On Immunity

An Inoculation

De: Eula Biss

Narrado por: Tamara Marston

Upon becoming a new mother, Eula Biss addresses a chronic condition of fear - fear of the government, the medical establishment, and what is in your child's air, food, mattress, medicine, and vaccines. She finds that you cannot immunize your child, or yourself, from the world.

In this bold, fascinating book, Biss investigates the metaphors and myths surrounding our conception of immunity and its implications for the individual and the social body. As she hears more and more fears about vaccines, Biss researches what they mean for her own child, her immediate community, America, and the world, both historically and in the present moment. She extends a conversation with other mothers to meditations on Voltaire's Candide, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, Susan Sontag's AIDS and Its Metaphors, and beyond. On Immunity is a moving account of how we are all interconnected - our bodies and our fates.

©2014 Eula Biss. (P)2014 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Falls short

While striving to explain the complexities of the vaccination issue, this book has actually done little to satisfy either side. Because the author eventually (and seemingly reluctantly) comes down on the side of pro-vaccination, anti-vaxers call the book a promotion of big pharm and big government, ignoring what science was presented. For the pro-vaccination camp, there were too many emotion-fed anecdotes on motherly fears, including the author’s own obsessive fascination with vampires, which led to a Dracula metaphor being stretched beyond the breaking point. While I appreciate her attempts to show the rationale and concerns of those opposing vaccination, I have to wonder how many really think of Bela Lugosi coming through the window to consume their child’s life force. She was at her best when she stuck with science and history to make her points, but lost me when her politics got in the way, including diatribes against capitalism and the insistence that military metaphors are inappropriate to any discussion of fighting disease.

Readers looking for a coherent discussion of the pros and cons of vaccination may find some useful information, but at the expense of muddling through multiple angst-ridden stories of her labor and delivery, blood transfusions (which just confuses the picture) and her ongoing fears of the contaminations her child must face in this world. I was hoping for a more reasoned presentation of the issues at hand, including suggested solutions to bring the camps together, but this book simply confirmed that the discussion continues to be clouded by emotions and prejudices, whether they are justified by science or not. Viruses and bacteria are shrewd survivors, evolving past the medications we have to treat them. I’m afraid we will have to face a full-blown outbreak of something terrible before people realize that prevention is the world’s protection.

I'll round up to a 3 because the science that was presented was well described in terms that should be understandable to non-medical readers, and because the author does seem to have tried to make a balanced presentation of both sides of the vaccination questions. I just wish her editor could have convinced her to make it less of a personal confessional of parental angst.

Informative and balanced

Fair and non judgemental exploration of vaccines and their history as well as the culture surrounding health and medicine. Very interesting and educational. The performance was also well done.

some good info

It was a struggle to finish. My impression before buying it was that it was a coming from the same perspective as our family - concerned parents wanting to be informed. I learned about some of the history of this debate which showed me that there have always been people of either opinion. The reader always had an unconfrontational tone even while defending government forced vaccinations and ridiculing capitalism. One contradiction in my view is how the author explains how mother and fetus are two separate bodies, but then defends ending the unborn baby's life. It kinda creeped me out, such a gentle voice explaining why I should be forced to be injected. It reminds me of the overly - referred - to - book "1984." I admit I don't understand herd immunization, but if it can't be explained concisely then maybe it's not true. I love debates and reasoning, but don't force me or mine to be injected.

Interesting

I thought it was interesting. Not a fan of all of the vampire comparisons. Probably could do without all of the analogies.

I have no more questions about vaccines!

Thanks to this book, I have no more concerns when it comes to having my kids vaccinated. I will, however, still keep avoiding the seasonal flu shots as long as I have a choice.