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Immune: How Your Body Defends and Protects You
A thrilling, fact-packed journey of discovery through the body's immune system.
The human body is like an exceedingly well-fortified castle, defended by billions of soldiers some live for less than a day, others remember battles for decades, but all are essential in protecting us from disease. This hidden army is our immune system, and without it we could not survive the eternal war between us and our microscopic enemies.
Immune explores the incredible arsenal that lives within us how it knows what to attack and what to defend, and how it kills everything from the common cold to the plague bacterium. We see what happens when the immune system turns on us, and conversely how impossible life is without its protection. We learn how diseases try to evade the immune system, how they exploit vulnerabilities and even subvert it to their own advantage, and we discover how scientists are designing new drugs to harness the power of the system to advance medicine in the 21st century.
Some of the topics explored include why are so many people allergic to cats, but so few to hamsters? Do transplants ever reject their new bodies? What is pus? How does your body develop new weapons for new enemies? Why is cancer so hard for our immune system to fight? How does our immune system remember? Why did the 1918 flu pandemic kill mainly young, healthy people? Why did the 2009 swine flu outbreak lead to a spike in sleep disorders? Can we smell someone else's immune system? And does that help us subconsciously decide who we fall in love with?
Immune provides an entertaining, intriguing and accessible account of the body's defenses against disease. Drawing on everything from ancient Egyptian medical texts to cutting-edge medical science, the book takes readers on an adventure packed with weird and wonderful facts about their own defense mechanisms, making this both informative and great fun to read.
The human body is like an exceedingly well-fortified castle, defended by billions of soldiers some live for less than a day, others remember battles for decades, but all are essential in protecting us from disease. This hidden army is our immune system, and without it we could not survive the eternal war between us and our microscopic enemies.
Immune explores the incredible arsenal that lives within us how it knows what to attack and what to defend, and how it kills everything from the common cold to the plague bacterium. We see what happens when the immune system turns on us, and conversely how impossible life is without its protection. We learn how diseases try to evade the immune system, how they exploit vulnerabilities and even subvert it to their own advantage, and we discover how scientists are designing new drugs to harness the power of the system to advance medicine in the 21st century.
Some of the topics explored include why are so many people allergic to cats, but so few to hamsters? Do transplants ever reject their new bodies? What is pus? How does your body develop new weapons for new enemies? Why is cancer so hard for our immune system to fight? How does our immune system remember? Why did the 1918 flu pandemic kill mainly young, healthy people? Why did the 2009 swine flu outbreak lead to a spike in sleep disorders? Can we smell someone else's immune system? And does that help us subconsciously decide who we fall in love with?
Immune provides an entertaining, intriguing and accessible account of the body's defenses against disease. Drawing on everything from ancient Egyptian medical texts to cutting-edge medical science, the book takes readers on an adventure packed with weird and wonderful facts about their own defense mechanisms, making this both informative and great fun to read.
304 pages, Hardcover
Published November 21, 2017
39 people are currently reading
761 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
February 2, 2020
I just want to say that this book has a really ugly cover, not that that's why I gave it three stars, but I can't help but say something. It is really garish and reminds me of McDonald's. The book itself wasn't bad per se, I learnt quite a few things I hadn't known before. I really just had trouble with the tone of it though. I think I'm not the audience for this because it was written like some adult was trying to be cool in front a teenager. That personally doesn't appeal to me but maybe it works better with the intended audience? Also at a lot of points I just kept wondering if this person even had an editor. They just kept going off on tangents that really weren't necessary, at one point brining up HeLa cells, but for what reason. The changes between topics also felt choppy at quite a few points and I think the author really could've done so much better by sticking to fewer points/things to highlight and just explaining those more in depth than she did. This wasn't terrible, I got some things out of it, but I really think it was intended for a different audience, and so this one's going to be 3 stars from me.
September 22, 2017
Living with a Primary Immune Deficiency, I was excited to read this book to learn more about the immune system and how my body works even with my illness. But I was surprised to find , my conditions wasn't even mentioned and what part were true facts, was mostly things I already know.
Catherine Cavner tries to capture the tone and fun of Mary Roach but ends up being more flippant than serious. While the book tackles the basic of the immune system is spends more time on titillating and sexy subjects. One chapter is dedicated to sex while another is about transplants but talks a lot about penises and other reproductive parts. In fact, the fun town was actually not very respectful and scientific. To say one is allergic to high heeled shoes is funny but it is not scientifically correct. While the author tries to explain exactly what she means (that a chemical in the product is the problem), readers are left with a fun, untrue blurb.
There is a chapter on immune deficiency but it tackles extremes such as SCID and leukemia. The most common immune disorders are left out for the sensationalism of the boy in the bubble. It's a major misrepresentation of the life I live.
I do give Carver kudos for tackling immunizations and sating the clear facts based around Andrew Wakefield. I am hoping that this helps debunk fraudulent ideas of autism and vaccines.
Full of interesting tid bits, but lacking a true picture of the immune system and it's pro and cons, Immune doesn't mange to find a balance between fun and education.
I received an ARC from NetGalley; all opinions are my own.
Catherine Cavner tries to capture the tone and fun of Mary Roach but ends up being more flippant than serious. While the book tackles the basic of the immune system is spends more time on titillating and sexy subjects. One chapter is dedicated to sex while another is about transplants but talks a lot about penises and other reproductive parts. In fact, the fun town was actually not very respectful and scientific. To say one is allergic to high heeled shoes is funny but it is not scientifically correct. While the author tries to explain exactly what she means (that a chemical in the product is the problem), readers are left with a fun, untrue blurb.
There is a chapter on immune deficiency but it tackles extremes such as SCID and leukemia. The most common immune disorders are left out for the sensationalism of the boy in the bubble. It's a major misrepresentation of the life I live.
I do give Carver kudos for tackling immunizations and sating the clear facts based around Andrew Wakefield. I am hoping that this helps debunk fraudulent ideas of autism and vaccines.
Full of interesting tid bits, but lacking a true picture of the immune system and it's pro and cons, Immune doesn't mange to find a balance between fun and education.
I received an ARC from NetGalley; all opinions are my own.
February 13, 2022
this is a great overview of the topic. talks about allergies, organ transplant ,vaccines, monoclonal antibodies and more, all in a way that the layperson can understand but without "talking down."
lots of Mary Roache style gross out humor sprinkled throughout. really enjoyabe read
lots of Mary Roache style gross out humor sprinkled throughout. really enjoyabe read
January 28, 2018
Carver has a delightful odd ball sense of humor that I would not have expected a book about the immune system to have. I have tried to keep up with developments so, pace other reviews, this was not a difficult book to read and the abbreviations really are important only for that chapter. Yes, there are a lot of confusingly similar abbreviations or short hand refs to this or that enzyme or whatever, but I think her narrative does not require the reader to know in depth about this or that enzyme, gene, chemical, whatever. Some of the examples are well-known if you were alive in the 1980's (e.g. bubble boy, first heart transplant), but by now most readers i expect will not know of these at first hand. Bringing these up does explain some of the problems faced with medical advances (and retreats), which many laymen are not aware of. Re: auto-immune diseases: the book discusses a couple or three of these, and not my particular one, but then I did not expect it to (though it would have been nice). Instead Carver takes these two or three to give a kind of representative survey of the difference in auto-immune diseases, and here she is very up to date. The understanding that diabetes belongs in their group is still fairly new and may not have gotten as much publicity as would be useful.
What I came away with was the variety and range of the problems our immune system faces: yes, I knew that a fetus could be rejected by its mother's body, but why more of them are not, this book explains. No, I had not thought of why sperm are not killed by a woman's immune system but this is another problem the immune system faces. That allergies exist is well-known; what is not well-known among the public is what we now know about the biota of our body. In this respect (making us more aware of the variety of challenges the immune system faces and regulates) this is a good book to start with.
What I came away with was the variety and range of the problems our immune system faces: yes, I knew that a fetus could be rejected by its mother's body, but why more of them are not, this book explains. No, I had not thought of why sperm are not killed by a woman's immune system but this is another problem the immune system faces. That allergies exist is well-known; what is not well-known among the public is what we now know about the biota of our body. In this respect (making us more aware of the variety of challenges the immune system faces and regulates) this is a good book to start with.
December 15, 2017
Catherine Carver has done something that a few people have done before, taking a subject like our biological immunity and explaining it in a manner that the layman can understand. With a certain charm and wit, Carver talks about all manner of ailments that our bodies have developed immunity to and a number of things that we have no defenses against. When I say this book is for the layman, you must understand, this book still throws down with advanced biological terms. It merely does this only once in a while. This book is not a treatise on the immune system meant for other doctors, it is a book for a person that might be interested in one of our bodies most fascinating weapons.
The book talks about what goes right and it talks about what can go wrong, especially in the cases of autoimmune diseases. There are 16 chapters in this book. It covers everything from how the immune system handles pregnancy to the immune system's response to cancer. A lot of the book is discussing how to outsmart the immune system altogether, a feat that is by no means small. Take the simple act of a blood transfusion. I am sure that everyone is aware of blood typing with the ABO system. It is not beyond the scope of this book to discuss why blood types have to be correct when donating blood, and it is fascinating. Most of the stuff the book talks about is stuff I have heard of already, but this particular volume is from 2017, so as of this review it is still recent.
The book ends on talking about diseases like Ebola, "superbugs" that we have no real defense for yet and the future of pharmaceuticals and other methods of fighting illnesses. All in all, this book was informative and entertaining, a combination making the book hard to put down.
The book talks about what goes right and it talks about what can go wrong, especially in the cases of autoimmune diseases. There are 16 chapters in this book. It covers everything from how the immune system handles pregnancy to the immune system's response to cancer. A lot of the book is discussing how to outsmart the immune system altogether, a feat that is by no means small. Take the simple act of a blood transfusion. I am sure that everyone is aware of blood typing with the ABO system. It is not beyond the scope of this book to discuss why blood types have to be correct when donating blood, and it is fascinating. Most of the stuff the book talks about is stuff I have heard of already, but this particular volume is from 2017, so as of this review it is still recent.
The book ends on talking about diseases like Ebola, "superbugs" that we have no real defense for yet and the future of pharmaceuticals and other methods of fighting illnesses. All in all, this book was informative and entertaining, a combination making the book hard to put down.
November 7, 2018
Reviewed for The Bibliophibian.
I’m not entirely the audience for this one, since I know the subject from a reading-scientific-papers and writing-a-dissertation-on-tuberculosis level, and this is like the other Bloomsburg Sigma books aimed at a casual, pop-science kind of audience. Not a bad thing, but if you’re here to seriously buckle down and learn (e.g. because you have an immune condition), then it’s going to feel far too light and flippant, and the focus will be all wrong. For me, it was a good opportunity to revise my understanding of some of the topics I’ve been learning about, and see an alternate way to describe them, but it’s nothing new and Carver couldn’t get me more excited than I already am about the subject.
A couple of times the topics lean towards the memorable and thus aberrant things like the boy who grew up and lived entirely in a bubble due to immune problems; this can be fascinating, but you could see it as an element of sensationalism in a topic that needs no sensationalising to be fascinating and deeply relevant to all of us. After all, the same illnesses and malfunctions await all of us if our immune systems fail, and our immune systems are the only things that really have a hope of continuing to be effective against the pathogens around us in the long run.
I’m not entirely the audience for this one, since I know the subject from a reading-scientific-papers and writing-a-dissertation-on-tuberculosis level, and this is like the other Bloomsburg Sigma books aimed at a casual, pop-science kind of audience. Not a bad thing, but if you’re here to seriously buckle down and learn (e.g. because you have an immune condition), then it’s going to feel far too light and flippant, and the focus will be all wrong. For me, it was a good opportunity to revise my understanding of some of the topics I’ve been learning about, and see an alternate way to describe them, but it’s nothing new and Carver couldn’t get me more excited than I already am about the subject.
A couple of times the topics lean towards the memorable and thus aberrant things like the boy who grew up and lived entirely in a bubble due to immune problems; this can be fascinating, but you could see it as an element of sensationalism in a topic that needs no sensationalising to be fascinating and deeply relevant to all of us. After all, the same illnesses and malfunctions await all of us if our immune systems fail, and our immune systems are the only things that really have a hope of continuing to be effective against the pathogens around us in the long run.
September 14, 2021
Issues of immunity are newfound topics of everyday conversation under the dark cloud of Covid-19. In addition to politics, sports and the weather, people are talking about vaccine effectiveness, N95 face masks, viral mutation and variants, aerosol transmission of disease, herd immunity, and personal protective equipment. An English doctor who speaks and writes remarkably good English, Catherine Carver, has written a book about immunity. It begins with a primer on how the immune system(s) work, how these systems learn from experience, and how this led to the invention of vaccination. In a harder-to-read part of the book, she introduces the reader to the creatures which live in and on us. Her discussion of parasites is equally creepy. Allergies are part of the discussion of immunity. Her description of the immunosuppression which allows organ transplant is sadly coupled with an examination of auto-immune disorders. Looking ahead, the book concludes with a survey of emerging biological threats (including militarized ones) and emerging antibiotic drugs and treatments. She has one foot firmly in academic medicine and the other just as firmly in popular culture. The result is a delightfully readable book.
February 11, 2025
Some issues with this book:
1) The brevity of the chapter on vaccines and what Carver calls the "now discredited" Wakefield autism study. She spends a great deal of time explaining what Wakefield's critics say, but refuses to even consider delving into Wakefield's argument that he still stands by his research. I have seen this written up by vaccines skeptics and supporters alike, and I think the book doesn't do a fair job.
2) Minimization of issues caused from Vaccines
3) Garish cover = McDonald colors? And the cartoons at the beginning of the picture feel less medical and more elementary school.
4) Ambitious agenda in describing how our body protects itself... but the reader isn't left with any suggestions on improving their own immune system. Anticlimatic ending.
5) Book was not thrilling in any way.
6) Was difficult/kinda impossible to find any link/contact info for the author because I found a few typos and wanted to tell her... but can't find the author anywhere. As a journalist I strongly believe that the author of a public facing document should be receptive to inquiries, especially if it's medical related.
I would recommend this to smart high-schoolers... perhaps. But I suspect there are better books out there.
1) The brevity of the chapter on vaccines and what Carver calls the "now discredited" Wakefield autism study. She spends a great deal of time explaining what Wakefield's critics say, but refuses to even consider delving into Wakefield's argument that he still stands by his research. I have seen this written up by vaccines skeptics and supporters alike, and I think the book doesn't do a fair job.
2) Minimization of issues caused from Vaccines
3) Garish cover = McDonald colors? And the cartoons at the beginning of the picture feel less medical and more elementary school.
4) Ambitious agenda in describing how our body protects itself... but the reader isn't left with any suggestions on improving their own immune system. Anticlimatic ending.
5) Book was not thrilling in any way.
6) Was difficult/kinda impossible to find any link/contact info for the author because I found a few typos and wanted to tell her... but can't find the author anywhere. As a journalist I strongly believe that the author of a public facing document should be receptive to inquiries, especially if it's medical related.
I would recommend this to smart high-schoolers... perhaps. But I suspect there are better books out there.
May 17, 2018
Immunology scares has always remained in the headlines over the years, from superbug scares to the Ebola outbreak. This book illuminates the body's defence system in handling a wide range of threats, most of the common ailments and some rarer or more deadly ones too. It also delves into the historical cures and some future medicine for the diseases discussed.
Considering the complexity of the subject matter, this book is marvellously accessible to the general reader. The author piques our interest with fantastical medical anecdotes and expertly blends the explanation with humour, clever analogies and pop-culture references.
Overall, this book has been an immensely read for me and I'd highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good popular science book.
Considering the complexity of the subject matter, this book is marvellously accessible to the general reader. The author piques our interest with fantastical medical anecdotes and expertly blends the explanation with humour, clever analogies and pop-culture references.
Overall, this book has been an immensely read for me and I'd highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good popular science book.
February 13, 2022
I learn a lot about the immune system from this book. Catherine Carver covers a lot of terrain in her book, and she tried hard to explain the very complicated inner working of our body, in language that ordinary folks can absorb. In particular, she added a lot of side stories to illustrate things, to approach the difficult subject matter in a somewhat humorous way.
This book was written before the Covid pandemic. I am sure that Catherine will have more to add to her work from the Covid battle. In fact, I picked up this book because of Covid, and I am curious to understand how the immunity defense works in my body. In this respect, Catherine has achieved her goal and I acquire a general understanding of the immune system, a wonderful creation from God.
This book was written before the Covid pandemic. I am sure that Catherine will have more to add to her work from the Covid battle. In fact, I picked up this book because of Covid, and I am curious to understand how the immunity defense works in my body. In this respect, Catherine has achieved her goal and I acquire a general understanding of the immune system, a wonderful creation from God.
January 13, 2019
This book tried to cover a huge range of topics related to the immune system including things like allergies, antibiotic resistance, maternal-fetal interaction, cancer treatment, etc. I was hoping for more detail on the mechanics of how the immune system works. This was covered online briefly in the first couple chapters, so I was left feeling a little short-changed.
The author's style was very casual, almost playful. This didn't go so far as to be irritating, but it also wasn't quite clever enough to be really entertaining. It did make for very easy reading though.
The author's style was very casual, almost playful. This didn't go so far as to be irritating, but it also wasn't quite clever enough to be really entertaining. It did make for very easy reading though.
June 23, 2025
If you have an interest in science, want to know more about the intricacies of the human body, or simply enjoy having a ready arsenal of fascinating tales to share at a dinner party, Immune is a safe bet. Do not be surprised if you find yourself subscribing to more science magazines or looking for similar reads in the future. Easy to read, quickly absorbing and chock full of humor, Carver's book is a great addition to any bookshelf.
-Natalie Vaynberg
Read the full review at: https://www.bookbrowse.com/mag/review...
-Natalie Vaynberg
Read the full review at: https://www.bookbrowse.com/mag/review...
November 15, 2017
Won from a Goodreads giveaway.
An interesting read if you enjoy this kind of thing, but I have to be honest and echo some of the other reviews.
There were times when I felt like I was back reading one of my textbooks, which made it hard to keep going. Also, I have had classes that deal with these topics before so I wasn't a complete newbie to this, but I could very easily see how this could lose someone who has no experience at all. The author does try to simplify things or make them easier to understand, but sometimes that just doesn't work.
At the end of the day, I wouldn't recommend this for someone looking for the very basics, or just stories about the craziness that is the immune system. If you're looking for something that goes more into depth, this might be up your alley.
An interesting read if you enjoy this kind of thing, but I have to be honest and echo some of the other reviews.
There were times when I felt like I was back reading one of my textbooks, which made it hard to keep going. Also, I have had classes that deal with these topics before so I wasn't a complete newbie to this, but I could very easily see how this could lose someone who has no experience at all. The author does try to simplify things or make them easier to understand, but sometimes that just doesn't work.
At the end of the day, I wouldn't recommend this for someone looking for the very basics, or just stories about the craziness that is the immune system. If you're looking for something that goes more into depth, this might be up your alley.
December 13, 2021
This is how a science book ought to be written that breaks down complex and cutting edge science into easy to understand English. The author is adept at mixing humour with facts to help the layperson better understand how our immune system works. The language is simple and sticks. If you ever want a primer on how our immune system works / this is the perfect book to pick up. Absolutely loved it…..
October 14, 2017
I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway.
While the book was both interesting and educational, Immune didn't really cover the topics I was most interested in learning about. I was also dissappointed in the vaccination section.
The Bright eye-catching cover does draw attention and topics were discussed clearly, so definitely worth checking out.
While the book was both interesting and educational, Immune didn't really cover the topics I was most interested in learning about. I was also dissappointed in the vaccination section.
The Bright eye-catching cover does draw attention and topics were discussed clearly, so definitely worth checking out.
February 27, 2025
Mostly pitched at the right level between overwhelming science or boringly simple. Still, there's lots of protein names in there that were easy to get lost in. More than anything, this book could use some good illustrations rather than the few clunky ones that it has to help the reader envision what is going on inside their body.
October 3, 2017
I found this author's style a bit similar to Mary Roach.
The content at times is very deep and at times difficult to follow.
I received an advance reading copy where the font size made it very difficult to read.
The content at times is very deep and at times difficult to follow.
I received an advance reading copy where the font size made it very difficult to read.
January 16, 2018
Good simple explanations of various immunological concepts, with real-life application examples. As someone with a background immunology, this book was an enjoyable read; not too much boring science lingo, and a lot of fun!
September 24, 2021
Interesting approach by the author to use humor to explain certain things. While I found this acceptable, some others might find it as ‘bad’ or ‘terrible’ for a serious topic.
Overall, this book was easy to read and explained immunity and immune system using easily understandable language.
Overall, this book was easy to read and explained immunity and immune system using easily understandable language.
July 27, 2022
Read this book for an intro microbio class and it was interesting. The author interjects attempts at humor which sometimes hits but also seems a bit derailing from the topic at hand sometimes. There is a chapter where abbreviations get really confusing but the rest of the book reads fine.
February 14, 2018
I absolutely love learning about things like the immune system. This book delves just the right depth into many different aspects of the immune system and all its workings. I didn't want it to end!
March 19, 2018
I love Carver's storytelling and crafty wit. Not for the squeamish!
March 27, 2018
A very fun read for the layperson who wants an introduction to human anatomy, biology, and immunology.
May 14, 2018
While containing a fair amount of technical words and terms a very readable account of the immune system; just enough playful language to keep you interested.
August 20, 2018
Kind of like Mary Roach.
September 4, 2018
I used this book to help me in a project for the immune system, and the information is really well laid out. It has a wide variety of information, and I appreciate the organization.
October 22, 2018
The author seems both personable and intelligent. Book is quite readable though not as actionable as I'd like
August 7, 2019
So interesting. Funny. Spectacular.
October 7, 2019
She made a dull subject really interesting!
November 4, 2022
A little boring in some spots, but the explanations were amazing and Carver’s writing style really keeps you hooked!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews