Bitten

The Secret History of Lyme Disease and Biological Weapons

By: Kris Newby

Narrated by: Coleen Marlo

A riveting thriller reminiscent of The Hot Zone, this true story dives into the mystery surrounding one of the most controversial and misdiagnosed conditions of our time—Lyme disease—and of Willy Burgdorfer, the man who discovered the microbe behind it, revealing his secret role in developing bug-borne biological weapons, and raising terrifying questions about the genesis of the epidemic of tick-borne diseases affecting millions of Americans today.

While on vacation on Martha’s Vineyard, Kris Newby was bitten by an unseen tick. That one bite changed her life forever, pulling her into the abyss of a devastating illness that took ten doctors to diagnose and years to recover: Newby had become one of the 300,000 Americans who are afflicted with Lyme disease each year.

As a science writer, she was driven to understand why this disease is so misunderstood, and its patients so mistreated. This quest led her to Willy Burgdorfer, the Lyme microbe’s discoverer, who revealed that he had developed bug-borne bioweapons during the Cold War, and believed that the Lyme epidemic was started by a military experiment gone wrong.

In a superb, meticulous work of narrative journalism, Bitten takes readers on a journey to investigate these claims, from biological weapons facilities to interviews with biosecurity experts and microbiologists doing cutting-edge research, all the while uncovering darker truths about Willy. It also leads her to uncomfortable questions about why Lyme can be so difficult to both diagnose and treat, and why the government is so reluctant to classify chronic Lyme as a disease.

A gripping, infectious page-turner, Bitten will shed a terrifying new light on an epidemic that is exacting an incalculable toll on us, upending much of what we believe we know about it.

awesome. important info. everyone needs to read

loved it. important info. everyone needs to know. breakthrough stuff. shocking but well researched. glad I listened

OF COURSE!!! IT HAD TO BE THIS WAY

I thought I was just going to listen to info about Lyme disease and how it effects our dogs. I wanted to take a break from current events and was hit with the truth about how & where this disease began. I live near Ft. Detrick and have to say, of course it was involved. VERY INTERESTING BOOK.

Amazing!! wow! wow! wow!

Amazingly well done and researched, this will make you angry, but you need to know.

Shocking and Horrifying Evidence....

...that the US government engineered Lyme Disease. This book details a tremendous amount of research including interviews with and confessions by Dr. William Burgdorfer, the discoverer of Lyme Disease, about his involvement in developing Bioweapons for the US government during the Cold War. I highly recommend this book. I couldn't put it down. I will never look at a tick the same way again.

As for the narration, it's good, but there were times where I felt that the voice seemed robotic and almost computer generated, but definitely don't let this deter you -- you'll soon forget due to the riveting nature of the content.

Wow!

Every Lyme disease patient needs to read this book and pursue further testing and treatment.