Carregando
Ações de livro
Comece a lerDados do livro
An Elegant Defense: The Extraordinary New Science of the Immune System: A Tale in Four Lives
De Matt Richtel
Nota do Editor
Tour your immune system…
Take a tour of how our immune system works with a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist. This scientific detective story sets out to illuminate the mysteries of our body’s powerful defense system through the intimate experiences of four patients.
Descrição
“A deeply reported and entertainingly written exploration of the human immune system and how it works.” —USA Today
National Bestseller * The essential book to read to understand your immune system during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
The Pulitzer Prize–winning New York Times journalist "explicates for the lay reader the intricate biology of our immune system" (Jerome Groopman, MD, New York Review of Books)
New York Times science reporter Matt Richtel's An Elegant Defense illuminates the human immune system as never before, uniquely entwining intimate patient stories with science’s centuries-long quest to unlock the mysteries of sickness and health.
The immune system is our body’s essential defense network, a guardian vigilantly fighting viruses and illness, healing wounds, maintaining order and balance, and keeping us alive. Its legion of microscopic foot soldiers—from T cells to “natural killers”—patrols our body, linked by a nearly instantaneous communications grid. It has been honed by evolution over millennia to face an almost infinite array of threats.
For all its astonishing complexity, however, the immune system can be easily compromised by fatigue, stress, toxins, advanced age, and poor nutrition—hallmarks of modern life—and even by excessive hygiene. Paradoxically, it is a fragile wonder weapon that can turn on our own bodies with startling results, leading today to epidemic levels of autoimmune disorders.
Richtel effortlessly guides readers on a scientific detective tale winding from the Black Plague to twentieth-century breakthroughs in vaccination and antibiotics, to the cutting-edge laboratories that are revolutionizing immunology—perhaps the most extraordinary and consequential medical story of our time. The foundation that Richtel builds makes accessible revelations about cancer immunotherapy, the microbiome, and autoimmune treatments that are changing millions of lives. An Elegant Defense also captures in vivid detail how these powerful therapies, along with our behavior and environment, interact with the immune system, often for the good but always on a razor’s edge that can throw this remarkable system out of balance.
Drawing on his groundbreaking reporting for the New York Times and based on extensive new interviews with dozens of world-renowned scientists (including Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases), Matt Richtel has produced a landmark book, equally an investigation into the deepest riddles of survival and a profoundly human tale that is movingly brought to life through the eyes of his four main characters, each of whom illuminates an essential facet of our “elegant defense.”
Avaliações
Matt Richtel, as far as I can tell, is not a scientist, researcher, or doctor, but has written this book about the science of our immune system. An interesting topic, and one I want to learn about, and oh how I wish the book had been written by someone like Siddhartha Mukherjhee or Atul Gawande. First, and not least, I was annoyed by his writing style. There are constant authorial interjections like, "but wait, there's more," and "You would think so, but you'd be wrong."The book attempts to entwine the history of the science of our immune systems and the current status of our knowledge of immunology with the stories of four patients with immune system issues: Jason with cancer, Linda and Meredith with auto-immune diseases, and Bob with HIV. I think he went way overboard trying to filter the science through these personal stories, and did a fairly inept job of explaining the immune system, autoimmune diseases, and immunotherapy. Some facts filter through here and there, and I did learn something. I just wish for a more organized and well-written book on the topic.
In "An Elegant Defense," New York Times reporter Matt Richtel discusses the intricacies of the human body's immune system, "the glue that defines the whole of human health and wellness." It is our first line of defense when we are injured or ill. This remarkable sentinel has multiple tasks. Among them are cleaning wounds, regenerating tissue, and repairing organ damage. In addition, the immune system keeps a watchful eye on potential malignancies and other threats. Unfortunately, this powerhouse sometimes goes on the offensive against healthy cells. The affected patients may then develop rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Crohn's Disease, AIDS, or other autoimmune disorders.
"An Elegant Defense" is an introduction to a complex subject, but it is also a warning for us all. We are harming our immune systems with the overuse of antibiotics and antimicrobial cleaners. We need good bacteria, many of which reside in our gut, to maintain our health. When we wipe these out, we become more vulnerable to disease. In addition, the overuse of antibiotics has led to the proliferation of resistant bacteria, known as superbugs. Aside from the book's educational value, it has a personal side, as well. The author introduces us to various afflicted individuals who undergo a variety of treatments (some experimental), with mixed results.
Although this work of non-fiction is enlightening, it is quite long, detailed, occasionally dry, and overly technical. Richtel could have trimmed some of the jargon-filled chapters in which he provides information that average individuals may not comprehend. The bottom line is that serious problems can arise when our bodies try to fend off invaders. "An unchecked immune system can grow so zealous that it turns as dangerous as any foreign disease." In addition, cancer can trick the immune system into helping tumors grow instead of shrinking them. When it works properly, the immune system is our guardian angel; when it turns against us, it can be a vicious foe. Scientists and physicians have made exciting and groundbreaking discoveries, but there is still a great deal more to be learned.
"An Elegant Defense" is an introduction to a complex subject, but it is also a warning for us all. We are harming our immune systems with the overuse of antibiotics and antimicrobial cleaners. We need good bacteria, many of which reside in our gut, to maintain our health. When we wipe these out, we become more vulnerable to disease. In addition, the overuse of antibiotics has led to the proliferation of resistant bacteria, known as superbugs. Aside from the book's educational value, it has a personal side, as well. The author introduces us to various afflicted individuals who undergo a variety of treatments (some experimental), with mixed results.
Although this work of non-fiction is enlightening, it is quite long, detailed, occasionally dry, and overly technical. Richtel could have trimmed some of the jargon-filled chapters in which he provides information that average individuals may not comprehend. The bottom line is that serious problems can arise when our bodies try to fend off invaders. "An unchecked immune system can grow so zealous that it turns as dangerous as any foreign disease." In addition, cancer can trick the immune system into helping tumors grow instead of shrinking them. When it works properly, the immune system is our guardian angel; when it turns against us, it can be a vicious foe. Scientists and physicians have made exciting and groundbreaking discoveries, but there is still a great deal more to be learned.
I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this book from the Early Reviewers program...thank you, librarything! I requested it because someone I care for has an autoimmune condition and I wanted to understand more about it. Richtel provides an in depth, and accessible study of the immune system, using actual stories, both of people suffering from immune issues, as well as the doctors and scientists who studied the immune system. HIs book brought home to me how recent many of the discoveries are, and how vast and complex the human body is. He shares his wonder and appreciation for the studies and discoveries of others.
If you read this book, you'll never again think about the healing of a cut, an infection or an illness in quite the same way. If you love reading about science and health and are fascinated with the delicate balance that keeps us alive and healthy (or not), you'll enjoy this book. The author keeps it interesting and readable by presenting some of the science using 4 case studies. There were still some parts that were impossible to digest in a casual reading. I found it to be about as clear an explanation as possible of a complicated subject especially considering that the author gave a detailed history of immunology up to the present day.
I just finished An Elegant Defense by Matt Richtel, about our immune system. I wish I could be more enthusiastic. He wore me out! It's a fascinating subject, and he's good at making it understandable, but I wish he had simplified it even more. The interaction of all the acronyms that are hard to remember, along with the complexity of the immune system, make this a tough go for the neophyte. Those with some knowledge may have a much easier time of it. What doctors and researchers are finding out, particularly (for me) about autoimmune diseases, is amazing.
Fantastic. I'm talking about the immune system, not the book. The immune system is amazingly complex and fascinating. The author does a creditable job explaining how it works. But one definitely gets the sense that he doesn't think most readers can fathom the hard science involved in understanding it. He attempts to make it accessible to the average reader by making it as much about the people, the researchers, doctors and patients as he does about the nitty-gritty of the immune system itself. This does make the book an easier read, but it left me with the feeling I had missed out on a more thorough understanding. For that, I will have to turn elsewhere. But for those who want a lighter touch and to see how the immune system influences the lives of real people in very human ways then I would highly recommend this work.
When Jason, a close friend of journalist Matt Richtel, was afflicted with lymphoma and received an experimental new immunotherapy drug that, for a while, resulted in dramatic improvement, Richtel was inspired to learn all he could about the immune system and the new medical techniques involving it, and to share his friend's story. This book is the result, although it also features the stories of three other people as well as Jason's: two women with autoimmune disorders, and a man who possesses a natural immunity to AIDS.Unfortunately, though, the result really isn't quite the book about the immune system I wanted to read. I feel kind of bad saying that. I certainly did learn some things, and some of the moments involving Jason that Richtel shares with us are quite poignant. (Although he does give in to the entirely understandable impulse to share more details about his friend than the book really needed.) The truth is, Richtel is trying to do a really, really hard thing here. The immune system is fantastically complicated and still not entirely understood, and the field is full of dry, hard-to-remember terminology. Trying to convey all of that to the lay reader in a way that makes sense is difficult, maybe impossible. But, for me, at least, the book errs on the side of trying a little too hard to be accessible. There was one notable moment in here where I finally started getting really into the nitty-gritty science details he was talking about, really finally feeling interested and able to follow the complexities of the thing... and that's the point where Richtel stops his explanation cold with a "Whew!" and an apology for how hard that was to follow. Which I found really frustrating. There are also several moments in the more science-y sections when he deliberately leaves things out, saying he'll deal with that when he gets back to talking about the patients' stories, and moments during the patients' stories when he leaves things out and says he'll get back to that in the science-y parts. I know all of this is meant to help readers stay engaged, by breaking up the technical stuff and focusing on human-interest stuff, but for me it kind of backfired and just made it all harder to follow. I will say that I do like the parallels he draws between the immune system and human society, including the importance of diversity and the danger of being so focused on protecting "self" against "other" that the "self" ends up being damaged. It's not scientific, by any means, but I think it's actually a very apt analogy. Also not scientific, but less appealing, is Richtel's willingness to flirt a bit with the pseudoscientific ideas of so-called "alternative medicine." He doesn't do it much, fortunately, but the moments when he does had me rolling my eyes a little.Anyway. I will say that while this isn't the book about the immune system I wanted, I can see how some -- especially, perhaps, readers with less of a science-y background -- might find it to be much closer to what they want.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.A very accessible book on the immune system and immunology for the reader who isn't a medical expert. The author keeps the book in the light reading/popular science category by talking about four real people with unusual medical problems and/or unusual immune systems who ended up on the bleeding edge of immunology treatment. I came away with a new respect for the immune system and was intrigued by a lot of the technology (no wonder these drugs cost so much! and who knew they could do entire immune system transplants!) and I was intrigued by some of the doctors' hypotheses, but in my case, abrupt changes in subject matter and dwelling on personal stories for two or three pages at a time made me impatient to get back onto the main topic. In general, the book reads as if it needs some serious edits; there are sloppy and weird personal asides and errors all over the place. I read an ARC, so it's possible that some of this was edited in the final version.Some of the advice in the book about more mindful living to avoid inflammation and stress was excellent. Many of us need to try to stop living in a constant adrenaline rush so that our immune systems will go off high alert.I am eager to learn more on this subject and to study related topics such as inflammation, autoimmune diseases, and the microbiome.
This is a casual and readable narrative that is partly an exploration of immunology (its history and the current science), partly a biography of several patients whose diseases/treatments involve the immune system, and partly the author’s own memoir.The science is fascinating and Richtel is able to communicate his borderline (not excellent) grasp of it to the reader. (Note that there are numerous errors in my advance copy; I hope they are corrected before publication.) The case histories disappointed me; they are socially oriented and very thin on medical aspects. And although Richtel is a good-natured narrator, he incorporates too many fiction techniques -- too much suspense-building and teasing about things that will be revealed later (but never are?) and too many segues into fun facts that are irrelevant and distracting and should have been deleted.Overall, it accumulates to a partial introduction/update on the immune system and an homage to people (one of his friends, in particular) who are affected by issues with their immune systems.
I can only hope this got a better editor and a good once over before the final version was published. I was excited I was selected to receive an ARC through the Early Reviewers program and found the content interesting but in dire need of editing. I found so many careless mistakes and scientific mistakes (yes I am a scientist, though not an immunologist). It almost felt like the author didn't really know much about what he was writing about and didn't invest in truly learning and knowing his subject. He seemed to have wanted to write a book spurred on by the passing of his good friend, and those parts are good, but he seemed to have tried to "fake it till you make it" in the science parts. That or this is the way most books start off but then a good editor comes in and finds these things before it goes to print, in that case its time for a better editor!But as much as I was kept on my toes looking for mistakes after I found my first couple I still enjoyed the history of immunology and the stories of the case studies he included. These are the larger mistakes I found:Page 177 CD4+ Tcells are correctly described as the generals and CD8+ T cells as the soldiers then on page 185 the depletion of CD8 cells is described as the section of T cells that act as a general. Complete opposite and not correct!Also in ch 30, page 219-220, Enbrel is incorrectly described in how it works. First it is called an antibody. This is not correct, it is a circulating receptor fusion protein, an inhibitor molecule. Then it is stated that “with enbrel and other drugs that act on TNF, the idea is to get the cells that are causing problems to commit suicide.” This is not correct, Enbrel blocks TNFa, thus it inhibits it’s activity, not encourages it. So yes, while TNF signaling can lead to apoptosis it is not doing so when inhibited by Enbrel.(correct me if I am wrong on that second one, it is my understanding of the function of Enbrel and the signaling pathway involved)Pg 303, Ch39 - "This time they infected a chick in the right wing but not the left wing. At the same time, though, they pierced the right wing." That should read they pierced the left wing.More than once, for example in ch 54, the author referenced adrenaline as epinephrine and norepinephrine. This is not true, epinephrine is what is known as adrenaline while norepinephrine is a noradrenaline.I was also surprised Car-T cell therapy was not mentioned at all. As it is currently a very hot and promising area of research and personalized medicine development taking place with promises to cure a variety of cancers.I have seen other reviews that picked up on errors I missed. I will try to make it a point to pick up this book when I see it in the book store or the library and see if any of these things have been fixed. I think the book would be very good with a good review and edit by a scientist.
This was an interesting book about a fascinating subject, the human immune system. Although I am not a medical professional, I am a person with probably far too much education and am deeply interested in human biology/science, so was very excited to read this. Although I thought it was well written for laypersons such as myself, it tried to be too much. Maybe due to timing, I also think there was a lot left out, especially in certain ways we are seeing that auto-immunity is not necessarily "the body attacking itself," but working very hard to rid the body of certain viral loads, toxicities and pathogens that many of us carry since birth or young adulthood (or acquire environmentally or via medications). That said, I did learn a lot about the emergence of immunology and some smaller details about our immune system I did not know. I did not have a deep interest in the four individuals he chose as the elements for the story, so that might have been part of the problem. Overall though, I think it was an ambitious, interesting attempt, just I might not have been the target audience.
The immune system may be the most complex thing in the human body and one of the things that is still least understood by us. Richtel finds a way to present the material that is both casual and easy to understand while also covering it accurately and showing how important the subject is to him. The book largely covers auto-immune disorders, HIV and cancer and tells the story of these illnesses through the story of some patients who have experienced them. I recommend this book and would like to add that you absolutely do not have to enjoy science or have a medical background to enjoy this book. Richtel makes the subject shockingly accessible.I didn't give it the 5th star for a few reasons. I felt it was a little too casual. It left out a LOT of info. In fact, if it didn't relate to the 4 patients showcased, it really wasn't covered at all. As a nurse, I'm aware of some of the up and coming interesting things being done with immunotherapy and immunology and there were several things that I had hoped he'd have in the book that weren't there.However, I'm probably being too picky. The immune system is a massive topic that still isn't well understood by anyone and Richtel did an amazing job making it understandable. If you are curious about blood cancers, autoimmune diseases, or a quick history of HIV, and have very little to no science background, you'll love this book. If you want an all encompassing explanation of the immune system somewhat along the line of Mukherjees "An Emperor of Maladies" was about cancer, this isn't that.
Wow!I’m almost at a loss for words to describe AN ELEGANT DEFENSE and emphasize not only how important but also how interesting this book is. So I begin my comments with an exclamation (wow).This is a science book. But (whoa, don’t go away) it is probably unlike any science book you’ve had experience with. It is casual and easy to understand. And even though it does contain scientific words, Matt Richtel occasionally reminds the reader what they mean and how they are applicable to what he then describes.I am not a scientific or medical person. I only decided to read this because Richtel is a Pulitzer Prize winner for his A DEADLY WANDERING. And was I surprised that someone could make the science of the immune system so darned interesting. Honestly, it was as if I was reading an exciting thriller last night when I stayed up reading this book until I fell asleep sometime past midnight. Maybe that’s because he gives real-life examples of what he is talking about.Richtel divides AN ELEGANT DEFENSE into five parts, each perfectly named (as are the chapters). First he introduces us to four people, examples for “the extraordinary new science of the immune system.” Next comes the science, which Richtel still manages to keep casual, even humorous at times. And he sometimes adds to this part other real-life examples. The remainder of the book concentrates more on the people he began with.Much, maybe most, of AN ELEGANT DEFENSE is personal. Yes, I learned a lot. But I think, even with these readable explanations and examples showing how our immune systems are so important to everything about our bodies, this book absorbed me because Richtel makes it personal, especially Jason. Jason is the reason I stayed awake past midnight last night.I won the ARC of AN ELEGANT DEFENSE through librarything.com.
I'm really surprised with how much I learned from this book. Richtel does a good job of describing the history of immune system research and how it all works. It is organized in short, easy to digest chapters and is interspersed with real people and cases. I also was surprised with how it ended...which rarely happens with a science based, non-fiction, book. I highly recommend this to anyone, regardless of medical science background. I received this through the Early Reviewers program.
I enjoyed reading this book. There was a lot of science and explanations, but he broke things down in ways that the non-science major reader could understand. He added humor to the book and I appreciated that as well. I loved the focus on the four different people and how they were impacted in different ways by their immune systems. It added a more realistic and personal view on how the various diseases impact the body. I highly recommend this book.