Immune: A Journey Into the Mysterious System That Keeps You Alive
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- Create Date：2021-11-23 00:40:56
- Update Date：2025-09-24
- Status：finish
- Author：Philipp Dettmer
- ISBN：0593241312
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Summary
A gorgeously illustrated deep dive into the immune system that will forever change how you think about your body， from the creator of the popular science YouTube channel Kurzgesagt—In a Nutshell
You wake up and feel a tickle in your throat。 Your head hurts。 You're mildly annoyed as you get the kids ready for school and dress for work yourself。 Meanwhile， an epic war is being fought， just below your skin。 Millions are fighting and dying for you to be able to complain as you head out the door。
So what， exactly， is your immune system？
Second only to the human brain in its complexity， it is one of the oldest and most critical facets of life on Earth。 Without it， you would die within days。 In Immune， Philipp Dettmer， the brains behind the most popular science channel on YouTube， takes readers on a journey through the fortress of the human body and its defenses。 There is a constant battle of staggering scale raging within us， full of stories of invasion， strategy， defeat， and noble self-sacrifice。 In fact， in the time you've been reading this， your immune system has probably identified and eradicated a cancer cell that started to grow in your body。
Each chapter delves into an element of the immune system， including defenses like antibodies and inflammation as well as threats like bacteria， allergies， and cancer， as Dettmer reveals why boosting your immune system is actually nonsense， how parasites sneak their way past your body's defenses， how viruses work， and what goes on in your wounds when you cut yourself。
Enlivened by engaging graphics and immersive descriptions， Immune turns one of the most intricate， interconnected， and confusing subjects—immunology—into a gripping adventure through an astonishing alien landscape。 Immune is a vital and remarkably fun crash course in what is arguably， and increasingly， the most important system in the body。
You wake up and feel a tickle in your throat。 Your head hurts。 You're mildly annoyed as you get the kids ready for school and dress for work yourself。 Meanwhile， an epic war is being fought， just below your skin。 Millions are fighting and dying for you to be able to complain as you head out the door。
So what， exactly， is your immune system？
Second only to the human brain in its complexity， it is one of the oldest and most critical facets of life on Earth。 Without it， you would die within days。 In Immune， Philipp Dettmer， the brains behind the most popular science channel on YouTube， takes readers on a journey through the fortress of the human body and its defenses。 There is a constant battle of staggering scale raging within us， full of stories of invasion， strategy， defeat， and noble self-sacrifice。 In fact， in the time you've been reading this， your immune system has probably identified and eradicated a cancer cell that started to grow in your body。
Each chapter delves into an element of the immune system， including defenses like antibodies and inflammation as well as threats like bacteria， allergies， and cancer， as Dettmer reveals why boosting your immune system is actually nonsense， how parasites sneak their way past your body's defenses， how viruses work， and what goes on in your wounds when you cut yourself。
Enlivened by engaging graphics and immersive descriptions， Immune turns one of the most intricate， interconnected， and confusing subjects—immunology—into a gripping adventure through an astonishing alien landscape。 Immune is a vital and remarkably fun crash course in what is arguably， and increasingly， the most important system in the body。
Reviews
Nurlan Imangaliyev
，
One of the best books I've ever read。 This book is a great example of a perfect marriage of science， storytelling， art of explanation and beautifully designed infographics。 Kudos to all who worked on this book。 Looking forward to more books from Kurzgesagt team！ One of the best books I've ever read。 This book is a great example of a perfect marriage of science， storytelling， art of explanation and beautifully designed infographics。 Kudos to all who worked on this book。 Looking forward to more books from Kurzgesagt team！ 。。。more
Cuan McLeman
，
This book is amazing， I've learned so much about my immune system and appreciate it so much more。 Kurzgesagt has made such a complicated system so easy （and fun） to learn about and remember。 I can definitely recommend reading this。 If you aren't sure， check out their 10 minute 'How The Immune System ACTUALLY Works – IMMUNE' video， the book is essentially that video， but spanning your entire immune system。 This book is amazing， I've learned so much about my immune system and appreciate it so much more。 Kurzgesagt has made such a complicated system so easy （and fun） to learn about and remember。 I can definitely recommend reading this。 If you aren't sure， check out their 10 minute 'How The Immune System ACTUALLY Works – IMMUNE' video， the book is essentially that video， but spanning your entire immune system。 。。。more
Peter Koutsos
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Best thing I've ever read。 Best thing I've ever read。 。。。more
Roxanne Couture
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Everyone should read this book so we can all understand our immune system in some capacity。 This book can be read by anyone （science background or not） and very easy to read with nice illustrations and humour。 If everyone would understand some of it， we would have less anti-vaxxers during this Covid-19 pandemic…
Ellie
，
As Dettmer acknowledges， "A certain investment of time and pain is necessary to get to the point where you can really appreciate [the immune system]。" He describes this system in an easygoing， down-to-earth， non-scientific way， using a lot of helpful analogies。 It is not an easy read。 There is a vast amount of information to take in。 However， I gained more than information; the book left me with a sense of wonder。 As Dettner states， "[the immune system] is so complex and made up of so many layer As Dettmer acknowledges， "A certain investment of time and pain is necessary to get to the point where you can really appreciate [the immune system]。" He describes this system in an easygoing， down-to-earth， non-scientific way， using a lot of helpful analogies。 It is not an easy read。 There is a vast amount of information to take in。 However， I gained more than information; the book left me with a sense of wonder。 As Dettner states， "[the immune system] is so complex and made up of so many layers that all interact in such ingenious ways---it is like a window into the universe itself。" 。。。more
Jtm83
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Most fascinating read in a while！
Scott Carney
，
FIRST THE GOOD: This is the simplest explanation of the immune system that I've ever come across that doesn't gloss over the startling complexity of the innate and adaptive immune responses。 Dettmer uses simple metaphors to visually explain impenetrable terminology so that even a lay person can understand what is happening。 MHC Class II receptors are hotdog buns， antigens are hotdogs， MHC Class I molecules are portholes into the cellular machinery。 These simple visualizations really help， as do FIRST THE GOOD: This is the simplest explanation of the immune system that I've ever come across that doesn't gloss over the startling complexity of the innate and adaptive immune responses。 Dettmer uses simple metaphors to visually explain impenetrable terminology so that even a lay person can understand what is happening。 MHC Class II receptors are hotdog buns， antigens are hotdogs， MHC Class I molecules are portholes into the cellular machinery。 These simple visualizations really help， as do the illustrations that pull from the brilliance of the Kurgzesagt channel。 I also loved the footnotes that delve into fascinating asides and yet keep the overall story （can you call it a story？） on track。 THE LESS THAN GOOD: Once Dettmer was done explaining the immune pathways--about three quarters of the way through--some of his takeaways start to lose focus。 This is because his intensely reductionist lens that focuses primarily on pathways， has trouble taking in the big picture。 It's not exactly Dettmer's fault--this is the way that every immunology textbook and class I've come across also treats the topic。 But it leads to a really strange cyclical logic。For instance: throughout the book he writes that the immune system is absolutely not conscious--and that immune cells are basically mindless robots whose amazing adaptive properties emerge out of mechanical complexity。 And yet he （and every immunologist I've met） can't resist anthropomorphizing cellular action--by calling macrophages angry， having one cell tell another to do something， communication across the system， recognizing self and other， and a hundred other examples。 Somehow cells "make decisions" and also are "mindless robots"。 In this framing， the adaptive and innate immune system is just an assemblage of parts， which I think misses the point that it's all connected to an unarguably conscious human。 Just because we （sort of） understand how those parts fit together doesn't mean that absolute reductionism is the only way to understand it--indeed， as he demonstrates， we don't even have the language to discuss how an unconscious immune system functions。 This becomes problematic when he begins to scale up to takeaways。 For instance， the book takes casual aim at the wellness industry by suggesting the very idea of "boosting" the immune system is on its face nonsensical and even dangerous。 Then， on the very next page （p281 para 3） he writes "working out also directly boosts your immune system"， contradicting the thesis of the chapter。 Then he says diet doesn't really matter as long as you eat sensibly。 But what sensible eating means is lost in a casual wave of the hand。 His point does stand that there are a lot of people who take advantage of scientific sounding language to sell products， but that really requires a medical anthropological lens more than the tight focus on receptor chains。 In the section on "Stress and the Immune System" he makes another major error。 He correctly notes that stress suppresses the immune system， and how we got here evolutionarily， but then makes a totally crazy statement that the best way to counteract that effect is to further reduce external stress。 So instead of building resilience by exposing yourself to physical stress so that your immune system doesn't react to it so strongly， the suggestion is to further retreat from the world so that when some external force does act on the body you're not ready for it。 IN A NUTSHELL: Overall this book is excellent。 I'd recommend it to absolutely anyone who wants to try to understand all the moving parts of the universe inside your body that keeps you alive。 The takeaways should be taken with a pinch of salt。WHY ONE STAR？: Simply because you， dear review reader， probably sort by one star reviews to see the worst criticism and that's a little unfair。 Five star reviews are often too enthusiastic to be taken seriously， and one star reviews are usually too angry to be useful。 He already had more than enough 5 star reviews to have a nice rating overall and I wanted this review to be useful。 In truth， this is a very good book。 。。。more
Aidan Garcia
，
I am on my knees in awe of the power， intricacy， and glorious dance that is the immune system。I am now informed and very aware of the life and death war that my body wages at every moment。 I got a paper-cut a day ago and instantly though of my macrophages and neutrophils getting in there and making short work of those invaders。Thank you for this incredible journey。 I want to learn more。 I am hungry for knowledge！My personal favourite？ The dendritic cell。 If you don’t have a favourite， don’t talk I am on my knees in awe of the power， intricacy， and glorious dance that is the immune system。I am now informed and very aware of the life and death war that my body wages at every moment。 I got a paper-cut a day ago and instantly though of my macrophages and neutrophils getting in there and making short work of those invaders。Thank you for this incredible journey。 I want to learn more。 I am hungry for knowledge！My personal favourite？ The dendritic cell。 If you don’t have a favourite， don’t talk to me :）Side Note:Take a shot every time a cell commits apoptosis。（If you know you know） 。。。more
L
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Very clever characterization of the immune system， it’s components and their functioning and interrelatedness。 The analogues are quite visual and memorable and in all， the book is a reminder of the incredibleness of the human body，
Tõnis Kasekamp
，
The best book I've read this year。 The immune system is a complex topic， but Phillip Dettmer has made an excellent job of making it understandable。 Recommend so much！ The best book I've read this year。 The immune system is a complex topic， but Phillip Dettmer has made an excellent job of making it understandable。 Recommend so much！ 。。。more
Debbie
，
"Immune" explains how the different parts of the innate and adaptive immune systems work。 This was written by a science writer rather than someone who actively studies the immune system， so it's written for the average person。 He used memorable analogies to explain what goes on， then explained it in "science talk" and finally summarized it all again to make sure the reader understood。 I have some science background， and I thought the author did a good job of explaining this complex subject witho "Immune" explains how the different parts of the innate and adaptive immune systems work。 This was written by a science writer rather than someone who actively studies the immune system， so it's written for the average person。 He used memorable analogies to explain what goes on， then explained it in "science talk" and finally summarized it all again to make sure the reader understood。 I have some science background， and I thought the author did a good job of explaining this complex subject without simplifying to much。 （His chapter on the lymph system included more information than a whole book on lymph that I recently read。 It wasn't more difficult to understand， just more thorough。）The author started by speculating about when the various parts of the immune system evolved。 Throughout the book， he marveled at the complex， amazing immune system and how it evolved。 He next talked about how the skin protects you and how the innate and adaptive immune system react when you're wounded。 He then talked about mucus membranes and explained how the immune system fights a viral （flu） infection starting in your nose。 He explained the individual parts of your immune defenses and how they work together。 He also talked about allergies， autoimmunity， cancer， and how you don't actually want to boost your immune system （you want it in balance） and things you can do to support proper immune function （quit smoking and reduce stress）。 There were occasional graphics showing parts of the immune system or how it worked， but they're difficult to read on my Kindle。 Overall， I'd recommend this informative， easy to follow book。I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley。 。。。more
WarlockBravo
，
This should mandatory reading。 Amazing book。
Diane Henry
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A terrific overview of our immune system and easy to understand。 Its a pretty fast read。 It’s telling that even this incredibly simplified tour of our immune system is over 300 pages long。 If you are at all interested in how your immune system does it’s thing， you should read this。 Dettmer’s writing style is really annoying; he’s like a teacher who’s trying to be cool by telling fart jokes all the time。 Still， though， his metaphors do help you track all the many， many components of the immune sy A terrific overview of our immune system and easy to understand。 Its a pretty fast read。 It’s telling that even this incredibly simplified tour of our immune system is over 300 pages long。 If you are at all interested in how your immune system does it’s thing， you should read this。 Dettmer’s writing style is really annoying; he’s like a teacher who’s trying to be cool by telling fart jokes all the time。 Still， though， his metaphors do help you track all the many， many components of the immune system and what they are doing。 I’ve read a couple of intro books on immunology and nothing has stuck quite as well as this will。 I also appreciated the strong pro-science viewpoint taken throughout。 There’s a nice quick chapter on “boosting the immune system” （spoiler: you can’t and you wouldn’t want to）。 Dettmer’s wonder at how powerful and complicated it all is shines through and it’s fun to be awe of it with him。 。。。more
Kathryn Lau
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Amazing book！ An accessible， yet still sophisticated overview of our immune system， with some really beautiful and humorous illustrations。 I borrowed this from the library， but would consider buying it to flip through again and again。
Bonny
，
I've tried to keep my collection of "real books" under control， only buying those that I really want to re-read or are special enough to have a copy at hand。 Immune is one of those special books。 I was thrilled to be the first person to check out the library copy， and delighted to find that it was a "Goldilocks" sort of book for me。 Philipp Dettmer has written this with just the right amount of information - not too much to overwhelm and not too little to dumb down the complex immune system。 I h I've tried to keep my collection of "real books" under control， only buying those that I really want to re-read or are special enough to have a copy at hand。 Immune is one of those special books。 I was thrilled to be the first person to check out the library copy， and delighted to find that it was a "Goldilocks" sort of book for me。 Philipp Dettmer has written this with just the right amount of information - not too much to overwhelm and not too little to dumb down the complex immune system。 I had a graduate course in immunology decades ago， but this is one of those subjects that has changed and been added to quite a bit in the intervening time。 This is a brilliant book for explaining how the immune system works， how vaccines work， what happens when the immune system becomes too active， and so much more information that we all need to understand。 The brilliant writing （with memorable metaphors） and colorful illustrations make this book a joy to read， and highly recommended for all adult humans。 I was not familiar with the author's Kurzgesagt （In a Nutshell） youtube channel， but I've spent loads of time watching it this evening。 。。。more
Cristi Zamfir
，
The effort and time Philipp Dettmer put into this book to make it so simple and clear it is incredible。 The science accuracy is on point but it still manages to make everything feel like an incredible and intriguing story。 I would recommend this book to everyone interested about medicine and immunology。 Anyone can read it and understand it。 For persons that are not into the medical system this book would be a revelation and it will show how amazing， intelligent and complex your immune system is。 The effort and time Philipp Dettmer put into this book to make it so simple and clear it is incredible。 The science accuracy is on point but it still manages to make everything feel like an incredible and intriguing story。 I would recommend this book to everyone interested about medicine and immunology。 Anyone can read it and understand it。 For persons that are not into the medical system this book would be a revelation and it will show how amazing， intelligent and complex your immune system is。 The images and graphics in this book create a beautiful anthropomorphism that will make you admire and love your little cells that defend you。 The information in this book will also help you identify fake news and fake marketing claims about medicine faster。 。。。more
Yashaser
，
HOW CAN I READ THIS BOOK WITHOUT BUYING IT
Nisham Mohammed
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Explaining something complex clearly and concisely is hard。Explaining something complex， clearly and concisely in a manner that it is engaging， memorable and fun is damn near impossible。 This book makes it look effortless。Highly recommended for anyone who wants a layman's intro into immune system。 Been looking for such an intro myself for a while and when I realized this book was about to come out， basically stopped searching and waited for it to release。 And boy did it pay off。 Explaining something complex clearly and concisely is hard。Explaining something complex， clearly and concisely in a manner that it is engaging， memorable and fun is damn near impossible。 This book makes it look effortless。Highly recommended for anyone who wants a layman's intro into immune system。 Been looking for such an intro myself for a while and when I realized this book was about to come out， basically stopped searching and waited for it to release。 And boy did it pay off。 。。。more
Econbro0150
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Extremely to understand and absolutely loved it！
Martijn
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In één ruk uitgelezen。 Wat een goed boek！
Daniel Turri
，
merita！
Laurel
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Immunology is not my forte…But this illustrated book was SO interesting and the metaphors were so understandable， hilarious and entertaining- that I learnt things by pure accident。 I’ve loved thinking of my body’s organs and interior like that old animated cell movie - forgot the movie name 🤦🏻♀️ But now I can visualize my immune system like black rhinos and suicide bombers with my T-cells carrying loaded hot dogs in buns…This book WAS a purchase for me - complete with annotations - along with b Immunology is not my forte…But this illustrated book was SO interesting and the metaphors were so understandable， hilarious and entertaining- that I learnt things by pure accident。 I’ve loved thinking of my body’s organs and interior like that old animated cell movie - forgot the movie name 🤦🏻♀️ But now I can visualize my immune system like black rhinos and suicide bombers with my T-cells carrying loaded hot dogs in buns…This book WAS a purchase for me - complete with annotations - along with bunny bacteria notes 🐇 。。。more
Vaishak Salin
，
Phillip Dettmer is the best teacher。 He breaks down a complicated topic like the human immune system into bite sized chunks， filled with wonderful analogies and humor。 It’s easy to read and you’ll leave with a good understanding of how the immune system works。
Adam K
，
4。5 stars rounded up to 5This book is an excellent introduction to all of the complexities and fascinating mechanisms of the immune system。 The tone is very casual and conversational， and I think Dettmer does a good job of simplifying incredibly complicated concepts into easy-to-understand analogies or explanations that could even work for a high school-level reader。 The jokes are sometimes a bit silly， and perhaps even a little juvenile at times， but the educational value is certainly there and 4。5 stars rounded up to 5This book is an excellent introduction to all of the complexities and fascinating mechanisms of the immune system。 The tone is very casual and conversational， and I think Dettmer does a good job of simplifying incredibly complicated concepts into easy-to-understand analogies or explanations that could even work for a high school-level reader。 The jokes are sometimes a bit silly， and perhaps even a little juvenile at times， but the educational value is certainly there and， as such， I think the book accomplished what it set out to do。 The illustrations are great and， though it could certainly have used more of them， most of them did help to clarify parts of the text。 And even though I felt he complained about the nomenclature in the field of immunology a little too much， you could really get a sense of the passion and excitement that Dettmer has for the topic。 The immune system is something that everyone could probably benefit from knowing more about， and I think this book could be a great place to start。 。。。more
DeteHo
，
Heyho und Hallo！Fünf Sterne für Immun！ Ist das ein unterhaltsames und verständlich aufbereitetes Buch über unser aller Immunsystem。Zunächst möchte ich noch erwähnen， dass ich das Hörbuch gehört habe。 Das wird von Christoph Jablonka gelesen， der den bereits äußerst unterhaltsamen Text noch einmal mit seiner Stimme aufwertet。 Großes Lob an Hörbuch Hamburg für die Sprecherwahl！Warum gibt's fünf Sterne？ Das hat sowohl mit dem Sprecher， aber vielmehr mit den Inhalten des Buchs sowie der Art und Weise Heyho und Hallo！Fünf Sterne für Immun！ Ist das ein unterhaltsames und verständlich aufbereitetes Buch über unser aller Immunsystem。Zunächst möchte ich noch erwähnen， dass ich das Hörbuch gehört habe。 Das wird von Christoph Jablonka gelesen， der den bereits äußerst unterhaltsamen Text noch einmal mit seiner Stimme aufwertet。 Großes Lob an Hörbuch Hamburg für die Sprecherwahl！Warum gibt's fünf Sterne？ Das hat sowohl mit dem Sprecher， aber vielmehr mit den Inhalten des Buchs sowie der Art und Weise der Vermittlung zu tun。 Der Autor Philipp Dettmer hat sich bemüht， ein allgemein verständliches Buch herauszubringen， das eben nicht vor Fachwörten strotzt。 Die gibt es natürlich trotzdem und manche Funktionsweisen des Immunsystems sind auch nicht so einfach zu verstehen。 Doch der Autor erschafft wundervolle Vergleiche zur Verbildlichung und nutzt dazu teilweise sogar Figuren unserer Popkultur。Des Weiteren ist die Aufbereitung einfach sehr laienfreundlich。 Alles wird Schritt für Schritt erklärt und gewisse Inhalte werden teilweise noch einmal wiederholt， sollte deren Erklärung schon etwas her sein und im späteren Buchverlauf noch einmal wichtig werden。 Zuletzt gibt es Zusammenfassungen über das gerade frisch Erlernte。 Als würde ein sympathischer Biologielehrer sich einmal so richtig Zeit für die Erklärung des Immunsystems nehmen - super！Immun ist aber kein Buch für Kinder oder Jugendliche， dafür ist die ganze Thematik dann doch noch zu komplex。 Zudem sind manche Bilder zur Veranschaulichung， die der Autor nutzt， nicht unbedingt jugendfrei bzw。 für Kinderohren gedacht。 Mehr will ich darauf nicht eingehen， aber unser Immunsystem macht teilweise sehr schräge Dinge， entsprechend schräg sind so manche Bilder。Auf jeden Fall gehört Immun zu meinen persönlichen Büchern des Jahres。 Ein tolles Buch für alle， die auf wirklich unterhaltsame Art und Weise mehr über unser Immunsystem erfahren wollen。 In Zeiten von Corona - aber auch generell - ist es gar nicht so verkehrt， mehr über das körpereigene Schutzsystem zu wissen。Absolute Lese- oder Hörempfehlung。 :-） 。。。more
Wesley Machiela
，
Have you ever wanted to have a better understanding of how you stay healthy？ Immune takes an overview approach to examining the immune system while deep diving into specific details and interactions inside of the complex system that keeps us all healthy。 In a nutshell， the book switches between dramatic story-like scenarios about what happens inside your cells when you get a cut and the more logical and scientific explanations。 I would recommend this book to anyone， you don't have to be interest Have you ever wanted to have a better understanding of how you stay healthy？ Immune takes an overview approach to examining the immune system while deep diving into specific details and interactions inside of the complex system that keeps us all healthy。 In a nutshell， the book switches between dramatic story-like scenarios about what happens inside your cells when you get a cut and the more logical and scientific explanations。 I would recommend this book to anyone， you don't have to be interested in science to find the subject fascinating。 And quite honestly as the author points out near the end of the book this is something that everyone could benefit to take more time to learn about as this science plays out every single day of our lives inside the ecosystem that is the human body。 。。。more
Pooh
，
Immune This book is very good and easy to understand even as a 9 year old child， I really enjoy reading this book。
Annie
，
Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader。 Immune is a layman accessible and thorough look at the immune system by Phillipp Dettmer。 Released 2nd Nov 2021 by Penguin Random House， it's 368 pages and is available in hardcover， audio， and ebook formats。 It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout。 I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately。 The author is a gifted teacher （from an unexpect Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader。 Immune is a layman accessible and thorough look at the immune system by Phillipp Dettmer。 Released 2nd Nov 2021 by Penguin Random House， it's 368 pages and is available in hardcover， audio， and ebook formats。 It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout。 I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately。 The author is a gifted teacher （from an unexpectedly non-academic background） and this is what I would call a layman accessible academic treatise of the subject in all its difficult subtleties。 I enjoyed poring over the chapters。I found the entire book quite interesting and fascinating。 It is， admittedly， a niche book and will appeal to readers interested in biology and physiology。 The language is accessible and informal。 The author has a gift at distilling difficult and complex concepts into smaller digestible bits and I can imagine he would be an engaging and worthwhile lecturer。Five stars。 This is well and deeply researched and engaging。Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes。 。。。more
Ryk Good
，
Just as amazing as the Kurzgesagt videos！ Excellent！
Ye Yuan
，