The Virus

by Ben Martynoga

WHERE DID IT COME FROM, AND HOW CAN WE BEAT IT?

It's 15,000 times smaller than a flea and we can kill it with a bar of soap – so how did a tiny, fragile virus change the world?

Join science expert Dr Ben Martynoga and illustrator extraordinaire Moose Allain on a fascinating, sometimes funny, and occasionally scary journey through the world of viruses.

Explore the science behind viruses and the COVID-19 pandemic in a fascinating story of hijacked human cells and our own internal emergency services.

Along the way, you'll learn what viruses are, how they work, and how we can overcome – or at least learn to live alongside – those that do us harm.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction

Paperback

Published July 30, 2020

About the author

Ben Martynoga is a biologist and award-winning science writer.

Reviews

[Kaniraj Shenbaga · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Virus is an excellent book for all readers from school level. It is informative and an interesting read. The knowledge shared through the book is topical in the current scenario of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the benefits to the reader of knowing about the viruses and microbes in general, their malignant and benevolent natures, are not transitory but lifelong. As always, knowledge does empower; in the pandemic context it does not trigger panic, it renders cautious behavior instinctive.

The strength of the book lies in the innovative illustrations by Moose Allain. For example, consider the view inside a cell with all its normal components and Covid-19 viruses. All that makes the details etched in memory is putting inside the cell along with the other things a shrunken to scale human. One feels like having a grandstand view of the happenings inside the cell.

The book presents facts about viruses and microbes, how they spread and affect humans, how long it takes to develop safe vaccines. These are not new but well-known at least to a large number of experts across the globe. Why even then many advanced countries behaved irrationally and irresponsibly in the current pandemic is a mystery. The Virus, of course, is not intended to provide answers to this behavior. The book, however, makes suggestions to avoid future crises - of changes in lifestyle of people and nations in the post-Covid-19 era; there cannot rather should not be a return to the pre-pandemic ways. However, this advice is most likely not to be taken by anyone. A few years down the line the world would be armed with several effective and efficient vaccines against Covid-19. The fear and anxiety about Covid-19 would have dissipated and become a faint memory. It is an illusory thinking that Ben Martynoga's and several others' similar advice would be heeded as long as everyone's barometer for progress is Rate of Growth of GDP.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

An astonishing achievement to produce this fantastic book in such a short space of time. I came to the book via Moose Allain’s wonderful Twitter account, and his quirky illustrations throughout the book make Ben Martynoga’s detailed explanations of how the world suddenly came to a halt because of a “piece of bad news wrapped up in protein” come to life. I’ll always think of the coronavirus as a cheeky greenish blob from now on. Recommended for adults as well as inquisitive youngsters, everyone will learn something from this book, and come away better informed and more optimistic for the future. No spoilers here, because we don’t really know how it will all end...

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very informative and well-explained look at viruses and how they do what they do. I especially liked the illustrations and it was interesting to find out that like with bacteria, there are good viruses out there too. Although COVID-19 is not one of them!

[Orla Delaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very informative and useful book about viruses and the Covid-19 pandemic.

[Tina]

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