Product Description

Of course, like all good memes, the ideas in Brodie's book aredouble-edged swords.They can vaccinate against the effects ofcognitive viruses, but could also be used by those seeking power togain it even more effectively. If you don't want to be left behind inthe coevolutionary arms race between infection and protection, readabout memes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (86)

Memes at work?
Although I think that the concept of the meme and a science of memetics would be very helpful in understanding culture and how it develops, I'm not certain that all discussions of how memes work in present day society is necessarily new or helpful.Mr. Brodie's book seems to me, therefore, something of a "pop-psychology" book that represents itself as something more than it is.

Psychology as a field has already done and continues to do an adequate job of enlightening us on our behaviors and motivations without any need to refer back to Darwinian theories. Cordelia Fine's book A Mind of Its Own: How Your Brain Distorts and Deceives, for instance, discusses many of our subconscious processes, the "whys?" and "whats?" of our various opinions, prejudices, and behaviors, and does so with experimental evidence to support them.Evidence, however, is what is conspicuously absent from Mr. Brodie's book, "Virus of the Mind."Although much of what he tells the reader is undoubtedly true, it is also mostly a rehash of evolutionary theory, and where memes come into play, mostly of the sort of "just so" category of "proof."

I agree with the author that every society is "infected" by its own culture and that different aspects of any given culture can be passed on to "infect" others.Cultural anthropology has collected abundant evidence that mankind is capable of producing almost limitless forms of behavior and material artifacts and of passing these on between generations and neighboring groups.This is anything but new.Frasier's classic book on magic and religion, The Golden Bough, among others, contains vast amounts of information on culture (not all of them reliable facts, however).It proves, if nothing else, that anthropology as a discipline has been and continues to be thoroughly active in its study of what we do, why we do it, what we make and how we use it.

Our fascination with the almost expotential rise in material culture since the first stone tool and with the impact of technology on individuals seems to scream for an explanation.Just the simple fact that it took almost a million years from the invention of a simple shaped cobble tool to create another style of tool and another 800,000 before the next style after that, especially in the presence of the current speed of cultural change, challenges our big brains to come up with an answer to "why?"John Burke's series Connections 1 (5 - Disc Set) makes it abundantly clear as to why.It takes a certain critical mass of ideas before a new one can take shape; in short the birth of a new idea has to actually be possible in context.A Paleolithic hunter-gatherer would hardly have been able to come up with nuclear power as a substitute for environmentally polluting wood campfires!He would, in fact, have been unable to conceptualize the problem of pollution or that his environment might suffer from it, yet alone that the chronic congestion and cough he suffered was proof thereof.(Cockburn's book Mummies, Disease and Ancient Cultures on the health of early people preserved by various means reveals the commonness of lung diseases from this source of pollution). Furthermore, as this series also makes clear, changes in technology proceed in tandem.It requires at least a minimal investment in infrastructure to produce electricity, and that infrastructure has to wait until some degree of precision manufacturing is possible or even understood as necessary.Furthermore society has to be convinced that the new technology is useful.Hero of Alexandria is known to have invented and understood the principles of steam power in the first century AD, but Greco-Roman society functioned on slave labor and saw no reason to do otherwise.It was in fact awash in slave labor because of its successful military exploitation of a fair share of the settled world around it.Water power was not even regularly exploited until the cost of labor--slave or wage--became more dear.

What the author seems to neglect is that a science of memetics isn't about changing what we do, how we do it, or what we make--at least not at the outset--but about understanding how it fits into who we are and how we got that way.If memes like genes have something to say about our evolution and our "fitness" as an organism, just what is it and how does it work biologically?Susan Blackmore's book The Meme Machine (Popular Science) goes a long way in pointing this out, suggesting a definition of meme, suggesting how it might work, and suggesting how this might be tested experimentally.At this point in the incipient science it hardly seems appropriate to begin application of principles we don't even know exist to problems that already have other sciences invested in their research.

I came away feeling that the author's intention was simply to infect me with yet another meme, one that encouraged me to buy the book and absorb the information as factual.In short it's another self help book.Unfortunately like most self help books, it requires the reader to apply its principles to a life in progress, which is not always easily done.Our lives play out in the midst of hundreds of others and are embedded in the culture in which we live them.Changes can sometimes be difficult.Which is why we have so many different self help books out there, and yet we still remain unchanged despite them.I am proof positive; I've read books on how to decrease clutter, reduce my spending, lose weight, gain confidence, stop being anxious, find love, etc.I still live in a messy house, buy way more than I actually need, am unhealthily overweight, lack any more confidence than I ever had, am habitually anxious, and totally loveless--although I'm frequently less happy when I'm in love, so I'm probably ahead of the game in that respect.I wasn't all that successful in changing myself; but the authors of the books were highly successful in getting them sold and me to buy one!Successful memes at work perhaps?

Great book for waking people up.
If you are looking for a hard core scientific study of memes than this book is most likely not for you. However, if you want an introduction to memes along with concise definitions, then this book is a good place to begin.

Memes are culturally conditioned ideas that replicate themselves; in this sense Brodie uses a metaphor of a virus to describe these culturally conditioned mutations. Memes - like viruses - follow normative conditions: i.e., like a virus a meme duplicates itself, it infiltrates, and it spreads. Whatever your ideology may be, the goal of an idea is to replicate, infiltrate, and spread itself to others.

This is the goal of politics, marketing, or any other ideological based system.

Brodie is attempting to bring awareness so people can then evaluate objectively the way they are being manipulated by political organizations, marketing gurus, business, religious leaders, or any other organization intent on influencing human behavior.

The book is worthwhile if for no other reason than to make one aware of the way cultural entities seek to hook your belief system - and using another popular metaphor - make you part of the BORG Nation of true believers: left, right, or middle.

Ultimately The Memes of This Book Won't Spread
Overly simplistic view of why some ideas become popular and others don't.Interesting because it analogizes spreading of ideas, or memes, to evolutionary spread of genes.There have been subsequent books on the subject, notably Malcolm Gladwell's "The Tipping Point,"and Seth Godin's "Unleashing the Ideavirus," that delve deeper into how memes are transmitted.

Brodie's Self-Promoting Mind Virus
I saw this book at Costco and was immediately attracted to the title, i.e., "What the heck is a "meme""? The title itself is a meme, which, I suppose, was Brodie's intent, I know it certainly piqued my interest. The book proved to be very informative for a person, such as myself, who was totally unfamiliar with memetics, and from that perspective it was well worth the read, however, I also found it rather self-promoting and somewhat disjointed. What was the purpose, for example, of the author's mini-tirade regarding the erosion of state's rights in favor of a more centralized form of government? To me, that was more of a personal political statement and a prime example of a mind virus. Though thought-provoking, the concept of memetics still remains nebulous to me but certainly deserves further exploration.

virus of the mind
I ordered this book for my husband who has completely devoured it.He is a total nonfiction reader and thought this book was excellent in all aspects.He recommends it to anyone interest in our current situation with the federal government and its policies. ... Read more

Product Description
What makes religion so powerful? How does it weave its way into our political system? Why do people believe and follow obvious religious charlatans? What makes people profess deep faith even as they act in ways that betray that faith? What makes people blind to the irrationalities of their religion yet clearly see those of others? If these questions interest you, this book will give you the tools to understand religion and its power in you, your family and your culture. For thousands of years, religion has woven its way through societies and people as if it were part and parcel to that society or person. In large measure it was left unexplained and unchallenged, it simply existed. Those who attempted to challenge and expose religion were often persecuted, excommunicated, shunned, or even executed. It could be fatal to explain that which the church, priest or imam said was unexplainable. Before the germ, viral and parasite theory of disease, physicians had no tools to understand disease and its propagation. Priests told people disease was a result of sin, Satan, evil spirits, etc. With the discovery of microbial actors, scientists gained new tools to study how it spreads. They could study infection strategies, immunity, epidemiology and much more. Suddenly the terrible diseases of the past were understandable. The plagues of Europe, yellow fever, small pox, pneumonia, tuberculosis, syphilis, etc. were now removed from the divine and placed squarely in the natural world. This book owes a great deal to Richard Dawkins concept of viruses of the mind, but it seeks to go a step further to personalize the concept of religion as a virus and show how these revolutionary ideas work in everyday life. The paradigm can explain the fundamentalism of your Uncle Ned, the sexual behavior of a fallen mega church minister, the child rearing practices of a Pentecostal neighbor, why 19 men flew planes into the World Trade Center or what motivates a woman to blow herself up in the crowded markets of Baghdad. Learn how religion influences sexuality for its own purposes, how and why it protects pedofile priests and wayward ministers and how it uses survivor guilt to propagate and influence and how it might influence a person's IQ. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (77)

for everyone struggling to deprogram
I was raised in Christian Science,one of the worst offenders in the world of cults.
This book helps you to understand how and why we believe rediculous doctrine.
Since I left CS three years ago,there has been a lot of guilt associated with believing crazy religious theories.
This wonderful book walks you through the how and why we sucked in and how it literally changes your brain.
The good news is that you can get your brain back.
A must read for all struggling with life after religion.

Powerful New Language
Most of the recent non-theist literature approaches the topic of religion from a very literal point of view. Dawkins, Hitchens, Harris, and Dennett have been champions of the direct approach: Evolution is this. Religion is that. There is almost certainly no god. Secular countries are objectively less dysfunctional than theist countries in quantifiable ways. To be sure, there was and still is a need for this kind of writing. But there has been something missing.
As refreshing as it may be for us non-theists to hear someone tell it exactly like it is, this approach can be daunting. For many people who were not raised in an environment that encouraged scientifically precise descriptions and in-depth analysis of the nuts and bolts of things, it can be a little overwhelming. And frankly, for many non-theists, it's difficult to make the link between these books and their own lives. Sure, understanding evolution is great, but what good does that do for Joe Non-Theist who is struggling to live in a theist dominated community? In-depth analysis of epistemology is also great, but how does it help Nancy Non-Believer talk to her theist friends about her lost faith?
The God Virus, by Darrel Ray, Ed. D., takes a different approach. Religion is explained as analogous to viruses, viral infection, and parasites. Using accessible language and familiar ideas, Ray gives us powerful conceptual language for thinking of religion as a self-serving "life form" that replicates, spreads through the population, and influences the behavior of its hosts in self-serving ways.
Though many religionists would probably be challenged by reading this book, its main purpose is not to convince people to become non-believers. Similarly, it's not meant to be a definitive work on the precise objective nature of religion. Instead, it takes many propositions more or less as read. Unlike much of the atheist literature, you will not find an extensive bibliography, copious footnotes, or tedious step-by-step syllogistic proofs. Reading The God Virus feels much more like a conversation over coffee. And that is a good thing.
The bulk of The God Virus deals with five properties of viruses which are analogous to religion. Viruses infect people. They create antibodies against other viruses. They often take over both physical and mental functions and hide themselves from the host. They have multiple methods of transmission. They program the host to replicate the virus.
Most "recovering religionists" will immediately recognize the power of the antibody metaphor. A great deal of early religious training is designed to insulate us from dangerous questions or ideas. Religious dogma has built in mechanisms for discouraging and even shutting down our capacity for critical thought. From the threat of Hell to guilt to separation from friends and family, religion - very much like a virus - attempts to protect itself from external threats to its propagation.
Viruses spread through "vectors." For example, a mosquito is a vector for malaria. Religion is also spread through vectors, only we call them priests, pastors or youth ministers. A single vector can be responsible for an epidemic, as witnessed by the success of Joseph Smith, Pat Robertson, and L. Ron Hubbard.
Viruses must mutate to stay competitive in changing environments. Similarly, religion adapts to the cultural and scientific landscape. Galileo and Copernicus' scientific discoveries were eventually incorporated into the Catholic model of the universe (though not without some wailing and gnashing of teeth). Even Darwin is grudgingly accepted today by some of the more progressive religions. Very few religions can remain virulent while demanding that women stay silent in church, or that children be stoned for disobedience.
One of the most powerful metaphors for me was that of moral manipulation. Religious morality is compared to behavioral changes caused by parasites such as the lancet fluke (Dicrocoelium), which drives its host (an ant) to climb to the top of a blade of grass where it is eaten by a cow, in whose belly the organism reproduces. Using this analogy, Ray explains that moral mandates which are peculiar to religious dogma are not beneficial to the host (the believer), but rather that they are designed for the benefit of the parasite. Prohibitions on birth control do not benefit Catholics directly. But they do benefit the "Catholic Virus" by ensuring that already infected individuals will reproduce as much as possible, creating growth through both time and the population. Moratoriums on masturbation do not contribute to happiness or self-actualization, but they do create unassailable guilt which can only be relieved by "re-dedication to Christ" or other such religious rituals.
Having established the metaphor, Ray analyzes several examples of the religious virus, most notably American Evangelical Christianity. He dissects each aspect of the movement, using metaphorical language which makes it easy for the reader to begin thinking outside of the religious box. By this point in the book, most readers will find themselves incorporating the "virus language" into their thinking. I found - to my delight - that by the end of the book, I was having to work to consciously translate my thoughts backwards into religio-speak. Such is the power of the virus metaphor. It can literally change the way we think about religion.
And that is what it's all about, isn't it? For all the huffing and puffing about the evils of religion, isn't the goal of most non-believers to make the world a better place by effecting change in both believers and religion itself? And doesn't real change start when we see our world in a new light, one that forces us to abandon our previous conceptions of reality?
This is the power of The God Virus. It's not meant to offer a sterile, scientific analysis of religion. Instead, it gives the layperson a mighty weapon in the struggle to create a better world with less religious guilt and oppression and more self-examination and self-actualization.
The later chapters of the book deal with the realities of living a religion-free life, and perhaps more importantly, relating to and living alongside religionists. This, I believe, is what has been woefully lacking in atheist literature. Ray takes a very non-judgmental approach to believers, as we would expect from a physician designing a therapeutic regimen for people with a viral infection. He encourages us to separate the victims from the virus, and to design our interactions to minimize the power of the virus without confronting it directly and risking a defense mechanism kicking in.
We non-believers are also encouraged to examine ourselves for evidence of residual viral infection. Even after leaving religion, it is still very common to retain damaging beliefs or behaviors relating to critical thinking, guilt, sexuality, and isolationism. Only with honest -- sometimes brutally honest -- self-examination and introspection can we eradicate the last remnants of the infection. It is frequently a lifelong project.
Though The God Virus is not a direct attack on religion, there is mention in the final chapter of the dangers inherent in the propagation of the virus, especially in its more virulent and deadly mutations. It is clear that this is a problem for all of us non-believers.
I believe that The God Virus is one of the most useful and emotionally appealing metaphors to grace the atheist meme-scape in some time. Unlike so many of the (Flying Spaghetti Monster forgive me) cumbersome and jargon-laden tomes by atheist scientific writers, this book and the concept it promotes are designed for the real workaday world where many non-believers live.
The God Virus is not without its flaws, though in the broad scheme of things, I think the flaws are so minor that they don't significantly detract from the experience. There are a number of editorial glitches which will presumably be addressed in a second edition or reprint. Most of them are minor misspellings or grammatical errors. As I mentioned, there is no bibliography, which will probably lead to some poo-pooing by religionists and overly pedantic non-believers. Finally, for readers who skim or aren't careful to digest the first chapter carefully, there is a danger of thinking that Ray claims religion is a literal virus. This is nonsense, of course. We are comfortable with the analogy of a computer virus, even though it's obvious that there isn't a literal physical virus inside our computers. We understand that "virus" is a useful analogy for the behavior of the programs which invade our hard drives and operating systems. So we call them viruses. In the same way, we are free to use the language of viruses and viral infections when discussing religion and religious belief.
I've had the pleasure of listening to Darrel Ray speak, and to have a wonderful conversation with him while preparing to write this review. I believe his approach to religion represents a potential turning point in the relations between not only religion and atheism but individual religionists and non-believers. It is a simple and powerful metaphor based in the scientific realities of the human mind, which is often overwhelmed when presented with complex and erudite data. Here is a man who has spent his career studying and practicing human relations. With this book, he has taken atheists out of the ivory towers and given them work boots and a tool kit. The God Virusis a must-read for anyone who wants to help themselves and others eradicate the infection of religion and live happy, religion-free lives.

Atheist author provides lucid look at the harm of religion
This is a well written and wonderfully delightful book. Unlike many of the writings of Dennett and others, which are great volumes to be sure, this book shows the tremendous harm religion has done and continues to do to us collectively and individually. One need only look at his own life to see the truth to what the author says. I could hardly put the book down. It is a must-read for the humanist or atheist and wouldn't hurt those infected by the virus.

Highly recommended.

- Susanna K. Hutcheson

Amazing truth, we need to throw religion away once and forever!
Amazing truth, we need to throw religion away once and forever!
It has been, and continues to be, the most detrimental contribution to any civilization.

The God Virus
Brevity is always best and in this case easily achieved. The theses of "God" and "Religion" as a virus is creatively brilliant. An important read.The insidiousness of organized religion is painstakingly, indeed elegantly explained -- and uncovered.Wonderful insights. ... Read more

Product Description
'This well-researched, well-documented book unfurls a compelling scientific saga...written with the zing of a medical thriller.'-The atlanta Journal-Constitution A gripping medical detective story, this book raises major ques-tions about vaccine safety and regulation and shows how power, politics, and prejudice influence the health policy decisions that affect our lives. Jonas Salk's polio vaccine is regarded as a verit-able medical miracle, for it largely eradicated one of the most feared diseases of the twentieth century. But the story of the vaccine has a dark side that has never been fully told before. Between 1954 and 1963, some 98 million Americans received polio vaccinations contaminated with a carcinogenic monkey virus, known as SV40. The government downplayed the incident, and it was generally accepted that although oncogenic to lab animals, SV40 was harmless to humans. But now SV40 is showing up in human cancers, and prominent researchers are demanding a serious public health response to this forgotten polio vaccine contaminant.Amazon.com Review
Past tragedies caused by "miracle drugs" have taught the public to approach cures with caution, and vaccines, in particular, have come under public scrutiny. In The Virus and the Vaccine, journalists Debbie Bookchin and Jim Schumacher uncover the true tale of the polio vaccine and its past and present dangers. Like many medical detective stories before it, this book starts with a chilling anecdote, then flashes back to slowly set the stage for disaster. Baby boomers who only know Jonas Salk and his virus-fighting colleagues as heroes will be disturbed at how some of them downplayed concerns about a monkey virus called SV40 that was present in the polio vaccine. The links between SV40 and human cancer took a long time to define, and breakthroughs in molecular biology made the job more realistic in later decades. Nevertheless, Bookchin and Schumacher argue that a biased scientific bureaucracy in combination with a desperate public and money-hungry pharmaceutical!companies fostered the use of a vaccine that may have increased cancer risk. "The vast majority of baby boomers--almost all of whom received polio vaccine in the late 1950s and early 1960s--have potentially been exposed to the virus," they write. But baby boomers aren't the only ones at risk. The authors reveal that Lederle Laboratories continued to produce potentially contaminated oral polio vaccines well into the 1990s. Although the authors point fingers of blame at some specific targets, they carefully balance their accusations with reminders that public demands for cures must be balanced with careful assessment of new medical treatments. --Therese Littleton ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

truth about polio vaccine
If we really want to protect our families, we have to educate ourselves. This book provides information to open our eyes to the truth about vaccines and the process to produce them. Doctors are oblivious to what they are doing to their patients and how they are actually causing harm. Parents, it is time to wake up to the harm being caused by the contaminates and toxins in vaccines.

Genuine and truthful!
In The Virus and the Vaccine we learn the truth behind some vaccine and other laboratory produced chemical soups that they will pump into our bodies.The author has done a great service in writing this book, and is very brave to continue to speak out in public about it.Reading her book will open your eyes and help you see where viruses come from.She speaks about vaccinations and how they are hurting our kids, but there is much more of a long history of death and illness caused by vaccination - this have been going on since they started.Reading her book will start you thinking, but there are three other books on the subject are very important too.

The Poisoned Needle: Suppressed Facts about Vaccination
The Vaccination Myth: Courageous MD exposes the Vaccination Fraud!
Vaccination Horror: An anthology of important works on vaccination pseudoscience


Keep an open mind and read!

One of the best books on anti-vaccination
This fine work is among the top 10 books on this subject.It needs to be read by everyone who has any concern for their health, or their country.

This is one of the biggest cover-ups in history!

Also recommended:

The Poisoned Needle: Suppressed Facts about Vaccination

Vaccination Horror: An anthology of important works on vaccination pseudoscience

The Vaccination Myth: Courageous MD exposes the Vaccination Fraud!

two books interleaved together
the book is problematic, for it is really two different books on the same topic told from very different prespectives. this is a difficult thing to pull off, i dont think that the author's were successful, but i dont blame them for it, it maybe an impossible task.

the two perspectives are from a science viewpoint and from of socio-political one, the topic is the same, the polio vaccine and vaccination program. the organization is chronological and concentrates on people and their relationship to these issues.

imho, it really ought to be two books. the science is given a bit less time and depth that is necessary for people to understand the issues, for example, why did the govt reject the human cell line- unlike europe? this neglect is an issue because the political uses of science are an increased issue, like global warmth, stem cells etc. Without a good basis in the science, informed concerned citizens must simply trust the science. as the book points out, this is a big problem.

but the socio-political issue gets a bit shorted as well. mostly an issue of time, partly an issue of switching back and forth between the science and the politics.

despite these issues, it is a tremendously important topic and this book warrants a browse for anyone interested in the topic.

Polio vaccines caused cancers
That's one conclusion a reader may draw after finishing this excellently researched, painstakingly detailed, scientifically referenced gem of a book. (I did.)

If you've had the polio vaccine, or know anyone who has, or know anyone who
has brain, lung, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, or mesothelioma, or even just
want to read a world class piece of medical journalism, you must read
this book.

The authors should get an award for writing this....Wait, they did! ... Read more

Product Description
The story of viruses and humanity is a story of fear and ignorance, of grief and heartbreak, and of great bravery and sacrifice. Michael Oldstone tells all these stories as he illuminates the history of the devastating diseases that have tormented humanity, focusing mostly on the most famous viruses.
Oldstone begins with smallpox, polio, and measles. Nearly 300 million people were killed by smallpox in this century alone and the author presents a vivid account of the long campaign to eradicate this lethal killer. Oldstone then describes the fascinating viruses that have captured headlines in more recent years: Ebola, Hantavirus, mad cow disease (a frightening illness made worse by government mishandling and secrecy), and, of course, AIDS. And he tells us of the many scientists watching and waiting even now for the next great plague, monitoring influenza strains to see whether the deadly variant from 1918--a viral strain that killed over 20 million people in 1918-1919--will make a comeback. For this revised edition, Oldstone includes discussions of new viruses like SARS, bird flu, virally caused cancers, chronic wasting disease, and West Nile, and fully updates the original text with new findings on particular viruses.
Viruses, Plagues, and History paints a sweeping portrait of humanity's long-standing conflict with our unseen viral enemies. Oldstone's book is a vivid history of a fascinating field, and a highly reliable dispatch from an eminent researcher on the front line of this ongoing campaign. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

fun
fun easy to understand appropriate for people who are interested medical topics as general culture. but doctors do not recommend it for much less for medical epidemiologist

More Viruses Than History
First of all, to clear up a possible confusion from the title and publisher's reviews, this book doesn't focus on how viruses have affected world history. There is some information about this, but it is relatively few pages scattered throughout the book. What "Viruses, Plagues, and History" does, and quite well, is present a fine popular account of doctors' and scientists' efforts to identify and control these diseases, that is written by an expert to be understood by the "medically aware" general reader. This won't be everyone, so I'd sample a page or two before rushing out to buy it.

The original edition of ten years ago has been brought up to date (as of 2010) with new chapters on SARS and West Nile; information in other chapters (e.g., HIV/AIDS) has also been updated for this new edition. Be sure you get this one, rather than the 2008 paperback (which is just a reprint of the older edition). It is obviously a fast-changing field, so this is one case where it really matters which edition you purchase. The publisher and author deserve a lot of credit for recognizing the need and following through with this inexpensive and well-updated edition. ... Read more

Product Description
The commander of the Army virology unit that battled Ebola in The Hot Zone--and current director of Special Pathogens at the CDC--teams up with the bestselling co-author of Mind Hunter to chronicle his extraordinary thirty-year career fighting deadly viruses.

Currently the head of Special Pathogens at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, C. J. Peters has been on the front lines of our biological war against hot viruses for three decades in South America, the U.S., and Africa. In Virus Hunter, he recounts his lifelong battle against these deadly and invisible agents--and the all-too-often equally dangerous bureaucratic turf wars that have at times escalated the conflict and exacerbated epidemics. From investigating Venezuelan equine encephalitis and Bolivian hemorrhagic fever to containing Ebola in Reston, Virginia, and the deadly hantavirus in the Southwestern U.S., Peters offers a fascinating array of stories about the clash between biology and bureaucracy--and the threat emerging viruses pose to our species.

Written with bestselling co-author Mark Olshaker (Mind Hunter), Virus Hunter is a first person memoir by one of the leading virologists in the Ebola outbreak and a dramatic complement to the mega-bestseller The Hot Zone.Amazon.com Review
Books such as Richard Preston's The Hot Zonethrust the deadly Ebola virus into the spotlight, but they can't matchthe first-person perspective of Virus Hunter. AuthorC. J. Peters is an ex-army colonel who has spent his professional lifestudying deadly pathogens in the lab and in the wild. He spins adrama- and adrenaline-filled true tale of virus hunters, which isgripping despite its occasional tendency to grow verbose and detourinto personal history. Peters offers a look at crippling diseases notonly through the eyes of a scientist, but also with the perspective ofan insider in the defense establishment, painting a chilling pictureof the potential of biological terrorism or outright warfare. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

An Amazing AutobiographyFilled with Travel Adventure, The History of one Man...andthe passion for Virus'
I decided to read more about C.J. Peters after I concluded The Hot Zone; finding myself infatuated with this semi-mysterious, tropical-shirt wearing military officer and virus researcher.I was fascinated by this man whose experience and research will and has changed history.

Despite the unmatched experience, education and brillance of C.J. Peters intellect, I found the tone of this book suprisingly "down to earth"Peters is clearly a scientist who an experienced mentor.I sensed he does not see how extraordinary his life is; only that he is aware he is a man who has pursued his passion.

Having recently read both The Hot Zone (marburg), and Preston's Demon in The Freezer (smallpox), I felt I comprehended the power ofairborne virus'.What I gained from Virus Hunter was just how much research, time and passion it takes for scientists to learn about these diseases.The intensity of virus research and trying to save human lives makes for an extraordinary read, particulary from the first hand accounts of a true virus hunter (I found his character truly translates to an Indiana Jones of the viral world...pursuing his subject deep into Brazil, the Sudan, and Virginia...)

Peters shares experiences including communication attempts with people around the world, and a need to relate to their lives.He wrote of adventures trying to reach rural locations in South America.He also respectfully recounts the stories of other scientists who succumbed to virus' illness, and the need for the research community to see these deaths as something to hold in mind while seeking a cure. Clearly attaching specific individuals (whether lab researchers, or individual unnamed patients who he watched die) as representatives of why cures MUST be found.


The only lull in this book is about 3/4 though the early chapter about the Four Corners outbreak, the initial story was intiguing (and as you will see ties distinctly into the entire theme of the book), however, it did drag.This was the ONLY slow part of this book.The rest was amazing.

C.J. Peters is the kind of scientist you want to sit, and UNDERSTAND what he sees and learns.He can easily communicate with the average person, and with those at the highest level in military and intellectual leaders.I so wish I had such a passionate scientist who has as much respect for women biologists as men; a scientist whose infectious (pun intended) passion raises everyone sense of curiousity about the subject he teaches.I believe more educators with his passion would produce more passionate scientist, and people willing to take on the overwhelming accomplishment of achieving a biology degree at University.


I would strongly, strongly recommend this book to anyonewith any sort of interest in biology, disease, virus, or just anyone who enjoys a terrific adventure.

The sharing of his personal details, and the mating habits of top scientists (they date among their own kind...) added a true depth to his storyline.

I found this book utterly brilliant.The clear message is everyone must be aware of the dangers of viral disease, the serious nature of these illness' which are not classified as bacteria...nor parasitic.Also, the tight budgets created for medical research are truly a danger to the future of our health and those of developing nations.

While I was eating dinner the other night, I was deep in Virus Hunter, reading the descriptive details of what Ebola does to the human body.The thought suddenly struck me...I am eating and reading about subcutaneous hemorrhaging without even a blink...

Now THAT is a good book!

Pete the Great
Everyone who is interested in life threatening diseases has come upon the name of C.J. Peters, a leading figure in epidemiology for at least 20 years. So, when i saw the book i bought it just to get an insight of the man himself. What i found was an inspiring manifest of how ''the job gets done'', written by a deeply stuborn, sensitive and respectfull scientist. It is not only a fine book on emerging diseases, it is also a call to medics and politicians alike to enlist to one of the most important, yet underated, scientific fields. Don't miss it.

Mildly interesting biography of 3 decades of experience
The maps of South America & Africa were confusing - they put a lot of effort into identifying most of the Countries, but many of them didn't feature in the text, so why give the Geography lesson?

The 20 photographs were of some interest, but there was only one photo of a patient with symptoms, and only one of a virus - I wish there'd been more of those and less of head & shoulders like having a meal and daughter's high-school graduation?

Great disappointment - absolutely no Index!

The penultimate Chapter 11 gives a prediction of Avian Flu originating in Thailand - just what we're getting news about this month (Jan 2004) - but this book was published in 1997. Given the age of the book, its probably not surprising that Chapter 12 is very out of date (as in 'wrong') regarding its description of BSE (Mad Cow Disease) & CJD.

Was it necessary that we be told what the wife of the 'ghost writer' does for a living?

Inspirational Triller!! (If thats possible)
An excellent book!
This books reads like a thriller as the authors take the reader from one hot zone to another. My appreciation for the bravery and humanity of individuals who do this has increased manifold after reading this.

Only one mistake.
I extremely enjoyed Dr. Peters's book. The only thing that I can argue with him about is in the chapter titled Cochabamba, when he describes Bolivia's geography he makes a mistake. I expect that he got confused, but he said the that the Kollas live in the lowlands of Beni and Santa Cruz and the Cambas in La Paz and the high altitude Altiplano. Well, the truth is that Cambas live in the lowlands of Bolivia and Kollas in the highlands. Otherwise I found the book very good and entertaining. I recommend everybody to read it, but to remember the Camba-Kolla explanation. ... Read more

Product Description

In 1666, a horrible disease took the lives of almost every person in Eyam (pronounced Eem), England. Helping the sick and the dying was the mysterious and ghostlike Blue Monk, whose strange appearance terrified even those who were comforted by him.

More than three centuries later the disease has returned, more virulent than before. Every day more people are infected; every hour more die.

The lives of millions rest in the hands of a bio-team -- the Time Scene Investigators -- that studies history to find cures for modern diseases. But the newest member of the team, Dr. Mark Carlson, has suffered a heartbreaking loss.

With every tick of the clock the world approaches a global pandemic. A race against time becomes a race across continents -- to find a frightened boy who is carrying and spreading the disease wherever he goes, to thwart the machinations of corporate greed and fanatical sabotage, and to find the connection between a great tragedy of the past and a potential catastrophe of the present. Our present.

Customer Reviews (25)

Enjoyed
This book was a gift for someone special and it was greatly enjoyed and I would recommend it

Decent Triller Marred by a Bit Too Much Theology
This story is about a killer disease, a particularly virulent form of Ebola, and for the most part, it delivers as a decent thriller.

There is a lot going on with an evil pharmaceutical company behind the original outbreak due to experiments that either went awry or were deliberately sabotaged by the second set of adversaries, a back-to-earth bunch of whackos bent on annihilating the human race.

Our intrepid heroes have to race against time to find out what is going on and how to cure it. Mark, one of the MC's is damaged goods from an incident where his child dies. Another character, the general, is after his grandson who is a very dangerous vector. Then there is the sort-of love interest, Nora. Mark likes her and she likes him, but this is where things start to veer off into theology-land.

There are plenty of religious references that go right along with the plot. The history of the Blue Monks and the use of the Anglican church in Eyam are well done. However, when it comes to the heroes Mark and Nora, things start to veer into heavy theological musings. Just when I was about to throw it down with the feeling I was being preached to, the authors back off and get back to the adventure. Throughout the story, they border on this veering from a great thriller to a bible story without quite going over the edge, but collectively, it was enough to make me wary.

If I'd known the Christian leanings of this book, I probably never would have picked it up. I should have suspected something when I saw it was published by Howard press, a press I'd never heard of. I sure couldn't tell by the cover blurb. I guess there were hints here and there if I'd scanned the inside of the book a bit better. One of the authors is involved with Focus on the Family. There are a set of discussion questions at the end that clearly demonstrate where these guys are coming from. The questions clearly make it sound like a bible lesson.

Still, if it weren't for the blatant Christian bent of this story, it would have been a five star thriller. However, I think I'll pass on their next one. If you are a devout Christian, or even a casual one, this might be the book for you. For me, there are plenty of other thrillers out there that keep away from preaching.

Decent Thriller Marred By A Bit Too Much Theology
This story is about a killer disease, a particularly virulent form of Ebola, and for the most part, it delivers as a decent thriller.

There is a lot going on with an evil pharmaceutical company behind the original outbreak due to experiments that either went awry or were deliberately sabotaged by the second set of adversaries, a back-to-earth bunch of whackos bent on annihilating the human race.

Our intrepid heroes have to race against time to find out what is going on and how to cure it. Mark, one of the MC's is damaged goods from an incident where his child dies. Another character, the general, is after his grandson who is a very dangerous vector. Then there is the sort-of love interest, Nora. Mark likes her and she likes him, but this is where things start to veer off into theology-land.

There are plenty of religious references that go right along with the plot. The history of the Blue Monks and the use of the Anglican church in Eyam are well done. However, when it comes to the heroes Mark and Nora, things start to veer into heavy theological musings. Just when I was about to throw it down with the feeling I was being preached to, the authors back off and get back to the adventure. Throughout the story, they border on this veering from a great thriller to a bible story without quite going over the edge, but collectively, it was enough to make me wary.

If I'd known the Christian leanings of this book, I probably never would have picked it up. I should have suspected something when I saw it was published by Howard press, a press I'd never heard of. I sure couldn't tell by the cover blurb. I guess there were hints here and there if I'd scanned the inside of the book a bit better. One of the authors is involved with Focus on the Family. There are a set of discussion questions at the end that clearly demonstrate where these guys are coming from. The questions clearly make it sound like a bible lesson.

Still, if it weren't for the blatant Christian bent of this story, it would have been a five star thriller. However, I think I'll pass on their next one. If you are a devout Christian, or even a casual one, this might be the book for you. For me, there are plenty of other thrillers out there that keep away from preaching.

Level 4 viruses
I saw this book at a bookstore and thought it might be interesting.Turned out I was correct.Suspense, terror, and disease especially a disease being manipulated by man makes for a very exciting read.

There were Christian overtures to this book but it didn't get in the way of the story and in fact made it more interesting as a read.This is a fiction book but we all know that in today's world Ebola is just a flight away from any major city in the world.I have always found Ebola to be fascinating and add to it the Spanish flu and the 14th Century plague and you've got all the elements for a page turning thriller.

I look forward to the next book by the authors if they can keep that tension and storyline going.Pandemics are not always a great read but this one was truly frightening in the scope of what could happen one day.

Page turner - WOW!
This book is a serious page turner. Continuous action, hard to put down and well focused in these difficulty times.The heroic "Ludlum"esque characters make it a great read for the thriller lover and the spiritual backdrop meets the needs of those desiring a clean read safe for any audience.I await the next TSI novel and hope it flows a swell. Bravo to the authors! ... Read more

Product Description
Are you a heroic leader? Or are you a passive follower? Chances are you act like one or the other, and it's doing serious damage to your company, your customers, and your colleagues. The reason behind your harmful behavior? The fear that you'll be held responsible for any failures -which often makes failure the inevitable outcome. Management guru Roger Martin calls this fear of failure and the behavior it causes "The Responsibility Virus." With lively case studies based on real business practice, he shows how the Virus "infects" corporations and nonprofit organizations large and small. No message could be more urgent in today's business climate.

Martin lays out a wholly original way of understanding group dynamics. His impassioned belief in the "power of one" will be required reading for any of us who think about how we function in organizations, from the boardroom to the mail room. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Responsibility Virus
This is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the underpinnings of defensive communication that results in failure.Case studies are used effectively to illustrate the responsibility virus at work. Tools are offered to deal successfully with this virus in everyday interactions.

Like Looking in a Mirror
Anyone who has ever worked in an organization has witnessed the paralysis that sets in with failure, reprimand, disappointing results or unfulfilled expectations.That recognition is palpable throughout this book.The deepening loss of power that follows seemingly small pitfalls or mediocre human interactions is extremely damaging and spreads to each and every aspect of an organization.Martin does a great job of both carving out the territory of these viral disempowerments, and of showing us how to bring greater authenticity to our work and communication to turn around these conditions. A correction in the psychological or cultural environment can be powerfully segued into an opportunity for more strategic thought and alignment of behavior with an organization's vision. Having seen so many of these cultural viruses do irreparable harm to both people and business results, the book has become a wonderful addition to an arsenal of tools that is never complete.I highly recommend The Responsibility Virus to business-people of any level of authority.

Amie Devero, Author of Powered by Principle: Using Core Values to Build World-Class Organizations

A Radical Reformulation of the Leader/Follower Dynamic
Ever notice how offices (maybe even yours) are split between the doers and the idlers? Ever notice the resentment that accrues in workplaces where control freaks do everything and ne'er-do-wells do nothing? Ever wonder how such jaded office environments came to be, and whether they ever could change?

Well, step right up, dear reader, because this book decodes the phenomenon that cruelly saps the morale out of even the most capable of offices. Labelling this task imbalance as the `responsibility virus,' Roger Martin seeks to render a diagnosis and prognosis of this nefarious sickness. Martin, with the assistance of psychological and biological principles, explains how the basic `fight or flight' response leads many to assume too much or too little responsibility in times of stress. This results in a causal chain reaction where the other workers correspondingly take positions on the opposing end of the spectrum to best complement this initial game opening. As Martin ably explains, these positions are never static; over-responsible persons eventually become under-responsible, and vice versa. This is essentially a never-ending dance that may eventually destroy an entire office.

So what to do, you ask? Martin proposes four separate strategies that are designed to purge the workplace body of this virus, all of which may be used on their own or in combination with the others, depending on the state of the virus' evolution and the players' goals. These different methods all have the share the same central goal: maximizing inter-office collaboration and thereby ridding the workplace of the responsibility virus. They are all very easy-to-understand and readily adaptable to many workplaces. Martin's generous use of case examples also provides a context to identifying problems and their respective solutions.

Martin's most intriguing strategy is to redefine the nature of true leadership and, by extension, corresponding `followership.' Martin entreats the reader not to accept the canard of the `man on the horse;' the heroic, all-knowing, all-powerful leader who can jump into the fray at any given moment and single-handedly solve a vexing problem, while his minions listlessly stand by waiting for the hero to save the day. Rather, true leadership fosters collaboration; followers contribute to the best of their abilities and open lines of communication are maintained throughout the various levels of management.

In all, this is a persuasive read that is very ably argued. Although I felt the conclusion was a bit rushed (where Martin makes a u-turn from his central argument that people's actions are dictated by their governing values), readers would be hard-pressed to write the book off as unhelpful. Use it in your business life or even your personal life; the book is a powerful suppressant of the responsibility virus.

Insightful and revealing
This book explains in very simple terms why some people are so driven while others just go on a cruise and the relationship between the two.
If you ever feel overwhelmed at work and often find yourself wondering why others don't pull their own weight - this book is for you.
If you feel like you could do so much more at work if only given a chance but lack the confidence or the knowledge to go for it - read this book.

How to transform a bureaucracy into a healthy organization
Roger Martin has lain down business organizations in the therapist chair, but you won't notice it because the author avoids skillfully the psychological labels currently in vogue.

If you often wonder about why you end up working more than others, why some people don't understand what you clearly state or why everybody sees what is wrong in the company and they don't do anything to fix it, this book is for you. It goes to the root of the problem, explains it plainly and offers a step by step program to solve it. The book also provides a better understanding of what's behind the Enron debacle and the government agencies mishandling of security issues before, during and after September 11.

It doesn't matter if the reader is a CEO, a manager, a professional or a secretary, he or she will find familiar faces and situations; people that could be your boss, your vice-president of sales or your managing editor. Why do we have the chance to see ourselves and others in these pages? The book is simply about human nature. It deals with the underlying emotions, culture and language that make many bureaucracies what they are: an incompetent and unfulfilled mass of otherwise intelligent, good and hard working people.

Martin explains that lack of collaboration between leadership and other parties in the organization brings an unbalanced approach to responsibility. The author describes what he calls the "heroic leader", which takes more responsibility that he or she should. Conversely, the other parties react giving up responsibility. Once the leader is unable to meet the goals, he or she sits back and takes the position of the followers. Meanwhile the frustrated followers take responsibility for their part, but because they can not attain the needed broad or bold solutions, parties induce the leader to take again more responsibilities that he or she can handle, and the infectious cycle of dependency starts again.

The mysterious Responsibility Virus is nothing more than the very human fear of failure. According to Chris Argyris, cited in the book, there are "governing values" that guide the way we interpret and deal with the world. They reside so ingrained in human nature that they apply to people across ages, cultures, economic status, and educational levels. Humans-Agyris claim--will always try to win, maintain control, avoid embarrassment and stay rational in any situation. Fear of failure triggers the governing values and they make us either take more responsibility (fight) or abdicate responsibility (flight).

Martin proposes the use of some "tools" to improve collaboration (choice structuring process), eliminate the mistrust and misunderstanding (frame experiment) and to balance capability and responsibility (responsibility ladder) among the parties in the organization. All these tools have the general objective of untying the person from the situation that requires attention and put aside the biased frame of mind from which we see the problem. Once all the parties involved in decision-making have a better perspective of the issue, they are in a position to find a middle ground between capabilities and responsibility.

It is at the end of the book, redefining leadership, when Martin describes the leader as what sociologists or psychologists would call a mature personality. According to the author, a leader should be capable of splitting responsibility through dialogue, apportioning responsibilities in keeping with capabilities, but more importantly, making apportionment discussable and subject performance to public testing. Although he doesn't mention it, you have the sense that it is the leader a significant carrier of the responsibility virus and also accountable for spreading his or her fear of failure throughout the organization.

In these times of leaders finger-pointing at each other and frustrated managers turned into audacious whistle-blowers this book is a timely required reading to understand not only organizations but the world around us. ... Read more

Product Description
Peter Szor takes you behind the scenes of anti-virus research, showing howthey are analyzed, how they spread, and--most importantly--how to effectivelydefend against them. This book offers an encyclopedic treatment of thecomputer virus, including: a history of computer viruses, virus behavior,classification, protection strategies, anti-virus and worm-blocking techniques,and how to conduct an accurate threat analysis. The Art of Computer VirusResearch and Defense entertains readers with its look at anti-virus research, butmore importantly it truly arms them in the fight against computer viruses.As one of the lead researchers behind Norton AntiVirus, the most popularantivirus program in the industry, Peter Szor studies viruses every day. Byshowing how viruses really work, this book will help security professionals andstudents protect against them, recognize them, and analyze and limit thedamage they can do. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (25)

Lacking in technical detail - OK for historical information
I read this book quite a while ago. When searching for a new book on viruses to read it came up in the list of search results. Reading all the positive reviews I find it hard to believe we read the same book. Unfortunately I cannot recommend this book for a variety of reasons. Firstly it is now out of date, a lot has changed in the last 5 years. Secondly even when it first come out I found the book quite superficial and lacking in technical detail. Certainly for someone seeking an indepth knowledge of how viruses are designed and can be defended against this book wasn't up to the task. The audience I can see this book as being useful for would be someone who is not a programmer but is looking for a detailed history of the different types of computer viruses. For those looking for discussion and analysis of virus or antivirus source code please look elsewhere !!

I think the reason the author didn't provide much detail was that he didn't want to make his own job producing antivirus software any harder than it already was. Also he wasn't about to give away any trade secrets to his competitors. Perhaps as well he wanted to make the book reasonably accessible to people without a strong programming background.

So for those looking for detailed and current technical information, look elsewhere, for those after a history and taxonomy of computer viruses this book might be adequate.

Complicated, Confusing
This book as a lot of good information, but it is seems to be more difficult than it should be at times.The examples are based in x86 ASSEMBLER.So if you don't have a clue about x86 assembler, it's going to be difficult.

The book does NOT show the code to infect programs, just what it looks like before the infection and after the infection.I understand why.If it included the code, it would be a manual about how to write viruses.Clearly, we don't need one of those.But, it does make the descriptions more obtuse than they would need to be if it just showed the code.

There are several typos in the book, but most of them are easy to overcome.

--
My big complaint is the physical book itself.The binding is not good, and the pages are starting to come loose from the spine.

Fried Air
Computer viruses are code. And this waste of paper would want to be a book on computer viruses without any viral code? You must be kidding me....

The virus researcher's Bible
Peter Szor's book is definitely THE book any aspiring anti-virus researcher and computer security professional must read. It is very broad and information-packed, covering just about every single important aspect of computer viruses and anti-virus research. The book is very technical which, from my point of view, is a big plus - although beginners might find some parts of it daunting. This is definitely no "viruses for dummies" book. In the field of computer viruses and anti-virus research, this book is what Donald Knuth's Art of Computer Programming, The, Volumes 1-3 Boxed Set (2nd Edition) (The Art of Computer Programming Series) is for computer scientists.

The only gripe I have is that it is perhaps not deep enough. While every important aspect of viruses and anti-virus defense is covered, some of them are not covered deeply enough. This is not the author's fault but the publisher's. Originally, the author intended to write two separate volumes (one dedicated to computer viruses and one dedicated to anti-virus defenses), covering in depth every aspect of these two areas. However, the publisher imposed size restrictions on him. Although the book is rather thick (700+ pages), the space is still not enough to cover in sufficient depth every important aspect of this field.

However, each chapter contains references for further reading and the interested reader can do their own research of the aspects that are not covered deeply enough.

In summary: excellent book, useful both as a textbook and as a reference. Great read, information-packed, useful. Just don't expect to find any "how to write a virus" recipies there - fortunately, the author went to great lengths to avoid them.

Excellent Source of Information
As a relative amature in the subject of computer viruses, this book was very helpful. With a little background in basic computing, you can easily understand this book. The book starts off simple virus from back in the day, describing the first viruses to appear. The book then goes into detail about the more advanced forms of virus infections and viruses to appear on more modern systems. After reading the book, i came away with a new respect for the art of self replicating code (aka Virus), and the techniques that virus researchers use to develop software to protect your PC from these threats. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (6)

The Da Vinci Code of Tulips (Book Club Review)
Our book club's book for September was THE TULIP VIRUS, by Danielle Hermans.The book was originally published in the Netherlands and has been translated into English.

We had been wanting to read a botanical mystery, as several of us are gardeners (or admirers of those with green thumbs). We hunted around, but a lot of the "gardening" mystery series just seemed silly (this is why we love Amazon's 'search inside the book' feature). We stumbled on this one, and it seemed interesting, so we decided to go for it.

The novel begins in Holland in the early 17th century, as an innkeeper and tulip dealer is murdered.We then shift to the present day, where a wealthy gay man is murdered, but not before he can make a few cryptic statements to his nephew. The uncle, Frank Schoeller, dies grasping a very valuable catalog from a tulip auction during the infamous "tulip bubble" of the 1600s, when fortunes were made and lost overnight in speculation over tulip bulbs. Somehow, the past crime and the modern crime are tied together, and it falls to Frank's grown nephew Alec - along with Alec's school friends, Damian and Emma - to find the culprit and, possibly, a bulb to the most valuable tulip the world has ever known, the Semper Augustus.

First, the good news.For anyone interested in the great tulip bubble - and its similarity to so much of what's gone on in the U.S. in recent years in terms of real estate - the book is a fun ride.The author explains the tulip bubble in just enough detail to make it interesting, but not so much detail that you get bored.THE TULIP VIRUS is a fast-paced book; most of us read through it in a few sittings.

Now, the bad news. The club was unanimous that the book is in almost everyway a complete redo of THE DAVINCI CODE: secret codes to be deciphered; a shady villain in the employ a religious oganization chasing down and killing people who get in his way; a plot based on the power of the church (in this case, fundamentalists) and different factions trying to get their hands on a valuable relic (in this case, a tulip bulb). Unfortunately, THE TULIP VIRUS also shares many of THE DAVINCI CODE's flaws, including flat-as-pancake characters and really excruciating dialog where person 1 says, "Oh, tell me about that," and then person 2 goes on for three pages; at which point person 1 says, "Oh, so you mean...?", and then person 2 goes on for three more pages. However, TULIP is about half the length of DAVINCI, so it's a faster read.

Since none of us are from Holland, we had no way of knowing if the awkwardness comes from the writer or the translator. We thought probably the former, since Hermans is actually quite good with describing landscapes and action. It's when she does dialog that everything falls really flat.Another unfortunate thing is that the dead man's nephew, Alec, really isn't very sympathetic - he's kind of a hothead who doesn't think before he acts.

Overall, this one got a very distinct "eh" from the group.Of the twelve of us, ten finished it - two said they couldn't stand it for more than 100 pages. Of the ten, two said they'd recommend it, eight said they wouldn't. I personally thought the story idea was great, and I liked all the tulip information.But the plot seemed so derivative of DAVINCI, and the characters so dry/uninteresting, that it was hard to really enjoy the book.Maybe if I hadn't read DAVINCI, I would have enjoyed it more.

Some Tulips Are Red, Some Tulips Are Grand, Touch the Semper Augustus And Your Dead!
On July 21, 1636, in Akmaar, Holland, innkeeper Wouter Winckel is brutally tortured and murdered, supposedly for his antireligious beliefs.A book containing paintings of Winckel's beautiful tulips is quickly commissioned.The book is used as a catalog at the tulips' auction.The tulips are sold at unprecedented record breaking bids that cause the tulip market to quickly crash.However, one of the tulips, the Semper Augustus, is hidden and never sold.For generations, Winckel's children suffer to keep its location a secret.

In present day London, world-renowned painter Alec Shoeller finds his uncle Frank, an antique collector, tortured and severely beaten.The dying man is clutching the book used at the auctioning of Winckel's tulips.Alec travels to Amsterdam where he seeks the help of childhood friends, Damian and Emma Vanlint.Together, they learn the book contains a hidden code that reveals the hiding place of the Semper Augustus, the world's rarest, most beautiful tulip.Unfortunately, a vicious hit man is also pursuing the Semper Augustus.

Daniëlle Hermans's "The Tulip Virus" is a mystery that is as beautiful, enticing and irresistible as the tulip itself."The Tulip Virus" is a rare find; it will satisfy most everyone who loves a good mystery.Alternating between the Middle Ages and the present, it tells the story of how the lust and greed for an ornamental flower has created so much sorrow and death.An innocent flower is used as a tool for financing the endless battle between science and religion.This novel has merciless thugs, a relentless serial killer, gruesome murders, ancient artifacts, cryptic codes, secret hiding places, secret societies, exotic locales and attractive, wealthy young adults embroiled in affairs of the heart.

"The Tulip Virus" provides quite a colorful history of the tulip.Originating in the Tien Shan Mountains of Western China, nomadic tribes transported the flower to Turkey.A symbol of eternity, power and perfection, the tulip became a religious symbol known as lâle.During the Dutch Golden Age of the 1630's, the citizens of Holland became prosperous.They were able to buy luxury items such as tulips.Much like the cell phone of today, the tulip became a status symbol.Everyone had to have them.Soon, farmers, blacksmiths and bakers were selling their businesses and investing their money in tulips.Unfortunately, in 1636, the auction in Akmaar caused the Tulip bubble to burst and, much like the stock market of today, thousands lost their life savings.

Alec Shoeller is the requisite hero in "The Tulip Virus."Orphaned at an early age, he was raised by his Uncle Frank who loved him dearly.Alec has courageously vowed to find his uncle's murderer.A brave, young man, he comes face to face with danger on several occasions and never backs down.Though he has made a fortune from his paintings, Alec is not without flaws.Alec's Uncle Frank and his best friend Damian once helped him beat his cocaine addiction.His love interest seems to be the unpredictable Tara Quispel, a young scientist who, like the hit man, Coetzer, is intent on locating the Semper Augustus.Coetzer is the antagonist but he is merely the puppet of someone very powerful whose identity remains a secret until the novel's end.

Quite a bit of police procedural is also contained within "The Tulip Virus."Inspector Richard Wainwright of the New Scotland Yard is famous for capturing serial killers.He is investigating Frank's brutal murder.With the aid of his assistant Dawn Williams, he tracks Coetzer to Holland.Despite his competence, Wainwright always seems to be one step behind the hit man.However, he has an uncanny knack of always showing up in time to save the day.

A well crafted, tightly plotted novel, "The Tulip Virus" is highly recommended reading for all mystery readers, especially those who enjoy history.Quick jaunts into the Middle Ages help the reader understand current events.I love mysteries where history repeats itself and events in the present mimic those in the past.This novel reinforces my belief that man's sinful nature has remained unchanged throughout the ages.Man must always covet something, whether it is gold, tulips or his neighbor's wife.Another one of my favorite historical mysteries, where present events mimic those in the past, is Blake Crouch's "Abandon;" the love of gold destroys the mining community of Abandon, Colorado in 1893 and it destroys a group of adventurers who backpack to Abandon in 2009.

Note:"The Tulip Virus" was originally published in the Netherlands under the title of "Het Tulpenvirus."It was wonderfully translated into English by David MacKay.I would never have known it was a translation if I hadn't read it on the title page.Daniëlle Hermans's next novel, "De Man Van Manhattan," will be published in Holland in January 2011.I hope its American publication will follow shortly.


Joseph B. Hoyos

And then !!!And then !!!
This would undoubtedly be up there for one of the worst books of 2010.

A plot that would shame a 4th grader's first attempt at composition with unsympathtic characters as`wooden asclogs , a thin and unsustainable plot and prose that is both dull and boring ( maybe something was lost in the translation but somehow I dont think so !!! )

The only good thing to be said about this very little effort is that the artwork on the dust cover is beautiful,so if you enjoy looking at your books as distinct from reading them, by all means spend your money otherwise avoid like the Plague that at some point in this dreary "thriller" allegedly carries off one of the characters.

A real Dick and Jane effort that may for a short time entertain an 8 year old .

Underwhelming
The premise of The Tulip Virus centers around the tulip craze of the 1630s. The 1636 murder of a tulip trader in Alkmaar is contrasted with the murder of Dutchman Frank Schoeller in modern-day London. Alec Schoeller, the nephew of the man murdered in the present day, arrives at his uncle's home to find him dying. His uncle gives him a book--a catalogue of tulips from the last great auction before the tulip bubble burst in 1637. Alec's search for his uncle's killer leads him into the dangerous world of tulip trading. The differences between Science and religion are sharply drawn in this story of greed.

The mystery of the novel sort of fizzles out--the motive for murder is clear from the beginnings, even if the jacket copy doesn't give it away. The author's grasp of the history behind the story is strong, but really the historical bits take a back seat to the modern-day story, which is much more interesting.

Hermans's skill lies in character development--Alec is one volatile man! And impatient--how I cringed at the scene where he's nearly ripping apart the endpaper of the catalogue to get at what's underneath! There's a lot of tension between Alec and Damian, all the more so because of a certain event that's revealed about halfway through. I did feel at times that this book is part of a series of novels; over and over Wainwright (the detective) mentions a previous case of his involving a serial killer. In Alec's search for his uncle's killer, there's a lot of expostulation about the tulip trade, which is interesting; but I found it slightly unrealistic that no mention would be made (until the crucial point in the plot) of the Semper Augustus tulip bulb--the Holy Grail of tulip bulbs. It's a bulb so rare and beautiful that the ultimate irony is that it is created by a very harmful virus.

Aside from my reservations about the book, I did think the book was well-paced. Since this is only Daneielle Hermans's (there's an umlaut over the first "e" in her first name) first book, I look forward to see what comes next from her.

The Tulip Virus is contagious
Alex is awaken to the sound of his phone ringing. It is his Uncle Frank. Alex rushes over to his home. There he finds Frank bleeding to death. Before Frank dies, he whispers something about a tulip and a book. Frank tells Alex not to let the police find the book. So what does a famous tulip known was the Semper Augustus have to do with Frank's murder? That is the million dollar question.

The Tulip Virus is the debut novel by author, Danielle Hermans. I liked this book. The mixture of the past with the present was pretty well done. Though, I must admit that I found the past a little more interesting. This is only because there was so much detail and you could tell that Ms. Hermans did her research on the events surrounding the tulips in Holland in the seventieth century. I just found myself fascinated by the history of the tulip war. This was one time where the story line was the star over the characters in the story. Overall, I really found myself really getting into this book. Watch out as The Tulip Virus is contagious and you will want to get your hands on this book. I will be keeping an eye on Ms. Hermans.
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Product Description
A pioneering epidemiologist describes his work for the Centers for Disease Control, relates his work on its Biosafety Level 4 containment facility, and offers a riveting firsthand look at some of the plagues and biological catastrophes confronting the world today. Tour.Amazon.com Review
The hemorrhagic viral diseases, such as Ebola, are among the mostelusive and gruesome diseases known to man. Joseph B. McCormick and SusanFisher-Hoch, a husband-and-wife team formerly of the Centers for DiseaseControl in Atlanta, have spent their lives tracking these pathogens,traversing the globe in heroic efforts to confine them and prevent epidemic.In Level 4, McCormick and Fisher-Hoch recount their most gripping andrewarding experiences, and give insight into the stubborn bravery and drivingcuriosity that compels them to continually put their own lives at risk forthe welfare of humanity. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

Great subject, but......
I'm a scientist with some epidemiology experience and fascinated by viruses in general.Having read and loved The Coming Plague (Garrett), I was very interested to read more of the inside story of some of the scientists she'd profiled in her various chapters.

I read the intro and understood that this book was written by two authors, Joe McCormick and Sue Fisher-Hoch, so I wasn't surprised when the book began at a good, interest-sustaining clip, then suddenly changed "voices" to transition from Joe's more flowing, factual but compassionate and very readable voice to Sue's more strident and complaint-ridden narrative.I struggled very hard to like Susan as an author and a person (I'm fascinated by autobiographies by other women in science) but here I completely failed.

While the portions of the story she wrote detailed the science itself in an interesting way, the narrative that described her thoughts, feelings and beliefs became increasingly more offensive.At certain points I was fairly appalled by her lack of sensitivity for the patients and doctors in the cultures in which she was immersed.Continuous complaints, finger-pointing and accusations became very hard to read, especially when followed by her characterization of herself as the only thinking person, the heroine, the single voice of reason in a sea of greed, ignorance and "politics", even within the CDC and most certainly on other continents.

For instance, she characterized poor village doctors operating out of a simple hut who expected payment for injections as "only interested in their bottom line!"Which is fairly insane considering the doctors are as often not paid and certainly struggling for their own existence.She often was "astounded" when doctors did not share her views, when cultures did not meet her expectations -- and equally "astounded" when others expected her to see things from their own view.When at one point an Ebola monkey grabs her hand and she panics in fear for herself, I found myself rooting for the monkey.Sorry.

In contrast, I found Joe McCormick's narrative to be informative and factual, but also compassionate towards his patients and sensitive to the difficulties of the poor and uneducated in the countries in which he worked.Should he find a local doctor to have in his possession only 3 syringes to be used and reused as needed, he understood that this was both dangerous during times of viral outbreak, and also a simple fact of their lives.They don't have Fisher suppliers to order from, a store to purchase sterile needles, or even at times the means to hear that there even IS a viral outbreak in villages distant from their own.He outlined several of the key problems and emphasized that often the locals were stuck between a rock and a hard place, with very few "good" decisions to be made.

Joe McCormick also emphasized and brought to life the incredible amount of teamwork that is necessary in field work.Team work, hard work, luck, experience, quick thinking and at times open-mindedness.He gave copious credit to his co-workers, colleagues and employees who worked hard for him and who came through in big ways when it was most needed. He seemed to have a pragmatic focus.He also mentioned people, situations and organizations who seemed to give no help whatsoever - he certainly wasn't shy about pointing out problems, so the reader was left with a fairly clear view of the struggles faced by the scientist, the hospitals and the people who suffer from these viral plagues.

I agree with the reviewers who were a bit shocked by the amount of bad-mouthing of colleagues that appeared in the book.Again, I found this to happen primarily in the Fisher-Hoch chapters and I was very uncomfortable with the way it was presented, and in some cases skeptical of the accusations after getting to "know" the narrator as much as is possible in the course of her writing.

The highlights of this book were most definitely the inside view of the sheer amount of work it takes to mount a field operation when hunting for an infectious disease, the problems faced, the fear at times, the helplessness of patients and often doctors as well.I appreciated the detailed descriptions of the attempts to get from point A to B in rural Africa, and of the scope of the projects necessary to get to the heart of the contagion.For this reason alone it was fascinating reading.

However I would much more sincerely recommend The Coming Plague for its readable discussion of the sources of the plagues (political, social, often city-planning based) and detailed characterizations of the scientists involved, the mysteries that unfolded and the sheer size of the epidemiological problems faced in this world.

Exciting and True!
This has been one of my favorite books, period, but specifically on the topic of plagues, epidemics and pandemics.The authors wove a very engaging collection of tales from their experiences hunting multiple viruses.They are the modern cowboys.

Great book for scientists and non-scientists alike
I just finished reading Virus Hunters and I was very impressed. The book is written in a very scientific fashion, but is not overloaded with science at the same time. I liked how the authors took the time to explain the procedures they used in their work. Especially interesting were the ways the authors had to improvise their work in Africa, it makes you realize just how much western scientists take for granted in our nice clean constantly powered labs.

The book is more than interesting science, it also tells a great story, or several great stories. The book is essentially made up of the two authors' accounts of the different events in their long careers. They take as much time describing the human side of these diseases as they do the scientific side. The suffering inflicted by these diseases on both the patient and community are shown quite well.

This book is GREAT!!!
The reader becomes a member of the lab team.All the conflicting emotions, compassion vs. self-preservation and the sense of urgency are expressed throughout the book.As you read, hope and perseverance becomes the strength that binds the individuals together.The knowledge of the mission of a biotech's life is unveiled.The blessings of good health vs. the viral destroyers of mankind is brought from the shadows into the open

Gripping true stories of life-threatening events
This is an outstanding book. First-hand true-life recollections of a diverse range of natural disasters across Africa over 3 decades.

The authors tell their stories well, putting you right there in the bush. They retain their sense of humanity throughout so you really feel for their patients and their families as human beings.

1 quibble : only towards of the end of the story do they get married; at the very end of the book they both thank their first spouses for their respective sacrifices - but you never even get to know their spouses first names - what sort of acknowledgement remains anonymous?

2 mysteries : whilst there are plenty of good maps, there are no photos; no pictures of colleagues or patients, and no pictures of the offending Viruses and Bacteria - why not?

Great value for money - I've had to pay much more for far lesser books. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (41)

All the Germs Is So Scary for the People
Disease make the life too hard, so we need to not get the sick too much.Me like book too much cause it helps the people to know not to get the disease that makes the life so hard they not know no pleasure.Thanks you very much for reading my report on this most important book on the diseases that make the life too hard for the people.

A MUSAT READ
Everyone who is interested in government involvement in health-you have to read and keep this wonderful book for future reflections.A real eye opener.The author presents information that has been in my mind as what it is--in a clear informative manner.Please folks get this book.You won't be sorry.

Excellent and Scary!!!
This book sat on my shelf for 4 months.I am glad I finally read it.I love it.He also turned me on to Henrietta Lacks story.I hope to have the book in my hands soon.Simply fascinating!!!!

Emerging Viruses: Highlights
Dr. Leonard Horowitz brings a unique view of history into focus that reveals his quest for truth and knowledge while promoting universal health and well being. This is in stark contrast to a system apparently bent on global power and domination and the suppression of a holistic approach to health care.

Following WWII, the OSS, the wartime precursor to the CIA, arranged for numerous Nazi war criminals to escape to various locations around the world, allowing them to continue their various experiments but under the hidden control of U.S. authorities. Hitler wrote in MEIN KAMPF, "If you tell a lie long enough, eventually it will be believed as truth.... [and] the greater the lie, the more people will believe it." Horowitz contributes the demise of America's free press to the FBI and the CIA and reminds us that during the height of the Cold War, Richard Nixon was president, Henry Kissinger was in power, and George Bush was in Congress. Groups active in the Council on Foreign Relations were focused on population control and urged policy makers and industrialists to reduce the size of the U.S. population to that of the 1940s.

Population control is one thing; the means for controlling population is quite another. Horowitz reminds us that biological methods for reducing the Indian population were used through the use of blankets contaminated with smallpox, and he contends that the Rockefeller Foundation, in collusion with the CIA,has tampered with present population figures by controlling funding for scientific and academic research. Of particular concern are the percentage of the U.S. population that received polio vaccines prior to 1964, who are at risk of carrying the contaminant SV40 and spreading it to family members as well as others within their communities. Though authorities have argued that SV40 is not a health issue for the population, independent researchers have concerns that SV40 may contribute to more virulent viruses over time, notwithstanding its link to various forms of cancer. Present trends indicating marked increases in the diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, and other behavior-linked illnesses in children "may be the inadvertent consequences of stealth virus vaccine contaminants"

There has been much debate about the origin of modern day ailments, including AIDS and Ebola. Though authorities would generally have us believe that AIDS jumped species naturally to initially infect people, Horowitz emphasizes the fact that it did so simultaneously, on two separate continents and in the two exact regions where AIDS-like virus and vaccine experiments were taking place. There is also the indication that our intelligence community requested research for the creation of just such auto-immune viruses. How they have been used as covert weapons against perceived threats remains in contention.

Horowitz summarizes the use of biological research for clandestine operations by quoting the former Foreign Minister of Ireland and 1974 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Sean MacBride, ".... a democracy and the rule of law [can] not survive side by side with a state agency that engages in covert operations ranging from assassinations to levying mercenary armies to directing lethal biological weapons experiments and public health policies. Even if there is, now, an attempt being made by some to check the activities of the CIA and other U.S. Intelligence agencies, the whole concept of secret government and army within a government is a menace to the democratic system."***

The shocking truth!
In Emerging Viruses we learn the truth behind AIDS and other laboratory produced viruses.Horowitz has done a great service in writing this book, and is very brave to continue to speak out in public about it.Reading his book will open your eyes and help you see where viruses come from.He speaks about vaccinations and how they are hurting everyone they attempt to help.Soon he writes we could have mass FORCED vaccinations.Three other books on the subject are very important too.

The Poisoned Needle: Suppressed Facts about Vaccination
The Vaccination Myth: Courageous MD exposes the Vaccination Fraud!
Vaccination Horror: An anthology of important works on vaccination pseudoscience


Keep an open mind and read! ... Read more

Product Description
"Filled with exotic aliens, dangerous situations, and fast-paced adventure. Younger sci-fi fans will happily hang in with JT." — BOOKLIST

Thirteen-year-old Johnny Turnbull has always known there was something different about him. It turns out he’s the first-ever human softwire —- able to enter and communicate with computers with his mind. Now that JT and two hundred other orphans have been put to work in alien factories on the first ring of Orbis, things are going very wrong. The "perfect" central computer is malfunctioning, and suspicious eyes are turning to JT. Could he be the one responsible? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

P.J. Haarsma is off to a good start, but he could have been off to an awesome start.
Johnny Turnbull has lived in outer space on the seed ship Renaissance all twelve years of his life. Along with the other kids on the ship, Johnny's parents mysteriously died long before and he was born from stored embryos and raised by a computer program called Mother. But now things are going to change, as the Renaissance has finally made its destination: The Rings of Orbis. Arriving on Orbis 1 without legal guardians, the kids are assigned to alien business-going Guarantors and contracted to work for four rotations (years), one for each ring of Orbis. Soon Johnny is informed that he is the first Human Softwire; he can enter and control any computer with his mind. This only makes his situation worse, as the practically sentient central computer system for Orbis is mysteriously malfunctioning, Johnny of course arousing suspicion as a suspect. His abilities have landed him in the center of a power struggle between the Keepers and the Trading Council.

The Softwire: Virus on Orbis 1 is narrated by Johnny Turnbull, but that's not a good thing. I frequently became frustrated with P.J. Haarsma, as he made his main character very annoying and idiotic. There were many times where I imagined myself in JT's position, doing a better job. For example, using his Softwire powers, he early on finds out that there's a very abnormal virus in the supposedly invincible central computer. Rather than properly explain this to those who need to know, he vaguely skims it, thinking they won't believe him. Dude, if you make it sound unbelievable, they won't believe you! That's why they didn't! Just flat-out tell then what you saw!
JT's supporting friends were much better characters. Theodore at first seemed like he'd just be one of those dim-witted sidekicks, but I was proven wrong. Turns out he's really good at math and counts everything. He would even count the number of steps on a staircase. Maxine could have been a really annoying smart girl, but she was very different than that. She's something of a tinkerer who likes to take machinery apart and put it back together to create her own devices. How cool is that?

Like I said, P.J. Haarsma made Johnny quite unlikable. One time, the Renaissance kids were getting assigned to their Guarantors. Johnny, Theodore, and Max end up with the same Guarantor, but the alien has to trade one of them because he got the Softwire. JT hopes that he'll finally be separated from the Renaissance bully Switzer, but the alien chooses that Max be traded for Switzer. John tires to protest, but then he gives up. Why didn't he just explain that Max was great with machines and would be useful at work? Why didn't he just explain that Switzer was a bully that would get in the way of their progress? Must I think of everything?!

I'll now move on to the fictional universe. I liked the idea, I just wish Haarsma was more descriptive with it. People are always said to connect to O-dat displays, but what are those anyway? People often go to sleep in "sleepers", but what are sleepers? I don't even understand the setting. The Rings of Orbis are four rings around one big wormhole. That's a sweet idea, but I need more details. Do the rings float on angles, or are they all "stacked"? Does each ring have an atmosphere, or do they share one? Do they have planet-like gravity that lets you walk on any surface, or are they like suspended platforms where you can only walk on the top? I need to know these things!

The book is a short one and the plot fast-paced, with different wins and losses for the protagonists and much world-building to go around. The Rings of Orbis were an icon of freedom to the Renaissance kids, so it's interesting to see the effect on them when they find out they're going to have to slave away for owners who don't care about them. Being an alien world, Orbis has a radically different culture and standards than what the kids would have ever wanted, even if it is the first celestial object they've ever been to. The mystery of the "virus" moving the plot forward kept me interested throughout and I didn't find it predictable at all. There are even small bits of information about the Renaissance's muddled past that popped up, making me wonder about the truth behind it all and the larger scope of things. During the climax Haarsma captured a surge of urgency that pushed me to keep reading. The ultimate pay-off of the climax is more of less alright, but not really living up to what already happened.

One complaint I have about the plot was one of the heroes' losses, this time a failure to secure valuable information. While at a certain facility with Max, John meets a certain character who has very important information. Suddenly they are attacked and almost killed. The two save each other's skins and try to get away. Someone else arrives, claiming they were called in, and proceeds to teleport them all away. When they meet their destination, the rescuer disappears. That's when Johnny and Max realise that their alien informant has died as a result of the teleportation process. First of all, Johnny and Max seem only disappointed rather than horrified that they practically witnessed death, and second, I don't even see the point of introducing such an interesting character and doing that much with them just to kill then off in, what was it, the very same chapter? This part of the story was not done well.

The Rings of Orbis; a world I look forward to seeing more of. This first entry is prone to its stumbles, but I can tell Haarsma is a good writer. Bring on Orbis 2.
7 out of 9

Kid or Monster?
It seems as if series is the new tag word for reading these last few years.Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and the Wimpy Kid are examples that come immediately to mind.This is another in the list of series that young adolescent readers can really get into, I think.JT, the main character in this series, is a regular kid with very unusual gift - he can connect to any computer using just his mind.It is an interesting premise and P. J. Haarsma creates a vivid world far, far away from Earth where JT needs to use his talents to save the only home he and his sister have left.While P.J. Haarsma has written an imaginative science-fiction fantasy, he also tells a coming of age tale that I think young adolescents can relate to.

Seriously?
I am shocked by the unanimous 5 star reviews.The only review that is not five stars is from someone who did not read the book.I read this book to help the locasl school library compose a quiz for students, who then get credit for the book if they pass the test.I have a number of problems with the book.The premise of using children as slaves is bizarre to start with.If a supposedly advanced culture persists in having slaves, the slaves would sure have to proved en economic benefit beyond what paid workers or machines could do.Technology is so advanced that interstellar travel is ordinary, but children have to be used to sort junk?Are there no rational beings on the planet to protest that children are born into slavery?Okay, so let's accept that the whole child-slave thing is required as a premise for the story to move forward.There are still numerous other problems with the book.The dialog, the character development, the plot development are all very rudimentary.I agree that this seems like a videogame with all the internal logic subjugated to advancing the plotline.For examply, JT is being held prisoner in the Science institute when there is a malfunction or attack with holding cells and the resident creatures sliding off into oblivion.After he escapes from that with the help of a spacejumper, he is conveniently back to work with his master and no mention of the attack/malfunction and no repercussions for it.No police interview, no increased security, not really a mention of it.It would be like escaping from San Quentin under cover of a terrorist attack and then showing up at your old job the next day and no one noticing.Ridiculous.That's probably the worst example on a lack of internal consistency, even if one accepts the child-slave premise.

Really?!
Every single one of these reviews is planted. Fake. The majority are pristinely written and punctuated TOO nicely. And they all say the same thing. "I couldn't put it down""It's not bogged down with description" "I wasn't interested until such and such..."

Really?!

That being said, I haven't read the book. But I AM interested because I read an article about how Haarsma had video games in mind when he wrote it. He's trying this to reach out to the generation of kids that favor video games over books, and I'm curious to see how well it translates across the two mediums.

Please don't look at the other reviews. Even the last one that appears to be poorly written in the awful Internet/chat room/texting lingo. They're all fluff. But don't let it deter you either. I suggest giving it a try and seeing what it's all about. It could be the next great literary idea. Maybe not.

Great read - especiallyfor those who generally don't like Sci-Fi
I've always liked to read science fiction but for the most part you had to read through the tedious technical description of a whole new world. While I think it has always been worthwhile to stick with these books anyway, I can relate to young adults who - for that reason - don't.
This is exactly why The Softwire: Virus on Orbis 1 is the perfect book for reluctant readers. The story is fast paced, the characters draw you in and the new world PJ Haarsma created is complex and fascinating - but it doesn't overwhelm you and, more importantly, - the lack of overwhelming technical details leaves enough room for ones's own imagination and suspense. In fact, it does exactly the opposite: it leaves you wanting more, both of the story and this newly discovered world.
The book touches upon a variety of subjects like growing up, taking responsibility and standing up for one's ideas which make it both interesting for young adults and grown-ups.
With Christmas again not so far away (again), it's the perfect book to give away as a present!
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Product Description
Panic in Level 4 is a grand tour through the eerie and unforgettable universe of Richard Preston, filled with incredible characters and mysteries that refuse to leave one’s mind. Here are dramatic true stories from this acclaimed and award-winning author, including

• the phenomenon of “self-cannibals,” who suffer from a rare genetic condition caused by one wrong letter in their DNA that forces them to compulsively chew their own flesh–and why everyone may have a touch of this disease
• the search for the unknown host of Ebola virus, an organism hidden somewhere in African rain forests, where the disease finds its way into the human species, causing outbreaks of unparalleled horror
• the brilliant Russian brothers–“one mathematician divided between two bodies”–who built a supercomputer in their apartment from mail-order parts in an attempt to find hidden order in the number pi (π)

In exhilarating detail, Preston portrays the frightening forces and constructive discoveries that are currently roiling and reordering our world, once again proving himself a master of the nonfiction narrative. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (28)

Pop sci essays with a human touch
This collection of essays is a well-written exploration of a variety of different topics, including mathematicians' search for pi, the race to sequence the human genome, and an examination of the ebola virus. One's opinion about the collection as a whole will inevitably depend on one's interest in the six topics covered but I found this collection held my interest even through the slower essays.

Here, Preston's writing is largely sharp and concise as readers have come to expect. He peppers in a bit more of himself in these essays through personal observations and comments on the writing process. This can be off-putting to some readers but I found it fit the tone of the essays. His empathy for others comes through clearly and it lends the popular science writing a human touch. Standout essays include "The Mountains of Pi," which was a very empathic and grounded look at a completely abstract subject, and "The Human Kabbalah," in which the story of the genome sequencing race read like a piece you'd see on ESPN. Overall I enjoyed this collection.

Kindle edition: The book offers a working table of contents, working footnotes, and zoomable images. It includes a non-working index. It was well-formatted and free from any noticeable typographical errors.

An incredibly interesting book.
The book covers a wide array of topics, including level 4 biological laboratories.The title is taken from that section of the book.The writing is excellent and I highly recommend this book.The "mountains of Pi" section is wonderfully written and very interesting.

Couldn't put it down!
I finished reading this last night, and out or curiosity came here to find what others were saying and see what other books Mr. Preston has written.I was absolutely shocked to see the negative reviews!Do people actually give a product a negative review because they don't like the *title* of the book?Seriously folks.

While the book is a collection of short essays, I felt the author did a brilliant job of weaving them together. In reading some of the reviews here, I think this fact went way over some readers' heads.The whole point is that these stories aren't as 'fringe' as they might first appear to be.The science and issues are interrelated and have dramatic effects on all our lives.Mathematics, genetics and microbiology are topics at the very core of modern science.This book does a fantastic job of introducing these fields to the non-scientific masses via interesting stories.

This was one of the most fun reads I've had in a long time.Highly recommended.Despite the title!

Good stories, if a little pretentious.
The book was okay. The stories themselves were intriguing and mostly well told. Unfortunately, Preston occasionally slips in comments about his own writing style and tips and tricks for aspiring writers. This felt condescending to me and inappropriate for a book that doesn't purport to be about writing. It's a science piece--just give me the science. Don't explain to me what rhetorical devices you're using to make it read well.
Having said that, the topics he chose for this collection are mostly fascinating, and he does a nice job of humanizing the stories with his characterizations of the players.

less than worthless
I want my money back and the several hours it took be to read this book.Don't judge a book by it's cover works both ways and this is a prime example.I thought it looked exciting and interesting, great cover, title, etc...but the book was horrible.Just so you know, this book's main articles are about: two brothers who are computer nerds and built a big computer in their appartment, a blanket that is really old and uninteresting (this article features previously said computer nerd brothers for some reason), And an article about people who self mutilate...which i thought would be awsome and since it was the last part of the book i read everything leading up to it (unfortunatley) just to find out that the article is more about the authors realationship to several people who self mutilate which is both uninteresting and pointless (not to mention it seems as though it was only written so that the author could make himself sound like a really great fun guy, it reads more like an essay application to college and a corney one at that).Skip this for sure, or read it if you like horrible narative non fiction books that waste your time.
... Read more

Product Description
* Offers real, practical solutions to help ordinary users keep viruses out of their e-mail in-boxes-and explains how to respond when one slips through
* In 2003, there was a major virus attack almost every month, which cost businesses worldwide an estimated $55 billion and did untold damage to home computers
* Explains what viruses are and how they work, profiles major anti-virus software packages, shows how to keep anti-virus software updated, and helps people adopt safer computer work habits
* The book's value price and compact size will make it irresistible to people who need to protect their home PC or network ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Brief overview of threats to your computer and how you can defend your self.
This book isn't about writing viruses. The book is about how you can help defend against the threats of the internet. This is a very introductory book for the non-technical reader. Overall it gives a good organized summary of what you can do to protect yourself all of which are subjects that this book gives a very brief overview of.

Viruses and More
The one thing about viruses that I've always wanted to know: why do people want to write and propagate virus programs. Surprisingly he does make some comments about virus writers, not to specifically identify them, but to give some history and general comments. I don't know that this was a help, but it's at least interesting.

Beyond viruses, this book also goes into other forms of nasty programs like Trojan Horses, HiJackers (that replace your home page with theirs), worms, Phishing Scams, and Spyware. I'd have liked to have seen just a little more about some of these, such as an evaluation of the anti- software that is available.

Like all the For Dummies books, this is a good introductory book, not the final word. But if you have a computer connected to the web, you'd best be paying at least some attention to Viruses, and this is a good start. ... Read more

Product Description
Envision a world without poverty or economic oppression-a place where humankind can attain its potential amidst the weightlessness of true freedom. Imagine the United States, and the rest of the world, without hunger or homelessness where educated societies enjoy all the fruits of their labor. In such a society it would not be necessary to hand over your hard-earned dollars to the government in payment of ever-increasing taxes. Such a vision is no doubt utopian, but Jacques Jaikaran introduces us to a radical economic reorganization of what is now a debt culture and proposes a monetary revolution the results of which would virtually eliminate debt as we know it.

Debt Virus deals with the anatomy and physiology of money, the lifeblood of commerce and industry and hence the economy. Jaikaran points out a monetary error at the root of our cyclical economic problems and prescribes a cure that promises to benefit all mankind. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

the hard truth about money
If you want to understand money, its function, its creators, its effects on societyand the ills of all human being, it is the only book that will enlighten you about the dangerous power of banking institutions.

Monetary revolutionary or nutball?
He makes some interesting points. And then repeats them over and over and over. He also gives no suggestion for implementing his solution, other than everyone with a loan suing the bank for loaning them illegitimate money. I believe he is currently incarcerated in a federal prison for tax fraud (claimed Texas was not really a state and therefore didn't have to file tax returns).

Debt Virus, a short synopsis
This book is written at a high school level but it is more
informative than most college textbooks on the subject
of money and banking...

The problem:

Every dollar in existence represents a dollar of debt owed by an
individual, a business firm, or a governmental unit.Few
understand that all our money arises out of debt and IOU
operations.

When a storekeeper secures a $10,000 loan from the bank, there is
no transfer of funds.The bank simply makes a bookkeeping entry
that increases the storekeeper's checking account by $10,000.By
doing so, the bank has just created new money.In addition, the
bank expects the storekeeper to repay the loan with interest on
the money it created by the bookkeeping entry.

In an all-debt or debt-dominant money system it is mathematically
and physically impossible to repay the aggregate debt, for only
money representing the principal is ever created.The interest
that must be repaid along with the principal debt is never
created.For some people to repay their principal and interest,
their interest must come from the principal created for other
people�s debt.A deficit in the aggregate money supply thus
occurs making it impossible for other debtors to repay their
principal, much less principal and interest.Given such a money
system, it is only a matter of time before all the wealth of the
productive sector of society is transferred into the hands of the
money creators.

The solution:

Debt-free money, in the form of "US Notes."

The dollar bills in your pocket are called Federal Reserve Notes.
Under the present system, the US Treasury acts as a "print shop"
for the Federal Reserve.The Treasury only prints money when
asked to do so by the Federal Reserve System.Its order to print
money does not come from the President or Congress.

When the government wants money, it has only two choices, it can
either tax American citizens and businesses, or it must borrow the
money from somewhere.When the government borrows money from the
Federal Reserve, it issues an IOU (a bond) to the Fed, which then
creates checkbook money by means of a bookkeeping entry.This
newly created money is then lent to the government, at a price,
known as interest.In order to pay the interest on this national
debt, the government either collects taxes, or borrows more money.

The author proposes that Congress is legally entitled to order the
US Treasury to print US notes.He goes on to suggest that the
Treasury should be the only authorized source of money in the
United States, and it ought to answer to the government.In this
way, money would be created by government but no interest would be
owed.This in turn would eliminate the need for an income tax.

My thoughts:

The author's solution is similar to what Abraham Lincoln tried to
do when he issued "greenbacks" to fund the civil war.

Although the author's presentation of the problem is excellent, I
have misgivings about his solution.Once the government is given
the right to print fiat money, the potential for abuse would be
enormous.For instance, a left-wing government might decide to go
on a spending spree and propose all sorts of public works projects,
from socialized medicine to government ownership of entire
industries.

Unless equal attention is given to making sure that the power of
government to intrude into the lives of citizens and businesses
(both public and private) is limited, the author's solution might
just put us on the fast track to socialism, and we could end
up with the very tyranny we seek to prevent.In my opinion,
debt-free money issued by the government should only be attempted
if, and only if, constitutional safeguards ensuring limited
government are in place.

Ironically, socialism is precisely what the "money power" wants.
Since they control the government through indebtedness, they would
like the government to assume even greater control over the economy
and the lives of ordinary citizens.

Unfortunately, there are no easy answers.In the final analysis,
our social problems are not so much political or economic, as they
are spiritual:

�If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves,
and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then
will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal
their land.�

II Chronicles 7:14

Wealth, Virtual Wealth and Debt
Frederick Soddy wrote a book in the 1920's with the same title as my review. Dr. Soddy was writing about the monetary system in England and he reached the same conclusions as Dr. Jaikaran. Dr. Soddy also won the Nobel Prize in Physics for work involving the discovery of Isotopes. Dr Soddy was clearly a very bright man, but after reading his book I must tell you he was obviously better with numbers and physics than he was with the English language.

Jacques Jaikaran, on the other hand, can write. Dr. Jaikaran and Dr. Soddy reached identical conclusions about money and the way it works in our society, but after reading "Debt Virus" you'll have a clearer, more understandable picture than you will after wading through "Wealth, Virtual Wealth and Debt."

This is an important book that anyone who earns, saves, invests or uses "money" (obviously I mean everyone) ought to read.

I interviewed Dr. Jaikaran for a radio show I once hosted and have heard him speak back in 1995. He taught me more about money than I had previously learned in four years as an undergraduate, three years in law school and twenty five years of business. And, he did so in an engaging, easy to understand manner.

Dr. Jaikaran (he's a medical doctor by the way) learned about money, after becoming a successful surgeon, when he was invited to join a bank board. Being a responsible person, he actually read the materials he was given by the bank, the FDIC, the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Reserve. Then after he resigned from the bank board and after the bank later failed, he translated all of that into English you and I can understand.

Dr. Jaikaran has made a compelling case that our civilization is piling up too much debt, causing debt inflation and creating dangerous monetary conditions. He also provides intriguing information about who owns the Federal Reserve (it's not who you think), how banking really works, the history of money, where our money comes, what banking systems might offer safer alternative systems from and other important facts. By the way, he's not a "gold bug" arguing for a return to the gold standard.

But, does any of this really matter to regular people like us? Well, if you paid attention to current events over the past five years, you will have noticed a series of currency crises in Thiland, Russia and Argentina. Those people we watched on television mobing banks, trying to get their money out of Argentina while it was still worth something and worried about the economic survival of their families, could easily have been you and me. Their system is basically the same as ours.

Dr. Jaikaran is a very bright, forthright and opinionated man with strong views on a variety of subjects. You may disagree with him about somethings, I do; however, I've not been able to find fault with his facts, logic or conclusions when it comes to money and debt.

If Dr. Jaikaran and Frederick Soddy are right about money and debt, and I think they are, then our monetary system is in grave danger.

I feel strongly enough about this that I've given this book to at least half a dozen people and suggested it to dozens of others. I would have given more away if I could find people willing to think about money, fractional reserve banking and debt.

Incredible Reading
This is one of the most thought- provoking and scary books I have ever read. Clearly solutions must be found to the incredible build up of world debt to avoid world crisis. Dr. Jaikaran has a solution that sounds plausible and I recommend that everyone tell those in power about this book. You will not be able to put it down! ... Read more

Product Description
Duesberg argues that HIV is merely a harmless passenger virus that does not cause AIDS. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (102)

Ignoring the data, and the truth
When Duesberg first began to talk about AIDS he was correct in saying that Koch's postulates had not been fulfilled. Some 20 years later both Koch's postulates and Bradford Hill's criteria for causation have been fulfilled, meaning it has been proven that HIV causes AIDS, according to established medical principles.

What's astonishing about Duesberg is that he continues to pretend that this data, and data from hundreds of related articles, simply does not exist. That's what we see in his talks and his writing: if you just ignore the published research, and selectively focus on the smaller, unresolved details,you can convince any gullible or predisposed person that established fact is false.

Outstanding book. Highly readable and genuinely convincing.
My only complaint is that an updated edition is needed, as this version was published in 1996. Yet much about HIV/AIDS remains the same: the risk groups, the number of Americans with HIV, the continuing lack of a vaccine, the expanding "latency period", the expanding list of AIDS-defining diseases, the conditional diagnosis, the different AIDS of Africa, etc.

The initial section on the history of misdiagnosed diseases going back to the acceptance of the germ theory through scurvy, beriberi, pellagra, and Legionnaire's Disease is essential background reading.

Amazing information
I'd heard of the battle of the gay community and AIDS researchers with Mr Duesberg and wanted more facts. I'm delighted that his information is finally written down; clearly and thoughtfully and more importantly to my non-scientific brain, accessibly. Since the author has gained nothing but making a target of himself, and the researchers refusing to acknowledge any of his information stand to lose $$billions in grant and research money, to say nothing of the drug companies and the $$billions in drug sales, I have to admit that I am have been willing to 'hear' his information. And after the AIDS conglomerates have quashed his attempts to respond to the Harvard paper accusing the author of genocide (really, he 'caused' the death of 300,000 plus Africans, in a country whose population DOUBLED during the same time he is accused of these deaths? Not rational, Harvard, not rational at all) I am doubly delighted to find this book. I would hope, several centuries ago, I would have been willing to look at Galileo's findings in as willing a mood. Meanwhile, regardless of your stance or interest, the book was interesting, and can make for spirited conversations around the table/water cooler/bar of your choice. It certainly has for me.
And what if he is correct and the research is wrong? Those folks who refuse to listen to his information may be committing even larger wrongs and more deaths in the name of their own pride. And I regret that, for my friends, for myself, and for our communal humanity.

Convoluted and wrong
Duesberg uses psuedo-science to "prove" his wildly wrong information.I've seen many of my friends with HIV go from near death to good health due to HIV meds, while I've seen AIDS denialists like Christine Maggiore die.Don't buy the Duesberg myth, and don't buy this book.

The Denialism IS the Conspiracy
It is shocking...and shameful....that over a decade after this book came out, and after the wealth of information gathered about HIV since then, some humans can still possibly think that:

A) HIV isn't real

or

B) HIV doesn't lead to full-blown AIDS

or

C) AIDS isn't real

But, even before we had a decade of deeper understanding (leading to significantly more effective antiretroviral treatments), this book was deeply, decidedly refuted by the vast majority of the people fighting on the front lines to educate and help people against a REAL, causal, viral killer.

The best refutation from "back then" can be seen here:

http://www.aidstruth.org/inventing.php

That was written in 1996.

I am dismayed....heartbroken....that here, 12 years later, people still log in to Amazon and give this tragically errant relic five stars, and glowing reviews.I suppose that people who WANT to believe in a conspiracy will simply believe it, and no amount of current, global, overwhelming scientific consensus can breach such an impenetrable ideological conviction.

For anyone reading this review who is NOT a zealot, and is NOT conspiracy-biased, I encourage you to read EVERYTHING YOU CAN, including Duesberg.Know the full history.Understand the controversies, real and imagined.Learn about all the present and past actors including some of the more prominent dissidents who died from AIDS in the midst of denying that they had it.

And most importantly, keep up with the field.Virology...like all of life science...is moving very fast now.As regards good science, concurrent, independent, global peer review is the lifeblood of healthy discussion here.Colorful contrarianism lives and breathes only when validated by redundant, independent, repeatable corroboration on a world scale.Without that, it eventually, rightfully dies, at least in the realm of practical scientific endeavor.

Think, read, and stay sane. ... Read more

Product Description
The most virulent viruses today are composed of information. In this information-driven age, the easiest way to manipulate the culture is through the media. A hip and caustically humorous McLuhan for the '90s, culture watcher Douglas Rushkoff now offers a fascinating expose of media manipulation in today's age of instant information.Amazon.com Review
Have you ever noticed that the word "media"refers both to the tool for disseminating information in humansocieties as well as the substrate upon which geneticists growbacteria and viruses? Rushkoff has written one of the more provocativeand insightful analyses of the paths of conceptual infection in humanmedia, and about the techniques and goals of those who spread mediaviruses.This fun, hip, yet insightful book is well worth buying. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Interesting Blend of Chaos, Marketing, & Systems Theories
This book is simply amazing! Although not for everyone - if you are interested in viral marketing, systems engineering/systems thinking, chaos theory, and how the mass media works, then this book is for you. What first brought my attention to this book was that it has been referenced as one of the first to reference and explain the concept of viral marketing. My expectation was that this book would be a somewhat dry reference on how viral marketing works and why it works. It does accomplish both of these objectives, however the material is far from dry and is really fascinating.

I am amazed at how the author ties the subjects of viral marketing, systems thinking, and chaos theory together in a seamless manner to thoroughly explain workings of the media and how it has evolved since inception. What is even more amazing is that this book is easy to understand, is entertaining to read and was written about 15 years ago. The author was well ahead of his time. Although this book is long at over 300 pages - it does take some level of commitment, but well worth the time and effort. This is the first book I have read by this author but look forward to reading others!

Ineffectiously Infectious
This book tries to explain how and why the media would try to send out its ideals to the masses through a selective exposé of certain television programs such as THE SIMPSONS, BEAVIS AND BUTTHEAD, REN & STIMPY SHOW, MURPHY BROWN, LA LAW, COPS; political and celebrity personalities like the BUSH's, BILL CLINTON, WILLIAM BORROUGHS, PHIL DONAHUE, RUSH LIMBOUGH, PEEWEE HERMAN (Paul Reubens), THE JACKSONS, MADONNA, ICE T, and even quite peculiar for me even the whole controversy with one of my personal faves U2 over the legal frictions with a parody band called NEGATIVLAND (which is rather more documented on the documentary feature flick of the said group) and even more so about the band that I often refer to -JESUS JONES regarding their music video for their perrenial track "Right Here Right Now" and the advent of MTV's outbreak with the likes of music videos from A-HA; BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN; and even more so mentioning the likes of `wanna-whats' like R.U. SERIOUS, and the cult of Genesis P-Orrige called THEE TEMPLE OV PSYCHIC YOUTH - the book nearly gives an impression that the author is culture-shocked, and proposed to infect likewise with the `memes' (ie. A term used by the author to refer about the certain data/info's that are being assimilated n=by the media which in turn affects to influence the masses, at least in the way I understood it and could simply put it) it presents to expose - however, the whole matter is subject to the particular perspective preference of the readers personal comprehension.

The book is said to have been "revised and updated" from a two-year's span by 1996 - even seems quite un-innovative even from that time, and most of the authors' analysis are nothing new. Rushkoff, although being quite informative nevertheless from time to time with the book only seem to mainly dwell on a surface level, when what we need is to see more of the primal motivating factors behind the dissemination of counter-culture trends and ideas which Rushkoff attempted to disseminate within the length of his work.

If media is a pathogen then intelligence is the immunogen.
Ten years since I read Media Virus I still find it extremely relevant, actually even more so. I first read it out of curiosity - being a Simpson's and Beavis and Butthead fanatic. I now find myself perusing a marketing degree and some of Rushkoff's theories and now common place. Just a couple months ago, a Wal-Mart sponsored marketing firm was outed as the creators ofa phoney online discussion group (gorilla marketing/propaganda) or as Rushkoff would have described it "genetic engineering" (turning a beast into a concerned citizen).

When media virus was written there wasn't much of an Internet (as we know it) but the same ideas were in place. It some ways Rushkoff is a futurist in the line of Faith Popcorn or Ryan Mathews. Instead of offering predictions, Rushkoff leans toward merely understanding the psychological or anthropological side of media - the tools of futurists.

I strongly suggest any one who reads this book to watch Noam Chomsky's Manufacturing Consent and vice versa.

McLuhan for the 21st Century
The bizarre negative reviews in this space belong to a couple of "conspiracy theorists" who are writing bad reviews of everyone associated with the Disinformation web site.

It's a shame, because this is probably Rushkoff's best book - at least his most important one. It put him on the map as today's most significant media theorist, while being simple enough for pretty much anyone to understand.

The point of the book is that seemingly innocuous or culturally insignificant media nonetheless contain the most pressing ideas and constructs of a given age. So Rushkoff deconstructs media iconography from Beavis and Butt-head to Michael Jackson, showing the underlying cultural agenda beneath them - not beneath them, but within them.

If the book seems unoriginal now, some ten years after it was first published, that's because this is the book that LAUNCHED these ideas. Ever hear of "viral marketing"? That came from this guy.

Look at his documentary on the Frontline website called "The Merchants of Cool" if you want to see how his thinking developed, and got a bit cooler on these developments.

But definitely read Media Virus if you want to understand all the thinking and advertising that came from it.

There IS Real Life!
I follow the adventures of this young man in the realm of literature for some years now and had the opportunity to exchange some e-mails with him due to my quite provocative position on his Bull (the on-line novel) idea.

This is to warn you that this review might not be the most objective one!!!!

So much I have heard about „Media Virus" that, after falling in love with Rushkoff`s „Children of Chaos" and enjoying „Coercion", suffering through „Cyberia" and „Ecstasy Club" (see my review) and short affair in the bus with „Bull" (printed version) I felt an urge to complete my studies in Ruskhoff by getting hands on „GenX Reader" and „Media Virus".

And the result is dissapointing.

Media Virus is the collection of couple of deliberations of the proud member of TV nation about his daily bread: TV (sitcoms, shows and characters, including infamous American TV politics). The only common denominators of said deliberations are
a) quite useful metaphor of viruses (it works most of the time and we shall give credit to the author for that at least) and
b) the passion and pride Mr. Rushkoff has for GenXers and their (or ours, shall I say) ability to digest, analyse and take use of any electronic medium and stand high doses of television [garbage].

So much for pros, compagneros.

As for cons, my first problem is that this work has no structure and ends like a newspaper article, with some small deliberation over point of view of apparently strange person with (within the given context of his deviant opinions of world) quite normal name „Genesis P-Orridge). BTW, in an attempt to collect at least some sympathies for the devil, author, while introducing said figure, tell us that Genesis has to live outside UK for being persecuted there for his worldviews (later we read that the guy has some sadomasochistic tendencies and tendency to share them via video with others...). I do not know, but if our generation needs hero authors, we should look for someone like Solzhenitsyn or Voinovich maybe...

Second, it is poorly researched...Well, frankly, there is no research behind the book whatsoever... Two or three quotations of McLuhan, something on the top of it, rest is what Douglas saw in telly... Scary...

One thing that seems like funny to me, after what I have read by this author, is his apparently unlimited ability to „analyse" any piece of TV [garbage] from most unbelievable and unseen angles and within most strange context,this all using quasi-scientific jargon and methods of explanation.

If you want to see Mr. Rushkoff in his best, try to ignore his first books (including this one) and jump right into his recent writings. As he wrote, GenX lives without history and we shall look at his work from the same position...

Still, I believe, there is culture that is popular (although free from hidden agendas:-)), some art that is being created just to share the beautiful with others, that there is some music being composed in an effort to reach out for the divine
and finally,
that there is life to live even if you do not have the high-end television set and 155 channels to surf. ... Read more

Product Description
Here is a compelling scientific account of viruses, their history, and the dangers they pose--now and in the future. Viruses are disarmingly small and simple. Nevertheless, the smallpox virus killed over 300 million people in the twentieth century before it was eradicated in 1980. The AIDS virus, HIV, is now the world's biggest killer infection and the single most common cause of death in Africa. In recent years, the outbreaks of several lethal viruses such as Ebola and Hantavirus have caused great public concern--yet most people remain woefully ill-informed.In this fascinating new book, Dorothy Crawford explains lucidly and accessibly all aspects of the natural history of these deadly parasites and discusses controversial subjects such as CFS and Gulf War Syndrome. The book considers issues such as how man has coped with viruses in the past, where new viruses come from, and whether it would be possible for a new virus to wipe out the human race. Professor Crawford illustrates her arguments with vivid and wide-ranging examples. The result is an informative and highly readable book, which will be read by all those who seek a deeper understanding of these minute but remarkably efficient killers.Amazon.com Review
Though the Berlin Wall has fallen, we find ourselves still struggling with an even older enemy in the eternal Common Cold War. Virologist Dorothy H.Crawford has studied the link between Epstein-Barr virus and human cancerfor years, and she casts a wary eye through the electron microscope to check upon them and report on our strange and occasionally deadly symbiosis inThe Invisible Enemy.

This slim book, scholarly but accessible, examines these barely living (orunliving, depending on whom you ask) gene packages with a strong emphasison their disease-causing antics and the intellectual heroics of the variouscampaigns of eradication and control humans have waged for centuries. Though biological relativists might cringe occasionally at Crawford'sdogged humanocentrism, few of them would really pine for the days ofsmallpox or embrace the raging HIV pandemic if pressed. Crawford looks atthe wake of devastation left by these two viruses as well as her ownfavorite subject, which is strongly implicated in the formation of manycancers. Going a bit farther afield, she explains the weird behavior ofthe nongenetic reproduction of prions that cause Creutzfeldt-Jakob diseaseand bovine spongiform encephalopathy; though these scary proteins aren'tviruses by any definition, their behavior is similar enough to warrantinclusion. The Invisible Enemy, calmer than its title wouldsuggest, provokes a sense of optimism in the reader. Though the war mightlast forever, we can hope for fewer and fewer casualties as the years goby. --Rob Lightner ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Excellent! A book to be read by everybody
What a great book to finish this year. This is the history of viruses, those nanoparticles wrapped up in protein, a history of smallpox, polio, herpes, hepatitis, flu, Human T Leukaemia Virus, HIV and others little viruses that have made difficult our existence. But this book is more than that, a book to understand how this virus operate, their relation with cancer, how we have combated them via immunization, vaccines and antivirals, and the amazing advances in dealing with them, including the use of viruses to deal with cancer.
There is much more to understand about viruses, the purpose of them, an effort that perhaps allows to understand life itself. This is a book to be read by everybody, a book that should have a spanish version and be given to high school/University students. Prevention is the first step.

Fascinating, less complicated introduction to the current issue of emerging viruses
Probably the only reason I gave this a four star is because the book was a repeat basically for me of information I'd already read more completely somewhere else. That's not to say I didn't think this book was interesting. The Writer is British, and most all the books I read were from American writers. Her writing is impeccable as per usual with the British, but also there is a distinctly different point of view.

I would highly recommend this book for people who want a good introduction into the area of virology. It applies to everyone, since emerging and man-made viruses are such a threat at this point. The book doesn't overdo the scientific jargon you find in textbooks, and makes the science accessible to everyone who reads the book. It addresses most of the past big problems, introduces some emerging problems like Ebola...but this is very general. That can be a good thing...I just wanted some more information than what I got.

Karen Sadler

Understanding viruses
"The Invisble Enemy" is a very good overview of the world of viruses.Virologist Dorothy H. Crawford has written a book that is scientific, but it is also interesting, enjoyable, and very readable.In fact, I became so immersed while reading the book that I felt that I was reading a historical novel and not a book on the science of viruses.But that is what is so enjoyable about this book - Ms. Crawford weaves together interesting tales, scientific data and her thoughts on viruses in a way that helped me to understand these primitive proteins and their impact on the history and evolution of the human race.

Throughout the book there is information about the history of a variety of killer viruses such as yellow fever and polio and the vaccines that were developed to eradicate them.There is also information about the origins of HIV - how HIV infects a cell and the ways that HIV drugs interfere with the replication process.Also information is included on hepatitis A, hepatitis B and a little information on hepatitis C.There is also an overview of the emerging killer viruses such as ebola, hanta virus, and the bird flu.

After reading this book I came away with a better understanding of viruses and their remarkable ability to survive.

Nice book
This is a nice book about viruses. The book is slightly technical, but reading it while able to access wikipedia should do it, if you want to understand each detail.

Recently I came across a theory came which says that viruses played a crucial role in the evolution of humans. After reading this book the above theory made sense to me.

amazing
I assumed this would be another text book style read consisting of sterile,bare bones info.I was very pleasantly surprised.This book is increadible.It reads like a novel and yet the info is present in every sentence.The author is clearly beyond knowledgable about the topic. I would recommend this book to anyone.Truely amazing! ... Read more

Product Description
This is the standard and definitive reference for virus taxonomy, generated by the ICTV approximately every 3 years. The VIII ICTV Virus Taxonomy Report provides information on 3 orders of viruses, 73 families, 9 subfamilies, 287 genera and 1938 virus species, illustrated by more than 429 pictures and diagrams, most of them in color.

* The standard official ITCV reference for virus taxonomy and nomenclature, compiling data from 500 international experts
* Covers over 6000 recognized viruses, organized by family with diagrams of genome organization and virus replication cycle
* Provides data on the phylogenic relationships between viruses belonging to the same or different taxa
* Now includes information about the qualitative and quantitative relationships between virus sequences ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Virus Taxonomy Classification
Physicians and other people this book is very descriptive and places viruses in each specific catagory.We keep a copy of the set at my lab.It is very good to read. ... Read more

Product Description
This book arms you and your family with a weapon to defeat health-stealing viruses. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent information for all - protect yourself
As a doctor that uses natural medicines I found this book to be extremly interesting and useful.Dr. Stenger's previous book "Then Natural physician"is considered the bible of natural therapies.With"nature's virus killers"he goes into much greater detail abouthow viruses work and what we can do to protect ourselves from harm.I'vealready applied some of the suggested therapies with great success andreccomend that book to all of my patients.Bravo Dr. Stengler! ... Read more