Viruses: The Invisible Enemy

Abstract

Like a viral capsid packed with only essential genetic information, Viruses: The Invisible Enemy carries the essential information about viral diseases of humans. Spanning ancient and emerging viral diseases, Dr. Crawford’s clear, concise writing expertly transmits the scientific who, what, where, when, and why of viruses. She walks us through what viruses are, as well as how they emerge, cause disease, and spread. More importantly, she explains how scientists and medical personnel gather information on the disease, identify the virus, and provide solutions to slow or stop viral spread. Released in January 2021 during distribution of the revolutionary mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, Viruses clearly explains human immunology and multiple types of vaccine technology. To that end, perhaps my analogy of this fabulous primer should be a “vaccine against misinformation and conspiracy theories.” Readers “inoculated” by Viruses will gain a strong foundation for thinking about viral diseases—those we have experienced and those to come.Viruses: The Invisible Enemy is accessible to high school and college students, science writers, and anyone else interested in learning the fundamentals of viral diseases of humanity. This slim primer could be used in classes discussing society’s distrust or misunderstanding of science, history of science, science journalism, or science communication. It certainly models concise and accurate science writing. After reading, students could play the video game Plague, Inc. to apply their knowledge of virus transmission. A video game assessment tool, anyone? As my general microbiology undergraduate course focuses primarily on bacteria, not viruses, I’m adding Viruses: The Invisible Enemy to my list of optional books for interested students. I highly recommend you read it to “vaccinate” yourself from misinformation about human viruses.