Rating: 
Summary: Wish I had had it sooner
Review: A week before my immunology final, I had finally had it with trying to understand the whole conceptual basis of the immune system from my lecture notes and Parham's "The Immune System." Both were great at giving me a detailed, granular understanding of mechanisms of each interaction, but I needed a higher-level overview of why the mechanisms were appropriate, how they interacted, and which component would respond to each class of threat.Sompayrac's book is witty, fun reading. It isn't overly simplified, and will require some effort if you're a complete beginner to the field; but if you're a student, it's an invaluable resource to supplement your textbook. You can get the detailed description from the textbook; but from reading this, you'll understand why the mechanism is important. My main regret is that I didn't think of searching for this book and buying it at the beginning of my class instead of a week before the final. FWIW, I supplemented the Parham book with this one, and also the High-Yield Immunology book to give a detailed outline. I received an A-; I think if I had gotten both at the start, it would have been an A.
Rating:
Summary: Wish I had had it sooner
Review: A week before my immunology final, I had finally had it with trying to understand the whole conceptual basis of the immune system from my lecture notes and Parham's "The Immune System." Both were great at giving me a detailed, granular understanding of mechanisms of each interaction, but I needed a higher-level overview of why the mechanisms were appropriate, how they interacted, and which component would respond to each class of threat. Sompayrac's book is witty, fun reading. It isn't overly simplified, and will require some effort if you're a complete beginner to the field; but if you're a student, it's an invaluable resource to supplement your textbook. You can get the detailed description from the textbook; but from reading this, you'll understand why the mechanism is important. My main regret is that I didn't think of searching for this book and buying it at the beginning of my class instead of a week before the final. FWIW, I supplemented the Parham book with this one, and also the High-Yield Immunology book to give a detailed outline. I received an A-; I think if I had gotten both at the start, it would have been an A.
Rating:
Summary: Wish I had had it sooner
Review: A week before my immunology final, I had finally had it with trying to understand the whole conceptual basis of the immune system from my lecture notes and Parham's "The Immune System." Both were great at giving me a detailed, granular understanding of mechanisms of each interaction, but I needed a higher-level overview of why the mechanisms were appropriate, how they interacted, and which component would respond to each class of threat. Sompayrac's book is witty, fun reading. It isn't overly simplified, and will require some effort if you're a complete beginner to the field; but if you're a student, it's an invaluable resource to supplement your textbook. You can get the detailed description from the textbook; but from reading this, you'll understand why the mechanism is important. My main regret is that I didn't think of searching for this book and buying it at the beginning of my class instead of a week before the final. FWIW, I supplemented the Parham book with this one, and also the High-Yield Immunology book to give a detailed outline. I received an A-; I think if I had gotten both at the start, it would have been an A.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic; the perfect exposition of basic immunology
Review: After slogging through Janeway's _Immunobiology_ and most of a course in immunology, I had memorized a lot of facts but still understood next to nothing about the overall "design" and operation of the immune system. I found _How the Immune System Works_ the perfect antidote to my existential ennui. I recommend it highly and wish there were similar books on other related subjects. The main pleasure of this book is that it's very "why-oriented" - Sompayrac explains how each mechanism fits into the grand scheme of immunology. Another key innovation is that he points out areas of immunology that aren't well understood yet; that way, you can recognize them as gaps in the science at large rather than as gaps in your own understanding. Other virtues include brevity, judicious omission of irrelevant detail (this book omits the customary table of 30-odd cytokines along with a list of the 10 or 15 actions of each, for example), and an engaging and readable style.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic; the perfect exposition of basic immunology
Review: After slogging through Janeway's _Immunobiology_ and most of a course in immunology, I had memorized a lot of facts but still understood next to nothing about the overall "design" and operation of the immune system. I found _How the Immune System Works_ the perfect antidote to my existential ennui. I recommend it highly and wish there were similar books on other related subjects. The main pleasure of this book is that it's very "why-oriented" - Sompayrac explains how each mechanism fits into the grand scheme of immunology. Another key innovation is that he points out areas of immunology that aren't well understood yet; that way, you can recognize them as gaps in the science at large rather than as gaps in your own understanding. Other virtues include brevity, judicious omission of irrelevant detail (this book omits the customary table of 30-odd cytokines along with a list of the 10 or 15 actions of each, for example), and an engaging and readable style.
Rating:
Summary: understandable and enjoyable at the same time!
Review: As a nonmedical person, I sought out this book to give me an overview of the workings of the immune system. I found the text approachable and engrossing. The explanations were very clear, and appropriate repetition solidified the concepts in my mind. In fact, this book painted such a vivid picture of the immune system's workings that I would dream about B cells and macrophages the night after studying the text. My thanks to the author for a wonderful experience!
Rating:
Summary: Best book I've Read Since I've Been in Med School
Review: Before I read this book, I didn't know the difference between an antibody and a complement protein. This book is written in a clear and easy-to-read style that makes it hard to put down! In a day and a half, I was able to read the entire book and had an excellent grasp of immunology.
Rating:
Summary: Makes learning Immunology fun!
Review: How the Immune System Works takes a delightfully new approach to a difficult subject. Dr. Sompayrac tells the story of how the immune system works with vivid imagery that makes learning immunology as easy as reading your favorite novel. I would recommend this to anyone needing an understanding of this subject whether you are a "beginner" or just need a refresher. A must read for any student of Immunology!
Rating:
Summary: Easy to read and learn with.
Review: I am a Board Certified Allergist/Immunologist and I bought the book to help me to solidify my knowledge of basic immunology. Since the American Board of Allergy and Immunology only issues 10-year certification --and I took the exam the first time in 1991 -- I have to take a multiple choice recert exam soon. The book is helping me prepare by reviewing current basic Immunology in a very easy to understand (and therefore easy to REMEMBER) fashion. The prose is not prosaic, it's fun! The writing describes the immune system's structure and functioning clearly and logically. It does an excellent job of tying everything together, which can be difficult with the expanding "octopus" of detail that comprises modern immunology. I highly recommend this for physicians and students of medicine or immunology.
Rating:
Summary: Easy to understand
Review: I am not a native English speaker, and I studied immunology so many years ago that I have almost forgotten even the basic.
This book is written in plain English, and it is easy to read even for people like me.
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