, often for the good but always on a razor’s edge that can throw this remarkable system out of balance.
Drawing on his groundbreaking reporting for the New York Times and based on extensive new interviews with dozens of world-renowned scientists, Matt Richtel has produced a landmark book, equally an investigation into the deepest riddles of survival and a profoundly human tale that is movingly brought to life through the eyes of his four main characters, each of whom illuminates an essential facet of our “elegant defense.”
Read Elegant Defense An The Extraordinary New Science of the Immune System A Tale in Four Lives Matt Richtel 9780062698537 Books
"Based upon the title and reviews I expected something comparable to the Emperor of All Maladies, to which it aspired. I should have been more attentive - as the tip off is that the author, unlike Siddhartha Mukherjee, is a NYT writer with no background in medicine. Consequently, the book reads like a poor Hollywood script - lots of social drama, precious little about the immune system - history of what we've learned, how it functions, etc. Nothing close to the research and wealth of engaging material in Emperor of All Maladies."
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Elegant Defense An The Extraordinary New Science of the Immune System A Tale in Four Lives Matt Richtel 9780062698537 Books Reviews :
Elegant Defense An The Extraordinary New Science of the Immune System A Tale in Four Lives Matt Richtel 9780062698537 Books Reviews
- Generally, I enjoyed this book but it unfortunately contains quite a few annoying errors. For example, you do not treat ‘mono’ with antibiotics (it’s a virus), and the important discovery of penicillin by Fleming involved the bacterial genus Staphylococcus not Streptococcus.
So yes, it’s a fun book; however, be careful regarding some of the sloppy scientific writing. - Fantastic read! Richtel compellingly interweaves the science and history of immunology into the lives of four patients, each dealing with different aspects of immune function & dysfunction overreaction, underreaction, recognizing self as enemy, recognizing enemy as self, and much more.
It's an ambitious premise, and he pulls it off magnificently. I had to read the whole thing in one sitting. What makes the book supremely compelling is the vivid story of his childhood friend Jason's cancer treatment. Jason not only granted Richtel access to all of his medical records and doctor visits, but also had the kind of revelatory long talks and walks that only best friends can have. The result is an unusually well-rounded psychological portrait of a patient, along with the intricately winding course of his treatment that reads like a detective story, except real. The tales are poignant, and I found myself crying (and laughing) multiple times.
As someone who's studied immunology twice, as both biologist and medical student, I found the book a useful refresher of immune function, with some updates into the 21st century. If you do not have a background in immunology, however, this is a must-read. Every day, billions of malign agents are trying to kill you, and fail only because your immune system is on guard. How does it recognize and ward off the infinitude of potential pathogens that could invade you and lay you low? How can it tell outsiders from insiders? And how does it put the brakes on itself when it's in full defense mode?
The inner workings the immune system should make you gasp with wonder at the beauty of how nature could come up with something so insanely intricate and effective. It's literally keeping you alive every moment of every day, so do yourself a favor and read up on your T cells, B cells, dendritic cells, interferons, and cytokines so you can better appreciate this miracle that's protecting your body night and day.
-- Ali Binazir, M.D., M.Phil., Happiness Engineer and author of The Tao of Dating The Smart Woman's Guide to Being Absolutely Irresistible, the highest-rated dating book on , and Should I Go to Medical School? An Irreverent Guide to the Pros and Cons of a Career in Medicine - In An Elegant Defense The Extraordinary New Science of the Immune System A Tale in Four Lives, Richtel explains how medical research has overturned what we think we know about ourselves and our environment The book tells the story of four individuals whose immune systems were the key to their health — or to their illness; their stories are used to explore, in clear terms, the history of the research into the immune system and exactly how we now understand it to work.
An interesting read regarding our understanding of the immune system and how society is effecting it. - Based upon the title and reviews I expected something comparable to the Emperor of All Maladies, to which it aspired. I should have been more attentive - as the tip off is that the author, unlike Siddhartha Mukherjee, is a NYT writer with no background in medicine. Consequently, the book reads like a poor Hollywood script - lots of social drama, precious little about the immune system - history of what we've learned, how it functions, etc. Nothing close to the research and wealth of engaging material in Emperor of All Maladies.
- Must read for anyone interested in the immune system. Couldn’t put the book down for several days until it was finished.
- I heard an interview with the author on the Savage Nation podcast, interviewed by Dr. Michael Savage. I was so interested in what the author said, that I soon after bought the book on . I am not a big non-fiction book reader, but this book has been very hard to put down. The author is a journalist, and a writer, and passes the history and knowledge that he discovered in such a way that though it is non-fiction, you feel you are reading a story. I have not gotten to the end yet, but already I have learned things, or had things I'd been researching on my own for personal reasons, confirmed or clarified. This is not a medical tome written by a doctor, this is book written by a friend because of a friend. If you have loved ones with autoimmune problems or diseases, buy and read this book, and gain hope.
- I was looking forward to learning about the immune system and I did learn quite a bit. The author presented key concepts and introduced us to numerous scientists who broke new ground getting to these understandings. The book certainly follows the structural path of other biological books I've read lately. That is, he follows the scientists in a roughly chronological path as he presents their discoveries and then relates the progress to treatment of some specific patients.
The reading flowed nicely, I never felt like giving it up or bogged down anywhere. Yet all in all it was somewhat disappointing for me in several aspects. Written by a non-scientist, the actual layout and function of the immune system did not come across in a clear, uncluttered, memorable framework. Come to think of it there was not even any description in even minimal depth of the lymphatic system, which certainly is involved. And the scientists were so numerous and their personal stories minimal enough that it was almost a waste of time trying to humanize them and their work.
His primary exploration of a patient was with his friend Jason, and he did a good job of that. Yet I didn't find myself nearly as enamored of Jason as the author was.
So I'd say it's a good book to read but I won't recommend it highly to my friends. - Tremendously educational book with lots of science. Written with great stories in a conversational style that makes it easy to follow the technical info.
