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The Kissing Bug
Who does the United States take care of and who does it leave behind? This is a riveting investigation of infectious disease, poverty, racism, and for-profit health care—and the harm caused by decades of silence.
Growing up in a New Jersey factory town in the 1980s, Daisy Hernández believed that her aunt had become deathly ill from eating an apple. No one in her family, in either the United States or Colombia, spoke of infectious diseases, and even into her thirties, she only knew that her aunt had died of a rare illness called Chagas. But as Hernández dug deeper, she discovered that Chagas—or the kissing bug disease—is more prevalent in the United States than the Zika virus. Today, more than three hundred thousand Americans have Chagas.
Why do some infectious diseases make headlines and others fall by the wayside? After her aunt's death, Hernández begins searching for answers about who our nation chooses to take care of and who we ignore. Crisscrossing the country, she interviews patients, epidemiologists, and even veterinarians with the Department of Defense. She learns that outside of Latin America, the United States is the only country with the native insects—the "kissing bugs"—that carry the Chagas parasite. She spends a night in southwest Texas hunting the dreaded bug with university researchers. She also gets to know patients, like a mother whose premature baby was born infected with the parasite, his heart already damaged. And she meets one cardiologist battling the disease in Los Angeles County with local volunteers.
The Kissing Bug tells the story of how poverty, racism, and public policies have conspired to keep this disease hidden—and how the disease intersects with Hernández's own identity as a niece, sister, and daughter; a queer woman; a writer and researcher; and a citizen of a country that is only beginning to address the harms caused by Chagas and the dangers it poses. A riveting and nuanced investigation into racial politics and for-profit health care in the United States, The Kissing Bug reveals the intimate history of a marginalized disease and connects us to the lives at the center of it all.
Growing up in a New Jersey factory town in the 1980s, Daisy Hernández believed that her aunt had become deathly ill from eating an apple. No one in her family, in either the United States or Colombia, spoke of infectious diseases, and even into her thirties, she only knew that her aunt had died of a rare illness called Chagas. But as Hernández dug deeper, she discovered that Chagas—or the kissing bug disease—is more prevalent in the United States than the Zika virus. Today, more than three hundred thousand Americans have Chagas.
Why do some infectious diseases make headlines and others fall by the wayside? After her aunt's death, Hernández begins searching for answers about who our nation chooses to take care of and who we ignore. Crisscrossing the country, she interviews patients, epidemiologists, and even veterinarians with the Department of Defense. She learns that outside of Latin America, the United States is the only country with the native insects—the "kissing bugs"—that carry the Chagas parasite. She spends a night in southwest Texas hunting the dreaded bug with university researchers. She also gets to know patients, like a mother whose premature baby was born infected with the parasite, his heart already damaged. And she meets one cardiologist battling the disease in Los Angeles County with local volunteers.
The Kissing Bug tells the story of how poverty, racism, and public policies have conspired to keep this disease hidden—and how the disease intersects with Hernández's own identity as a niece, sister, and daughter; a queer woman; a writer and researcher; and a citizen of a country that is only beginning to address the harms caused by Chagas and the dangers it poses. A riveting and nuanced investigation into racial politics and for-profit health care in the United States, The Kissing Bug reveals the intimate history of a marginalized disease and connects us to the lives at the center of it all.
308 pages, Audiobook
First published June 1, 2021
171 people are currently reading
4796 people want to read
About the author
Daisy Hernández
21 books127 followersDe padre cubano y madre colombiana, creció en Nueva Jersey, Estados Unidos. Ha escrito y editado libros de ensayos sobre feminismo, descolonización, raza e identidad queer en Norte y Latino América. También ha colaborado en importantes medios como The Atlantic, The New York Times y la National Public Radio de Estados Unidos. Actualmente es profesora de Escrituras creativas en la Universidad de Miami en Ohio.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 256 reviews
June 5, 2021
Audiobook...narrator: Frank Corzo
6 hours and 55 minutes
I thought this story was absolutely fascinating....informative....scary...
haunting...relevant.....engaging ....both as a personal story and an eye opening social science intrigue-concern.
Taken right from the blurb:
“The Kissing Bug” tell us the story of how poverty, racism, and public policies have conspired to keep this disease hidden — and how the disease intersects with Hernandez’s own identity as a niece, sister, and daughter; a queer woman; a writer and researcher; and a citizen of a country that is only beginning to address the farms caused by Chagas and the dangers it poses. A riveting and nuanced investigation into radical politics and for-profit health care in the United States. The Kissing Bug reveals the intimate history of a marginalized disease and connects as to the lives at the center of it all”.
*Chagas* .....
....Chagas Disease also known as American trypanosomiasis, is a tropical parasite disease caused by Trypanosoma cruzi. It is spread mostly by insects known as Triatominae, or kissing bugs. The symptoms change over the course of the infection. In the early stages, symptoms are typically either not present or mild, and may include fever, swollen lymph node‘s, headaches, or swelling at the site of the bite. After 4 to 8 weeks, and treated individuals and or the chronic phase of the disease, which in most cases does not result in further symptoms. Up to 45% of people with chronic infection develop heart disease 10-30 years after the initial illness, which can lead to heart failure. Digestive complications, including an enlarged esophagus or
an enlarged colon, may also occur after 21% of people, and after 10% of people may experience nerve damage.
Daisy tells the true story about her aunt who died of Chagas.
Honestly...I had a hardest time (ha...pun) > ‘digesting’ the detail descriptions of Daisy’s S L O W ..... brutal, painful, debilitating death.
There had been many surgeries. Her aunt had to have a colonoscopy bag. Her aunt was a fighter ....but, man, was she ever sick FOR YEARS.
I’ll spare the details ....
But for any of us who share a less-than-perfect-working colon or any type of digestive problems....reading parts of this book is grueling.
Thankfully .... Daisy moves on from digestive descriptions....
onto....
COCKROACHES....
I thought I’d die in this part of the family-history storytelling,too.....
Daisy and I shared something (in our early childhoods)....we both watched our mother’s killing those black buggers....
My mother, and Daisy‘s mother, were on their hands and knees scrubbing, killing, cleaning for hours — trying to win the fight against the many cockroaches in our homes.
Daisy learned - in her family - at a young age - [silent mythology’s]...a insect ‘can’ kill.
Daisy I was told that her grandmother died when she was only two years of age. Worms we’re coming out of her nose... and then she died. YUCK....some of the early ‘true-story’ visuals were making me squirm quite uncomfortably.
Once Daisy moved into more documentation of ‘other’ factual stories— both in the United States, and in Latin America ...giving us statistics and information about the great epi divide .....I was no longer squirming over the breakdown of bodily function from rare horrific parasites diseases....
rather my understanding, sadness, and anger elevated (once again...only all the more clearly now) .....that our political policies HAVE CONSPIRED to try to hide the fact that when it comes to medical needs - equal rights and justice for all.....there is a stark contrast between skin color, and economic status.
Towards the end of this book, Daisy gave many other examples where people have been harmed from our political leaders and ‘for-profit’ health care administrators ‘hiding truths’.
Because of what we’ve been living through with Covid-19, reading this book today .... a look at the effects of painful diseases ....(bad enough) ....and groups of people (black and brown), who live on the wrong side of the epi divide .....or in absolute poverty ....or the wrong country....we still have a lot to learn about our moral responsibility for the sufferings of others ....
Equal global exchange.....colonization, politics, and economic justice is not just a good idea....the time has come for equal resources.
The political relationship between the United States and other countries has had a detrimental effect on the health of people around the globe.
Kudos to Daisy Hernandez .....for this astonishing book .....
.....much reads like page turning fiction....(family love, family relationships, illness, family tales, coming of age, immigration)....while also opening our eyes to the seriousness of these issues that affect all of us. (much as we have witnessed with covid-19).
6 hours and 55 minutes
I thought this story was absolutely fascinating....informative....scary...
haunting...relevant.....engaging ....both as a personal story and an eye opening social science intrigue-concern.
Taken right from the blurb:
“The Kissing Bug” tell us the story of how poverty, racism, and public policies have conspired to keep this disease hidden — and how the disease intersects with Hernandez’s own identity as a niece, sister, and daughter; a queer woman; a writer and researcher; and a citizen of a country that is only beginning to address the farms caused by Chagas and the dangers it poses. A riveting and nuanced investigation into radical politics and for-profit health care in the United States. The Kissing Bug reveals the intimate history of a marginalized disease and connects as to the lives at the center of it all”.
*Chagas* .....
....Chagas Disease also known as American trypanosomiasis, is a tropical parasite disease caused by Trypanosoma cruzi. It is spread mostly by insects known as Triatominae, or kissing bugs. The symptoms change over the course of the infection. In the early stages, symptoms are typically either not present or mild, and may include fever, swollen lymph node‘s, headaches, or swelling at the site of the bite. After 4 to 8 weeks, and treated individuals and or the chronic phase of the disease, which in most cases does not result in further symptoms. Up to 45% of people with chronic infection develop heart disease 10-30 years after the initial illness, which can lead to heart failure. Digestive complications, including an enlarged esophagus or
an enlarged colon, may also occur after 21% of people, and after 10% of people may experience nerve damage.
Daisy tells the true story about her aunt who died of Chagas.
Honestly...I had a hardest time (ha...pun) > ‘digesting’ the detail descriptions of Daisy’s S L O W ..... brutal, painful, debilitating death.
There had been many surgeries. Her aunt had to have a colonoscopy bag. Her aunt was a fighter ....but, man, was she ever sick FOR YEARS.
I’ll spare the details ....
But for any of us who share a less-than-perfect-working colon or any type of digestive problems....reading parts of this book is grueling.
Thankfully .... Daisy moves on from digestive descriptions....
onto....
COCKROACHES....
I thought I’d die in this part of the family-history storytelling,too.....
Daisy and I shared something (in our early childhoods)....we both watched our mother’s killing those black buggers....
My mother, and Daisy‘s mother, were on their hands and knees scrubbing, killing, cleaning for hours — trying to win the fight against the many cockroaches in our homes.
Daisy learned - in her family - at a young age - [silent mythology’s]...a insect ‘can’ kill.
Daisy I was told that her grandmother died when she was only two years of age. Worms we’re coming out of her nose... and then she died. YUCK....some of the early ‘true-story’ visuals were making me squirm quite uncomfortably.
Once Daisy moved into more documentation of ‘other’ factual stories— both in the United States, and in Latin America ...giving us statistics and information about the great epi divide .....I was no longer squirming over the breakdown of bodily function from rare horrific parasites diseases....
rather my understanding, sadness, and anger elevated (once again...only all the more clearly now) .....that our political policies HAVE CONSPIRED to try to hide the fact that when it comes to medical needs - equal rights and justice for all.....there is a stark contrast between skin color, and economic status.
Towards the end of this book, Daisy gave many other examples where people have been harmed from our political leaders and ‘for-profit’ health care administrators ‘hiding truths’.
Because of what we’ve been living through with Covid-19, reading this book today .... a look at the effects of painful diseases ....(bad enough) ....and groups of people (black and brown), who live on the wrong side of the epi divide .....or in absolute poverty ....or the wrong country....we still have a lot to learn about our moral responsibility for the sufferings of others ....
Equal global exchange.....colonization, politics, and economic justice is not just a good idea....the time has come for equal resources.
The political relationship between the United States and other countries has had a detrimental effect on the health of people around the globe.
Kudos to Daisy Hernandez .....for this astonishing book .....
.....much reads like page turning fiction....(family love, family relationships, illness, family tales, coming of age, immigration)....while also opening our eyes to the seriousness of these issues that affect all of us. (much as we have witnessed with covid-19).
May 30, 2021
Such a remarkable book and story. More to come later but definitely a favorite of the year - read this book!
October 3, 2022
I learned a great deal from this book.
Chagas Disease is caused by a parasite, and was named after the Brazilian doctor who first identified the culprit and the means of transmission. Kissing bugs are a large family of insects spread throughout North and South America, and they feed on blood from mammals and birds. If a kissing bug becomes infected from feeding on a mammal (a dog, a rat, a person) who is already infected with the parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, it can spread it to other mammals.
Primarily viewed as a problem in central and South America, Chagas is becoming more common in the United States, and also, based on a minute's research, in Canada. Those carrying the parasite cannot spread it to others, but it can linger in the body for decades before attacking the heart, and less commonly, the intestines.
Another serious problem is "congenital Chagas" because the parasite can be transmitted during pregnancy and create severe problems.
Hernández has written an interesting book that weaves together science, sociology, and memoir — her own Tía was infected and later died. Most doctors in the U.S. don't know how to diagnose or treat the condition.
Chagas disease is often found on lists of unfamiliar conditions, and as Hernández wryly notes, it is still largely unseen except for appearing on lists of neglected diseases.
Despite some progress, Chagas is usually not looked for and therefore is not diagnosed. One doctor said the easiest way to get tested in the U.S. is to donate blood, because first time donors are screened. It is not a standard test during pregnancy, despite the risks involved.
Hernández does a remarkable job interweaving intimate family stories into a continent-spanning tale of insects, medicine, poverty, immigration, and determined researchers. I'm afraid at times my skin was crawling, and she also touches upon other horrendous conditions which are either neglected, or, as in the case of tuberculosis, surging in numbers. Despite the creep factor, I enjoyed reading this informative and touching book.
There are also extremely disturbing elements. At the same time as the infamous Tuskegee syphilis study in Alabama (1940s) there was another study in Texas on the transmissibility of the local version of the kissing bug parasite, also experimenting on Black people, without consent.
Chagas Disease is caused by a parasite, and was named after the Brazilian doctor who first identified the culprit and the means of transmission. Kissing bugs are a large family of insects spread throughout North and South America, and they feed on blood from mammals and birds. If a kissing bug becomes infected from feeding on a mammal (a dog, a rat, a person) who is already infected with the parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, it can spread it to other mammals.
Primarily viewed as a problem in central and South America, Chagas is becoming more common in the United States, and also, based on a minute's research, in Canada. Those carrying the parasite cannot spread it to others, but it can linger in the body for decades before attacking the heart, and less commonly, the intestines.
Another serious problem is "congenital Chagas" because the parasite can be transmitted during pregnancy and create severe problems.
Hernández has written an interesting book that weaves together science, sociology, and memoir — her own Tía was infected and later died. Most doctors in the U.S. don't know how to diagnose or treat the condition.
Chagas disease is often found on lists of unfamiliar conditions, and as Hernández wryly notes, it is still largely unseen except for appearing on lists of neglected diseases.
Despite some progress, Chagas is usually not looked for and therefore is not diagnosed. One doctor said the easiest way to get tested in the U.S. is to donate blood, because first time donors are screened. It is not a standard test during pregnancy, despite the risks involved.
Hernández does a remarkable job interweaving intimate family stories into a continent-spanning tale of insects, medicine, poverty, immigration, and determined researchers. I'm afraid at times my skin was crawling, and she also touches upon other horrendous conditions which are either neglected, or, as in the case of tuberculosis, surging in numbers. Despite the creep factor, I enjoyed reading this informative and touching book.
There are also extremely disturbing elements. At the same time as the infamous Tuskegee syphilis study in Alabama (1940s) there was another study in Texas on the transmissibility of the local version of the kissing bug parasite, also experimenting on Black people, without consent.
January 22, 2025
I liked the idea behind this book and the writing but also found it to lack a structure that really made the story compelling. It is a solid book and I learned a lot.
April 20, 2021
While I enjoyed this book, I felt that it was too heavily weighted towards biography and could have explored the science in more detail. I liked Daisy Hernández’s conversational tone and her very clear explanations of the science. The use of actual cases was also very good, bringing the disease away from just stats and into real people. I didn’t find the pacing consistent and there were times that I wanted her to get on with the story. In addition, I found the writing to sometimes be overly-sentimental and that the use of Spanish words was somewhat disruptive as sometimes she explained what they meant and sometimes less so. I thought that the points on neglected tropical diseases and the “epi divide” were very well made. Overall this book is well worth reading. Thank you to Netgalley and Tin House for the advance reader copy.
September 1, 2021
With global warning increasing, the Kissing Bug may be coming to a neighborhood near you. The Kissing Bug can let loose a parasite into your body that likes to feast on your heart or your intestines and colon. If you are a child and this stealthy predator enters your system and doctors become aware of it early, there is a chance for a cure.
However, if you are an adult who was bitten by the Kissing Bug, your chance of a cure from the disease it causes, Chagas, are very slim. There are therapies that can slow the progress of the parasite down, but most victims when the parasite has attacked the heart will need a transplant or perish.
The Kissing Bug loves warm weather but hates sunlight. So if you live in a house where bugs have access, while you sleep the Kissing Bug maybe dining on you. Many of these cases are caught by doctors when people give blood or have surgery.
Hernandez, the author, originally from Bogota, Colombia, relates the story of two of her aunts who died from this disease. She also interviews doctors and other sufferers of Chagas. She points out that this is a disease that poor and uninsured people can easily contract in southern climes because of substandard housing conditions. She aims to raise awareness of the disease in the United States because until recently there were not many cases in the US. But with the influx of immigrants from Mexico and farther south, many previously infected people have made their way into the US.
Hernandez also spends time relating how her coming out as a gay woman tainted her relationship with one of her aunt's who had Chagas.
Interesting reading about this little known but deadly disease.
However, if you are an adult who was bitten by the Kissing Bug, your chance of a cure from the disease it causes, Chagas, are very slim. There are therapies that can slow the progress of the parasite down, but most victims when the parasite has attacked the heart will need a transplant or perish.
The Kissing Bug loves warm weather but hates sunlight. So if you live in a house where bugs have access, while you sleep the Kissing Bug maybe dining on you. Many of these cases are caught by doctors when people give blood or have surgery.
Hernandez, the author, originally from Bogota, Colombia, relates the story of two of her aunts who died from this disease. She also interviews doctors and other sufferers of Chagas. She points out that this is a disease that poor and uninsured people can easily contract in southern climes because of substandard housing conditions. She aims to raise awareness of the disease in the United States because until recently there were not many cases in the US. But with the influx of immigrants from Mexico and farther south, many previously infected people have made their way into the US.
Hernandez also spends time relating how her coming out as a gay woman tainted her relationship with one of her aunt's who had Chagas.
Interesting reading about this little known but deadly disease.
July 4, 2021
I love medical/science books and memoirs, so this was right up my alley. It weaves together just the right amount of science about Chagas AKA the kissing bug disease as well as Daisy's life. I do wish it had dived deeper into the science aspect of it, because I wanted to know everything and more. I still learned so much, and at the same time I've become completely terrified of kissing bugs!! I'm looking forward to seeing what Daisy Hernández comes out with next.
Thank you to Tin House for the review copy!
Thank you to Tin House for the review copy!
September 8, 2022
This is a very uneven report. Part memoir and if you take in the title? Not accurate either.
And I thought it lost an entire 1.5 stars for not having any graphics or identity to what the reality of this insect has in appearance.
https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/chagas/
She has editorialized about 2/3rds of this report/memoir mainly in juxtaposition to her aunt's terrible ordeals with Chagas disease in all its long term worst. It has not been "neglected" so much, as rare in the USA. It still is rare. It is a American Subtropical parasitic insect and other vectors (bed bugs seem to be able to pass it from infected carriers is just now being determined) disease. But it is only one of many dozens of subtropical parasitic disease. No, 100's.
The book itself is all over the place and more a journal of her family's up and back to Colombia/ New Jersey or USA locations, her own cultural blitzes for her relationships with them re her sexuality and other family truth or explanation issues- and about 10% editorializing her bitterness upon colonist theory of blame game. Very ironic in title too since the treatments her own family have experienced! Her aunt and numerous others coming in and out of aftermaths- received huge surgeries (even heart transplant in a case or two) without humongous costs or any non-availability they would have gotten or experienced in any of their home nations.
She is bitter and she luckily isn't even positive within Chagas testing of herself. Many more books are out there or information online re chagas disease. Vectors exist beyond the insects. Dogs and other mammals carry chagas. It has been one of many insect related horrifics for humans of ancient, millennia past, recent, or present day history. Other diseases like Malaria are still devastating entire continents at the rate of killing and minimum debilitation of over 241 million people a year (2020 stat). So having about 500 or 600 people in the entire USA treated for this in comparison?
Like 100 other diseases borne from insects and poverty- most of the prevention is not getting bit. But there are facilities to test for chagas in anyone's blood (nearly all countries and USA or Europe absolutely), just as there are for AIDS or many other factors of disease aftermath or parasitic infection. This report overall- would lead you to believe that chagas is not addressed in testing nor in attempted treatments throughout most of North America. That's untrue.
This actually got my ire up a bit since I spent my first 7 or 8 years exactly as she did in the bed/family/housing etc. situation. Poverty spreads disease. It isn't only chagas. Density living arrangements in a subtropical climate pass worms and dozens of other parasitic or infectious conditions. Do I know. Other climates have other bugs and other parasites (even fresh water lakes do). Like cockroaches or various stingers or suckers (bed bugs) which pass filths of other terrible end stage conditions. So in comparison and in prospective of counter actions, this book was hugely off in "neglect" perspective. And yet once or twice she got some worthwhile information in there. Barely.
There is one morsel I learned here that I didn't know. And that is that chagas can be passed in utero.
And I thought it lost an entire 1.5 stars for not having any graphics or identity to what the reality of this insect has in appearance.
https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/chagas/
She has editorialized about 2/3rds of this report/memoir mainly in juxtaposition to her aunt's terrible ordeals with Chagas disease in all its long term worst. It has not been "neglected" so much, as rare in the USA. It still is rare. It is a American Subtropical parasitic insect and other vectors (bed bugs seem to be able to pass it from infected carriers is just now being determined) disease. But it is only one of many dozens of subtropical parasitic disease. No, 100's.
The book itself is all over the place and more a journal of her family's up and back to Colombia/ New Jersey or USA locations, her own cultural blitzes for her relationships with them re her sexuality and other family truth or explanation issues- and about 10% editorializing her bitterness upon colonist theory of blame game. Very ironic in title too since the treatments her own family have experienced! Her aunt and numerous others coming in and out of aftermaths- received huge surgeries (even heart transplant in a case or two) without humongous costs or any non-availability they would have gotten or experienced in any of their home nations.
She is bitter and she luckily isn't even positive within Chagas testing of herself. Many more books are out there or information online re chagas disease. Vectors exist beyond the insects. Dogs and other mammals carry chagas. It has been one of many insect related horrifics for humans of ancient, millennia past, recent, or present day history. Other diseases like Malaria are still devastating entire continents at the rate of killing and minimum debilitation of over 241 million people a year (2020 stat). So having about 500 or 600 people in the entire USA treated for this in comparison?
Like 100 other diseases borne from insects and poverty- most of the prevention is not getting bit. But there are facilities to test for chagas in anyone's blood (nearly all countries and USA or Europe absolutely), just as there are for AIDS or many other factors of disease aftermath or parasitic infection. This report overall- would lead you to believe that chagas is not addressed in testing nor in attempted treatments throughout most of North America. That's untrue.
This actually got my ire up a bit since I spent my first 7 or 8 years exactly as she did in the bed/family/housing etc. situation. Poverty spreads disease. It isn't only chagas. Density living arrangements in a subtropical climate pass worms and dozens of other parasitic or infectious conditions. Do I know. Other climates have other bugs and other parasites (even fresh water lakes do). Like cockroaches or various stingers or suckers (bed bugs) which pass filths of other terrible end stage conditions. So in comparison and in prospective of counter actions, this book was hugely off in "neglect" perspective. And yet once or twice she got some worthwhile information in there. Barely.
There is one morsel I learned here that I didn't know. And that is that chagas can be passed in utero.
July 18, 2021
I enjoy books about public health and epidemiology so a little bit predisposed to love this book. Hernandez writes lyrically and unflinchingly about her tía's experience with Chagas disease, caused by parasites transmitted by "kissing bugs," and the broader ways in which American healthcare fails poor communities and communities of color - "containing" diseases within a "second America." Even if you don't have a special interest in the parasite that is the subject of this book, it's worth reading for its beauty as a memoir and its depth of reporting as researched nonfiction.
January 18, 2022
Poignant, Gripping, and Informative.
What is a “kissing bug,” you ask?
That is the thought I had when I came upon this book title.
Little did I know that would be treated to an engrossing and engaging story that skillfully blended a memoir of Hernandez and her family’s experience seeking medical treatment for a relative, her aunt, with a puzzling intestinal ailment, how her grief pushed her to use her journalism skills to understand what the scientific research and medical treatments are available to those infected with Chagas (“kissing bug”) disease the kissing bug disease, and why even those in the medical community where not aware of this this medical condition.
Hernandaz writes with intelligence, grace, and keenly felt emotions as she skillfully combines empathy and realty as she delves into all the questions swimming in her head about Chagas and why there is not a more coordinated effect on a disease that could easily be diagnosed and the worse effects could be avoided if treated early.
Meticulous research exposes that public policies and research projects are too often influenced by poverty, classism, racism, and just who most often affected by a specific disease.
While, harrowing and wrenching it is hopeful due to an increasing number of dedicated groups of to provide the necessary services and treatment to those who need it.
This was an audio book read for me, and kudos to Frankie Corzo for their impeccable narration.
Hernandez’s book is a narrative beautifully, wisely, and masterly told and I recommend to readers who enjoy captivating narrative non-fiction.
What is a “kissing bug,” you ask?
That is the thought I had when I came upon this book title.
Little did I know that would be treated to an engrossing and engaging story that skillfully blended a memoir of Hernandez and her family’s experience seeking medical treatment for a relative, her aunt, with a puzzling intestinal ailment, how her grief pushed her to use her journalism skills to understand what the scientific research and medical treatments are available to those infected with Chagas (“kissing bug”) disease the kissing bug disease, and why even those in the medical community where not aware of this this medical condition.
Hernandaz writes with intelligence, grace, and keenly felt emotions as she skillfully combines empathy and realty as she delves into all the questions swimming in her head about Chagas and why there is not a more coordinated effect on a disease that could easily be diagnosed and the worse effects could be avoided if treated early.
Meticulous research exposes that public policies and research projects are too often influenced by poverty, classism, racism, and just who most often affected by a specific disease.
While, harrowing and wrenching it is hopeful due to an increasing number of dedicated groups of to provide the necessary services and treatment to those who need it.
This was an audio book read for me, and kudos to Frankie Corzo for their impeccable narration.
Hernandez’s book is a narrative beautifully, wisely, and masterly told and I recommend to readers who enjoy captivating narrative non-fiction.
April 7, 2021
Interesting & très timely exploration of Chagas (a widespread disease that "transcends" borders, very pandemic-era-appropriate). Drawing parallels to the current Covid situation, Hernández shows that who is affected by specific diseases & to what degree those people are able to get access to medical preventative care/treatment is a largely political issue.
Enjoyed reading about what Hernández describes as her "family history" of the disease, especially in terms of her relationship to her Tía Dora. But what felt like the bulk of the book, the "In Search of the Kissing Bug" section, read like a slew of expository essays/mini-articles on random scientific/historical elements of Chagas, which was not what I was in the mood for. She is a reporter by training, and that's how her writing reads.
Some pretty funny parts smattered throughout: "I noticed a flask in the cooler labeled "LOL." 'What does that stand for?' 'Lots of life,' he said, matter-of-fact" (132).
The endings of the final two chapters are nice--they stress the complexity of relationships with family.
Enjoyed reading about what Hernández describes as her "family history" of the disease, especially in terms of her relationship to her Tía Dora. But what felt like the bulk of the book, the "In Search of the Kissing Bug" section, read like a slew of expository essays/mini-articles on random scientific/historical elements of Chagas, which was not what I was in the mood for. She is a reporter by training, and that's how her writing reads.
Some pretty funny parts smattered throughout: "I noticed a flask in the cooler labeled "LOL." 'What does that stand for?' 'Lots of life,' he said, matter-of-fact" (132).
The endings of the final two chapters are nice--they stress the complexity of relationships with family.
March 30, 2022
This is just a personal preference rating, not commentary on the quality of the book. Mixed memoir/history/pop-science is very en vogue at the moment and I am burnt out. This book was also written for someone with a little less public health/medical knowledge than I and someone who enjoys memoirs a bit more. I did learn an important fact: that Chagas is transmissible in utero, which is something I definitely should have been taught in medical school.
May 11, 2021
THE KISSING BUG: ⭐️⭐️🌗
I found this to be hard to get through in parts and remarkably relatable in others.
I found this to be hard to get through in parts and remarkably relatable in others.
August 16, 2021
This book was a much harder read than I expected. I obviously had never heard about the kissing bug disease and it’s a very scary disease. The author did a great job of blending the science, her personal story and the many stores of those she interviewed. One of the major things that struck me was how important diversity in publishing is. This disease doesn’t discriminate who it infects, but nevertheless for a variety of reasons it hits the Latino community particularly hard. This author was able to deftly bring these stories because of being a bilingual writer. The chapter where she went to the hospital with one of her interview subjects and she acted as a translator for him was both touching and showed how she was able to bring such nuance to the story.
June 11, 2022
A brilliant combination of a family’s story of an “orphaned” disease with an exploration of the ins and outs of research, race, class, and gender, and the way health care (or the lack thereof) impacts so many aspects of life/culture/relationships.
January 5, 2023
3.5 stars A section later in the book dealt with social disparities surrounding the disease, and I think the book really could have been strengthened by a greater focus on the elements discussed there.
September 6, 2022
Very interesting book most of the time. However, thd author originally stated this book as a short story and at times it felt like she inserted unnecessary speculation about how people’s feelings or family stories just to stretch this to book length. Overall worth reading.
February 7, 2023
One woman’s journey to discover cause of death of her aunt who probably died from kissing bug disease.
April 12, 2024
Listened to the audiobook.
Super interesting and absolutely harrowing!
Super interesting and absolutely harrowing!
March 30, 2025
This book is fantastic in the essence that it is VERY factual. Lots of studies and statistics. However, I didn’t exactly find a real story to follow.
July 8, 2022
I wanted to like this book more, but I thought it would have been better as an an article instead of a book. The topic is unique but after awhile the patient stories become repetitive.
March 22, 2022
i was so excited to read this because i’ve never read anything by any of my professors before. i took creative nonfiction with prof hernãndez and seeing her utilize (and master) all of the techniques we discussed in class was such a cool experience- i love being an english student with such talented professors!
the genre of this book was very out of my comfort zone (i typically stray away from non fiction and bugs in general). but the way this story was crafted, intertwining tender family memories and scientific yet easy to understand data, really made this book an informative, captivating, heartfelt read.
the genre of this book was very out of my comfort zone (i typically stray away from non fiction and bugs in general). but the way this story was crafted, intertwining tender family memories and scientific yet easy to understand data, really made this book an informative, captivating, heartfelt read.
August 3, 2021
I loved it. Everything I want in nonfiction. It’s memoir, it’s reporting, it’s science writing. I love Daisy Hernández. I’ve thought a lot about kissing bugs and Chagas disease and was totally primed to want to read a book about it, and this is EXACTLY the most perfect that book could ever be.
April 3, 2022
i feel like this should've just been a long form essay. it seemed like the author was just adding stuff to reach a page count and make a book. im not sure it accomplishes what it set out to do
March 31, 2024
Insects called triatomes or reduviids (colloquially known as kissing bugs), which are a little larger than a US penny and are endemic to the Southern United States, Central America, and South America, can be carriers of a protozoan parasite called Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi). Infected kissing bugs shed T. cruzi in their feces, which can be transmitted to humans and other mammals via mucus membrane exposure. In a small fraction of people who are infected with T. cruzi, Chagas disease can develop, leading to cardiac, colon and/or esophageal long-term complications and even death. Some T. cruzi-infected mothers can pass on T. cruzi to their babies during gestation via their placenta, which leads to severe newborn disease. Chagas disease is largely treatable and curable in its acute phase but much less so in its chronic phase.
In The Kissing Bug, journalist Daisy Hernández seeks to explore Chagas disease in the United States -- how patients are diagnosed, monitored and treated, and what methods are being used to control disease transmission. For Hernández, the initial motivation is highly personal -- her maternal relatives immigrated to the United States from Colombia in the 1970s, and one of her aunts was affected by chronic Chagas disease and unfortunately prematurely passed away from its complications. Though Hernández is careful to remain objective about her story (she mentions repeatedly in the book that she doesn't mention her family history to the subjects she's interviewing), what she finds when seeking out other people affected by Chagas disease in the US is very reminiscent of her own story -- largely Latinx people who often don't have access to good quality healthcare until their situation becomes dire. It's impossible to tell the story of Chagas disease historically or contemporarily without exploring the complicated socioeconomic factors that drive these health disparities.
I enjoyed this book a lot. The extent of what I learned about Chagas disease in my medical training is in the first paragraph of this review; this book was eye-opening in that I learned Chagas is transmitted in the US as well, and that around 300,000 people in the US live with Chagas disease (of the total ~8 million people globally affected).
Further reading: infectious disease and epidemiology:
The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, the Epidemic that Shaped Our History by Molly Caldwell Crosby
Beating Back the Devil: On the Front Lines with the Disease Detectives of the Epidemic Intelligence Service by Maryn McKenna
The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic—and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Steven Johnson
What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City by Mona Hanna-Attisha, MD
Lifelines: A Doctor's Journey in the Fight for Public Health by Leana Wen, MD
In The Kissing Bug, journalist Daisy Hernández seeks to explore Chagas disease in the United States -- how patients are diagnosed, monitored and treated, and what methods are being used to control disease transmission. For Hernández, the initial motivation is highly personal -- her maternal relatives immigrated to the United States from Colombia in the 1970s, and one of her aunts was affected by chronic Chagas disease and unfortunately prematurely passed away from its complications. Though Hernández is careful to remain objective about her story (she mentions repeatedly in the book that she doesn't mention her family history to the subjects she's interviewing), what she finds when seeking out other people affected by Chagas disease in the US is very reminiscent of her own story -- largely Latinx people who often don't have access to good quality healthcare until their situation becomes dire. It's impossible to tell the story of Chagas disease historically or contemporarily without exploring the complicated socioeconomic factors that drive these health disparities.
I enjoyed this book a lot. The extent of what I learned about Chagas disease in my medical training is in the first paragraph of this review; this book was eye-opening in that I learned Chagas is transmitted in the US as well, and that around 300,000 people in the US live with Chagas disease (of the total ~8 million people globally affected).
Further reading: infectious disease and epidemiology:
The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, the Epidemic that Shaped Our History by Molly Caldwell Crosby
Beating Back the Devil: On the Front Lines with the Disease Detectives of the Epidemic Intelligence Service by Maryn McKenna
The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic—and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Steven Johnson
What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City by Mona Hanna-Attisha, MD
Lifelines: A Doctor's Journey in the Fight for Public Health by Leana Wen, MD
September 15, 2025
You would think I would be predisposed to like any read on public health issues, particularly neglected tropical diseases. Indeed I am, but this one fell a bit short of the mark.
This book is part investigative journalism on Chagas disease (also know as the kissing bug disease) and part memoir about Hernandez’s family, upbringing, and why Chagas is personal to her.
Hernandez does a great job detailing why this disease is so often neglected despite it impacting a sizeable portion of the US population (spoiler: it’s because it affects mostly Central American immigrants!). She is unsparing in the human cost of this disease in the US and in Colombia, and how it somehow continues to be ignored despite it being treatable, especially among newborns who have congenital Chagas.
Beyond that, I have qualms with the organization and the focus of this book. The book begins on a personal note, with Hernandez sharing how her tia, an important person in her life, almost died from Chagas were it not for the fact that she was in the US and happened to show up at a hospital where there was a doctor that specializes in Chagas. It then begins to focus on Chagas itself, its prevalence, its continued neglect. However, Hernandez attempts to continue inserting personal narrative to anchor the story in a way that feels forced ex. she talks about coming out as queer to her tia, who then proceeded to no longer speak to her. I don’t know why this detail was relevant?
The book becomes somewhat repetitive, and you have to (im)patiently read until the very end to get to Hernandez’s fantastic point: the reason for the lack of attention on Chagas is this epidemiological divide, which continues to ignore diseases affecting poorer, non-white countries at the expense of people like Hernandez’s tia. It was a great closer - but I wish the build up was clearer throughout, or was even hinted at the beginning.
Overall, while I found the book impactful and informative, the organization was a bit messy. It’s not a long read if you want to know more about Chagas.
This book is part investigative journalism on Chagas disease (also know as the kissing bug disease) and part memoir about Hernandez’s family, upbringing, and why Chagas is personal to her.
Hernandez does a great job detailing why this disease is so often neglected despite it impacting a sizeable portion of the US population (spoiler: it’s because it affects mostly Central American immigrants!). She is unsparing in the human cost of this disease in the US and in Colombia, and how it somehow continues to be ignored despite it being treatable, especially among newborns who have congenital Chagas.
Beyond that, I have qualms with the organization and the focus of this book. The book begins on a personal note, with Hernandez sharing how her tia, an important person in her life, almost died from Chagas were it not for the fact that she was in the US and happened to show up at a hospital where there was a doctor that specializes in Chagas. It then begins to focus on Chagas itself, its prevalence, its continued neglect. However, Hernandez attempts to continue inserting personal narrative to anchor the story in a way that feels forced ex. she talks about coming out as queer to her tia, who then proceeded to no longer speak to her. I don’t know why this detail was relevant?
The book becomes somewhat repetitive, and you have to (im)patiently read until the very end to get to Hernandez’s fantastic point: the reason for the lack of attention on Chagas is this epidemiological divide, which continues to ignore diseases affecting poorer, non-white countries at the expense of people like Hernandez’s tia. It was a great closer - but I wish the build up was clearer throughout, or was even hinted at the beginning.
Overall, while I found the book impactful and informative, the organization was a bit messy. It’s not a long read if you want to know more about Chagas.
November 5, 2022
I was really disappointed with this book. I picked it up to learn more about Chagas and got an unsolicited dose of woke propaganda. I didn't come here to read about someone's perceived victimization and her subsequent shaming of dead family members who disagreed with her lifestyle.
The author also spends a great deal of time passive aggressively accusing the U.S. of neglecting Chagas. But her book is full of MANY American doctors going out of their way to (1) come up to speed on a disease known to be endemic in Central and South America...with little previous firsthand experience to guide them, and (2) to provide tangible help to her family despite their undocumented status (one physician even personally paying for the expensive care her aunt needed). Hernandez, herself, refutes the 'neglect' case she works so hard to make.
This book is more of the hollow grand-standing that is so common today. It's more convenient for some to throw stones than offer actual solutions or acknowledge the extreme complexity of some of these problems. On any aspect of Chagas--public health, poverty, immigration--there aren't easy answers.
There is a little about Chagas to be learned here, but otherwise it's the biased narrative of someone needing to blame others to get ahead. Writing like this fails to inspire.
The author also spends a great deal of time passive aggressively accusing the U.S. of neglecting Chagas. But her book is full of MANY American doctors going out of their way to (1) come up to speed on a disease known to be endemic in Central and South America...with little previous firsthand experience to guide them, and (2) to provide tangible help to her family despite their undocumented status (one physician even personally paying for the expensive care her aunt needed). Hernandez, herself, refutes the 'neglect' case she works so hard to make.
This book is more of the hollow grand-standing that is so common today. It's more convenient for some to throw stones than offer actual solutions or acknowledge the extreme complexity of some of these problems. On any aspect of Chagas--public health, poverty, immigration--there aren't easy answers.
There is a little about Chagas to be learned here, but otherwise it's the biased narrative of someone needing to blame others to get ahead. Writing like this fails to inspire.
September 12, 2022
I thought this was really fascinating. I had heard of Chagas Disease, only from donating blood as it is one of the questions asked. The book went back and forth some...between memoir and scientific writing. I judge this book by the fact that it really did provide me with a great understanding of something I knew little about. And, it does raise vital questions about healthcare in the U.S.
March 14, 2023
Engaging mix of memoir, medical science, profiles of people with Chagas, and indictment of the American medical system. I enjoyed the audio narrator a lot. The author's personal experience, seeing her aunt suffer from Chagas disease, adds an emotional investment to the subject. Excellent nonfiction work. I already knew quite a bit about Chagas disease, but I learned a lot! Definitely worth a read.
April 22, 2023
CW: medical gore & systematic racism
This is a superb book detailing Chagas or The Kissing Bug disease, which I had not heard of until reading this book.
The author lost an aunt to the disease and has written this book as narrative nonfiction. It’s a compelling book and I could not put it down.
Highly recommend.
This is a superb book detailing Chagas or The Kissing Bug disease, which I had not heard of until reading this book.
The author lost an aunt to the disease and has written this book as narrative nonfiction. It’s a compelling book and I could not put it down.
Highly recommend.
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