<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Don't bite on this superficial treatment!
Review: I wanted to like this book, and the first chapter, I admit, was . . . well, infectious! But after chapter 2, the writing (col)lapsed into repetition, general assertions,vague hand-waving, and lack of descriptive, telling details, both scientific or anecdotal. The tone and diction are inconsistent, now scholarly, detached language, now cautionary common slang. Unbelievably,one of the key terms -- "disease vector" -- is never even defined!! This book reads like a C+ term paper hastily pulled from the internet, which is especially puzzling and disappointing considering the impressive authorial credentials (one is a leading researcher on mosquito-borne diseases!). What's more, Hyperion appears to have released what appears to be the same book under ***two different titles***: "A Natural History of Our Most Persistent and Deadly Foe" and "The Story of Man's Deadliest Foe" (and shouldn't that be "Humanity's" or "Our" deadliest foe??), except that this "Story of ..." title doesn't have photos. Don't waste your time on this one.
Rating:
Summary: Don't bite on this superficial treatment!
Review: I wanted to like this book, and the first chapter, I admit, was . . . well, infectious! But after chapter 2, the writing (col)lapsed into repetition, general assertions,vague hand-waving, and lack of descriptive, telling details, both scientific or anecdotal. The tone and diction are inconsistent, now scholarly, detached language, now cautionary common slang. Unbelievably,one of the key terms -- "disease vector" -- is never even defined!! This book reads like a C+ term paper hastily pulled from the internet, which is especially puzzling and disappointing considering the impressive authorial credentials (one is a leading researcher on mosquito-borne diseases!). What's more, Hyperion appears to have released what appears to be the same book under ***two different titles***: "A Natural History of Our Most Persistent and Deadly Foe" and "The Story of Man's Deadliest Foe" (and shouldn't that be "Humanity's" or "Our" deadliest foe??), except that this "Story of ..." title doesn't have photos. Don't waste your time on this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Okay, but there are better books on microbial disease
Review: Perhaps I was merely spoiled by the book I read right before reading this one (Microbe Hunters by Paul de Kruif), but I found this book thoroughly mediocre both in content and style. The author constantly shifts between 3rd person narrator/teacher, man-on-the-scene, and editorializer, without spending sufficient time as any one of them. In fact, I was often disappointed by the brevity with which each of the book's subtopics was explored. It weighs in at a sparse ~225 pages, large print. Unless you have a particular interest in mosquitoes, I instead recommend Microbe Hunters, a classic (1926?) book on some of the important scientists and discoveries in the early history of microbiology.
Rating: 
Summary: A Great Read!
Review: This book is a must for students of history and disease,
natural history, and popular history. It is especially timely in
light of the spread of the West Nile virus and can help the
reader to understand humanity's long struggle with disease
and the agents that can carry it. Well-written and informative, it reads more like a novel and is the very best
kind of popular history. Buy it - you'll like it!
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting though not always fun
Review: This book was written by a scientist and a journalist yet it was never clear to me what the contribution of the journalist was. The book writing showed knowledge, but not skills. The few attempts to make the reading captivating felt forced. The content was great however and it was never tedious. It is just that some books really get you captivated regardless of the topic and this is not one of those books. I wish it had covered a bit more about the different types of mosquitoes, and a bit more about their lives (only first 2 or 3 chapters do so). But it is still a worthwhile read. It talks a lot about the deadly diseases that are spread by mosquitoes and humans' long lasting battle against them.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting though not always fun
Review: This book was written by a scientist and a journalist yet it was never clear to me what the contribution of the journalist was. The book writing showed knowledge, but not skills. The few attempts to make the reading captivating felt forced. The content was great however and it was never tedious. It is just that some books really get you captivated regardless of the topic and this is not one of those books. I wish it had covered a bit more about the different types of mosquitoes, and a bit more about their lives (only first 2 or 3 chapters do so). But it is still a worthwhile read. It talks a lot about the deadly diseases that are spread by mosquitoes and humans' long lasting battle against them.
<< 1 >>
|
