Anti-Vaxxers

How to Challenge a Misinformed Movement

By: Jonathan M. Berman

Narrated by: Daniel Henning

Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

In Anti-Vaxxers, Jonathan Berman explores the phenomenon of the anti-vaccination movement, recounting its history from its 19th-century antecedents to today's activism, examining its claims, and suggesting a strategy for countering them.

After providing background information on vaccines and how they work, Berman describes resistance to Britain's Vaccination Act of 1853, showing that the arguments anticipate those made by today's anti-vaxxers. He discusses the development of new vaccines in the 20th century, including those protecting against polio and MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), and the debunked paper that linked the MMR vaccine to autism; the CDC conspiracy theory promoted in the documentary Vaxxed; recommendations for an alternative vaccination schedule; Kennedy's misinformed campaign against thimerosal; and the much-abused religious exemption to vaccination.

Anti-vaxxers have changed their minds, but rarely because someone has given them a list of facts. Berman argues that anti-vaccination activism is tied closely to how people see themselves as parents and community members. Effective pro-vaccination efforts should emphasize these cultural aspects rather than battling social media posts.

©2020 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (P)2020 Tantor

Great overview

Thorough and interesting overview of vaccines and how/why the antivax movement began and continues. Turns out antivax campaigns started in the mid-1800 and just continued from there.

The book is less about teaching readers to change minds and more about the nuts and bolts of the science and the movement. I found it super valuable.

Narration is a bit robotic but I got used to it.

Highly recommend for anyone seeking a greater understanding of vaccines and those who oppose them.

Responding to vaccine hesitancy

An excellent exploration of the history of the anti-vaxxer movement and what can be done about vaccine hesitancy. Listening to this in February 2022, I found the introduction written in March of 2020 eerily prescient.
As a triple vaccinated teacher rapidly approaching retirement age in “outback” Australia, facing classes of unvaccinated children, I am concerned for their safety and that of the more vulnerable members of our community as we face our first covid outbreak. I found the last chapters of the book, that discuss how to address vaccine hesitancy, particularly enlightening and useful.
The narration was a little mechanical at times but the content was interesting enough to make this a minor issue.
I hope Jonathon M Berman is working on a sequel looking at Covid 19 vaccine hesitancy.