7th period - Type a paragraph review for A Viral Storm while trying to come up with some unique points that are not listed above. Reply to this post with your thoughts as a comment
The book was compelling to read because the book included much information about viruses. Dr. Wolfe describes the age as a pandemic age, where mass communication happens virtually instantly. One of the major points that Wolfe focuses on is the five different classes of infectious diseases that he and his colleague Jared Diamond figured out. Category One viruses only exist in animals, such as one that is limited to fish. Category two diseases only come from animals, but can’t spread from person to person, such as rabies, while Category Five diseases can only be transmitted from person to person. Dr. Wolfe also say that we are entering an age where the pandemics start to grow because there is just so much global interconnectivity that happens, and humans are able to get from halfway across the world within hours. This makes the chance that diseases travel from one city to another even greater. However, I think that they are doing a great thing to help out the communities in central Africa, as the places there have very little access to adequate sanitation, definitely not state of the art treatment facilities for the sick. Overall, the book explains much of the basics of the global effects of viruses in the medical and disease environment. Sharan Ravigopal
Viral Storm was one of the few required reading books I can actually say I enjoyed on a personal level and from an educational perspective. Nathan Wolfe managed to incorporate vital information on the worlds nastiest and more deadly viruses while spinning for his readers an intricate tale of his journey into his field of study. Rather then being just another dry cut book of facts that students would gaze over with glassy eyes and dazed faces, The Viral Storm read more like an actual novel one might expect to pick up in literature class. Wolfe opens several captures with vivid descriptions of several of the remote area's of Africa he visited in order to peruse his passion and research of these deadly microbes which helped draw readers into the book as well as made it an easier set up for identifying and digesting important key pieces of information that are provided all throughout the book. While sneaking in a few humerus comments about his fellow researchers and his own personal experience with some of these potentially fatal diseases Wolfe manages to captivate his readers and by the end of the book he has them wanting to dig further into the immense and unknown world of microbes that surround us -Anna Marie Chadwick
The Viral Storm was a very interesting book that I had not expected to read this summer. Nathan Wolfe tells his encounters with the world on a microscopic level in both Africa and Asia. But as dull at that may seem at first glance, there is much than meets the eye. He create vivid images in the readers minds of the many dangers and life threatening conditions he's in whilst searching for the origin of most virus' in the world and how the scientist of that time would race against the clock to find the cure. As the readers learn from the Wolfe about the effects of virus' and how they are able to spread, they also watch how Wolfe explores these places and tells the untold stories of evolution as if you were there with him, finding the chimpanzees attack the pray in the upper Congo, dealing with malaria, and so much more. He also explains throughout the book what exactly virus' and bacteria can spread through manners of touch, sneeze, cough, and much more and he explains it so well that it could make a person rethink their own cleanliness. The book also creates somewhat of a thrill ride for the readers as they enter the life of Wolfe and watch as he pursues his dreams and struggles to find the origins of virus'. The Viral Storm is a fulfilling novel that is truly teaches readers about the true dangers of microorganisms through a novel full real life events of Nathan Wolfe. Leonard hayes
I actually really liked this book, The Viral Storm, because the author didn't make the subject boring and really tried to make it real for you. A lot of science books either try way too hard to get your attention or are really boring. But this author laid the information down and gave the truth to you straight. I like how he didn't try to sweeten the truth: our world is full of tiny viruses that can, and will, infect anything. I also liked how he explained everything out to you so you could understand what all the hullabaloo was about in the scientific community. I have been able to connect many of the things I learned about in this book with some of my other classes, such as the story of Ötze the Iceman who was found in the Alps(p. 145). We've been talking about him in my AP World History class. It has also been awesome learning about the many viruses that are out in the world that the world ignores. It is so true what he says about humans' inability to accurately assess risks in our society. " From April 2001 to August 2002, a period which includes the 9/11 attacks, it's estimated that around eight thousand people died from terrorism. From April 2009 to August 2010, the same period of time but eight years later, over eighteen thousand people were confirmed dead from the H1N1 pandemic alone- a pandemic dismissed by the public as insignificant. And that number is certainly an underestimate. I'm not claiming that proportionality in deaths is the only factor we should take into account when preparing for threats. But the trillions of dollars spent to prevent terrorism seem wildly disproportionate to actual risks when we put the threats in their proper context. (p. 245)" Paige Johnson
While reading The Viral Storm, I cannot say I was having the best experience of my lifetime. However, I can say that I learned enormous amounts of new things about viruses and the diseases that they cause. Before reading this book, I had next to no clue about what the first thing about viruses was. All I knew was of that Ebola guy they quarantined in Atlanta over the summer. In fact, when I reached the part of the book where they mentioned Ebola, I became exited and said,” Wow I think I actually know something about this!” But then I read it and realized I had no clue what the first thing about Ebola was either, so go figure. Aside from all of this, I actually find this book interesting, and it gave me tons of new information about viruses. The author, Nathan Wolfe, told of his experiences working alongside many famous virologists and specialists to study viruses and the diseases they cause. He mentioned Ebola, Hepatitis, HIV, AIDS, Smallpox, Monkeypox, Influenza, Malaria, Rabies, and more. One of my favorite and most interesting topics mentioned in this book (at least in my opinion) is the classification of viruses. By this, I mean the system where a virus can be classified as a different stage from one through five. What I found interesting about this is that a virus can evolve from being stage 1, being only in animals, all the way to stage 4 or 5, being all or mostly all infected in humans, which becomes a serious pandemic. I think pandemics are especially interesting since a pandemic would have to mean a virus spread on all continents (except Antarctica). Even though this is highly unlikely, viruses such as smallpox, influenza, and HIV have done it before. In my opinion, it is extremely interesting to learn how a virus can evolve and mutate to become a full-fledged pandemic. All in all, I think that this book, while boring at times, gave me gigantic amounts of information on some of the viruses around the world and what diseases they can cause. Hussain Naib
The Viral Storm was not like i thought it was going to be. I really enjoyed it. Many of these viruses I had no idea about, I mean i heard of them, but I did not know a lot of information about it. Wolfe had some pretty awesome ways of describing all these viruses to the readers. Even through some of his own experiences which he clearly was ok with. Much of this information i would have not acquired without reading this book. When reading the first page I began to think "oh no another one of those boring summer reading books i wont want to finish". I can honestly say i read every page of the book and managed to understand and stay awake through out the book. He had a very good way of explaining each virus to the readers and the different stages viruses can be in. I always thought viruses where just some simple little microbe that just happened to get us sick, and that there was not much more to them. I was obviously proven wrong. I am amazed on how he can keep readers reading with the use of the vivid description he says. My knowledge on viruses have expanded and they are more interesting than i originally thought they would be. Haylie Dixon
Shrey Patel The Viral Storm by Nathan Wolfe was probably one of the best science book I have read so far. The way he explains every organism, every one of his experience . and the viruses causing a pandemic in very specific details. He would try to get the audience into every chapter by adding his personal experience to a place he went to or how he survived malaria 3 times! He gave out facts left and right to show us that it has happened or it is happening now. The truth behind the viruses he explains helped find some vaccines to it and even warning people today. The work with his colleagues help get more perspective on the organism and unknown virus. It was just interesting to learn more about a single viruses in depth. I also know a virus because its all over the news, but now I understand how some originated and where they came from. I think Nathan Wolfe did a great job about explaining that. I also found some facts he said really interesting. first would be his organization about tracking viruses and outbreaks throughout the world easily and finding a vaccine quickly. Also the fact about how a girl with a heart condition lived 11 days with a baboon heart in her. Nathan Wolfe made learning about viruses in a fun way, and I know I had learned a lot from his experiences.
I liked this book more than I thought I would. I already knew some basics about how viruses spread and how many people die from them, but I never had any idea how many viruses there were around me. I had always seen statistics about how many people a year die from pandemic diseases like the flu, but I never believed how dangerous they could be. I didn't even understand that there could be so large a variety of viruses in the world. I never wanted to live in a place like New York City where it is extremely crowded, but this book really helped me see how such a packed area could be no different from a farm when it comes to being the perfect place for viruses and disease to spread. It also showed me how the many ways of transportation and communication could also aid in the spreading of pandemic diseases. Learning about how far we had come in science in respects to learning about viruses was pretty interesting. Overall, I liked this book. It isn't the most interesting book, and I probably won't find myself reading it for fun, but I found it easy to understand and very informative.
The main focus of the novel The Viral Storm by Nathan Wolfe is viruses. This includes the discussion of what scientists know about them (since our knowledge is still quite limited), how hunting has dramatically increased the risks for acquiring new and deadly microbes, the events that have led up to changes in microbial repertoires, and how viruses spread. Some of the viruses discussed in detail are smallpox, HIV, malaria, monkeypox, cholera, SIV (in African monkeys), Ebola, and H1N1. This book also highlights how an infectious agent in animals can go from spreading in animals only, to animals to humans, and eventually to humans only. Furthermore, Nathan Wolfe discusses how the goal of public health should not be to eradicate all viral agents, but to merely control the deadly ones. As a final point, much is talked about how pandemics can originate and how important it is to realize they are neither predictable or preventable. However, with the technology continuing to advance, we may soon be able to "build a global immune system." I truly enjoyed this book because in the midst of discussing these topics, Wolfe manages to use personal experiences and hypothetical scenarios and make several cases of the discovery of a virus or a procedure in which viruses are used seem like a story instead of statements. I much prefer this type of writing rather than textbook style, plain facts. It makes it much more interesting and easier to maintain focus.
I enjoyed reading the Viral Storm more than I expected to. Nathan Wolfe managed to put viruses into a kind of perspective that I had not considered before. It had never fully occurred to me just how much of an opportunity learning to control viruses could be. The fact that they could be used to help take down other fellow viruses sounded very promising. Nathan Wolfe has so many stories about other countries that he's visited and casual accounts of his struggles with malaria that it makes anyone else's life sound boring. While I'm not the biggest fan of his constant interjection of ape to human evolution into his reasoning for multiple things, I found that Wolfe was full of boundless information that was interesting to read. The book got slightly dry by the end, but as an overall whole, it gave a good idea of what future viruses may look like and how they may affect our world. -Katelyn Mayo
The Viral Storm was a surprisingly decent book. The beginning of each chapter really hooked you on. The beginning told events, like the monkey gland operation, the finding of the first virus and many more. These stories put a real life perspective on how viruses can affect us from doing simple things like caring for a sick animal. As we continued on into each chapter, the beginning of the chapter was further explained in a more a scientific meaning. While the middle may not have been as interesting as the beginning, it served the purpose of educating us on the many different viruses. The ending, however, made you really think and put some of Wolfe’s ideas into perspective. Overall this book really educated and changed my view points on viruses.
The Viral storm was a information filled book that provided me with lots of information about viruses and microbes. There were many things that i knew from he beginning and some things that i haven't even heard about. He provided enough information to make the books message clearly conveyed. I also loved how he incorporated his personal experiences with the book to make it an even more attention grabbing read. The book demonstrated the virus from a microbe level and that explained a lot about the viruses and how the transfer to other host. He also used other references ands stories from around the world like the Bird flu one and he elaborated on it and made the book a little bit emotional also. Over all The Viral Storm was a great read which explained allot about viruses and i would recommend this to other students who are taking Biology. Amaan Ismail
The Viral Storm was one of the more enjoyable summer reading books I have ever read. It definitely beats any history class. The book was filled with extremely detailed accounts of each virus origin along with the implications of each outbreak. The Viral Storm hits every prominent killer virus in the past few centuries, from small pox to HIV. Wolfe did not disappoint in his supply of raw information. One interesting fact I learned was that viruses are truly the most diverse and undiscovered "organisms" in the world. Especially since they outnumber all other human life by billions, it's surprising that everyone isn't a hypochondriac. The possibilities of studying pandemics; in their origins, spreading, and prevention could save the human race someday. The early detection of pandemics like H1N1 or in recent times, Ebola, could mean the difference of millions of lives by containing and neutralizing said infections. If Nathan Wolfe's dream of a global immune system detecting pandemics before they originate comes to fruition, it would truly be the greatest global health service organization in human history. I suspect that in the future, we will see much more on viruses affecting human lives, since the field of virology is truly one of the last frontiers in the discovery of new organisms.
The Viral Storm by Nathan Wolfe was an interesting book. It was a very informational and entertaining book. The book covers the entire story of viruses from its discovery to its status today in our world. The book contained effects of viruses, both good and bad as well as the remedies or cures for the problems created by viruses. It also talked about the mediums through these viruses spread and for each virus, the mediums differ. Wolfe talked about different cures for the viruses and the history of it. Wolfe's book also contained stories of his life that connected to the topic. This made the book more interesting. Through Wolfe's stories, facts and information about viruses, one could easily picture the virus and its actions. The Viral Storm was a really good read with tons of information and interesting sections along the way.
The Viral Storm was the first science book that isn’t a textbook I’ve read. Initially I expected a book filled with pointless facts about viruses. The fact that Wolfe was able to incorporate his personal experiences and theories in the book made it much less bland however some of the “pointless facts” turned out to be quite interesting. The thought of reading a whole book about viruses didn’t seem ideal but in the end it turned out to be a great read. In the book Wolfe is able to hit on the big ideas such as the history and definition of a pandemic to smaller, complex ideas that consider the factors that contributed to some of the world’s deadliest diseases. While offering all the basic information you would expect out of a virus novel Wolfe also provides you with specific data sets and experiments to help support theories and ideas. Not only does Wolfe explain and thoroughly talk about different diseases and microbes but he also takes the time to explain how the technology we have and need to find pandemics before they even start. Overall the book is much more than a simple virus book. It’s an educational read about viruses and the world around them.
The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age by Nathan Wolfe was an extremely good book. Not only was it informative on how viruses act and how we have defeated them in the past, but Nathan gives the reader information that can inspire his or her own conclusions. Examples of this are found throughout the book. Wolfe relates information and examples about viruses being contracted in remote areas by hunters. Additionally, he explains how one animal farm can infect millions due to a single animal being distributed to multiple consumers. With compelling examples such as these, it is not hard to see just how easy the entire human race can be put on the brink of extinction; all it would take is a virus that can transmit quickly and stealthily. Monkey pox is a clear example for such a virus. The only reason it hasn’t become a global pandemic is because of its isolation from the rest of the global population. There were a lot of scenarios Nathan Wolfe described that proved almost terrifying in their realism. The reader can easily imagine a viral spread throughout the world in the hypothetical stories he tells. Overall, The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age was definitely my favorite summer reading book, and I plan to continue to use it as a resource for viral information.
The Viral Storm by Nathan Wolfe might not be the most interesting read to the average person, but anyone with basic interest in the subject will find the wide variety of subjects immersive and engaging. Wolfe covers a wide variety of topics ranging from viral transmission to pandemic prevention to viral mutations. A particlarly interesting case is his HIV study, where he was able to trace HIV into twelve isolated villages, each carrying a unique strain that appeared to be closer to the original HIV strain transfered from animal to human. This viral analysis shows off various methods researchers use to trace viral ancestry which can help their research when it comes to cures or origins, and in this HIV case it also shows the astounding capabilities of the virus to mutate, as seen in the over twelve unique strains, which will entertain and frighten readers. Wolfe also spends a great deal discussing pandemic prevention, with a simple but promising solution being text messages between hospitals in developing countries, which is particularly interesting due to its ease and simplicity. Readers will find new technologies in Wolfe's book, which might be simple or complex, to be interesting in their influence of the spread of diseases or the prevention of such. Overall, the book contains a huge variety of topics which will appeal to many readers, from frightening possibilities of transmission and rampant mutation, to new technologies designed to halt such outbreaks. Anyone with a mild interest in the topics in the book should give it a try. -Admiral Zheng
The Viral Storm by Nathan Wolfe is an interesting read that describes viruses and how they have impacted human society. Wolfe uses personal anecdotes to provide very entertaining interludes about his experiences with viral diseases. He mentions his encounters with Malaria, which he obtained three times and still somehow managed to survive. Wolfe’s book provides multiple explanations about different viruses that plague the world such as HIV, Swine Flu, Bird Flu, HPV and many others. He provides many facts in this book, but he also keeps it engaging, which makes it a very effective book. Wolfe also explains various intricate ideas regarding the transmission of viruses and how they can be stopped. Viruses have the ability to mutate and evolve quickly, and it is very frightening to think that these tiny microbial organisms can kill humans within days or weeks. In this book, Wolfe informs his readers about the research that has been done that can combat this oncoming “viral storm.” His book provides a new perspective on viruses and it can change the way humans view and treat viruses. Scientists like Wolfe should continue to publish books on their research, because it is a great step towards fixing one of the many problems our world faces today. Asad Lalani
The viral storm by Nathan Wolfe wasn't like any other science novel that I've read before. It contained compelling statistics and an interesting outlook on viruses. Wolfe does a very good job of explaining the nature of viruses through personal experiences. Having contracted Malaria 3 times and being an expert in the viral world wolf's work is very credible and interesting. Not only does the book expand on your knowledge of viruses but it engages you and really gets you thinking about different treatments, vaccinations etc. Overall, if you're looking for a compelling novel that engages you, The Viral Storm is just for you Daniel Sviridenkov
Batul Momin The Viral Storm by Nathan Wolfe was one of the most intriguing books I have ever read. The book did not engage me at first, but the mention of microbial life and how it connects to the world really involved me with the text. Wolfe manages to inform readers about how we truly are nearing a pandemic age by providing personal accounts with viruses as well as secondary sources. The book covers a vast amount of diseases and deadly viruses; some of which include HIV, HPV, smallpox, malaria, monkeypox, etc. The most captivating part of the book was when Wolfe broke the evolution of a virus into different stages. The virus first begins with only animal transmission and slowly moves up the chain towards a human host. This is largely in part due to our large and vastly interconnected world, including roads and waterways which were some of the earliest forms of virus transmission. In conclusion, this book is a great read for all virologists and people who are interested in how we have neared a pandemic age as we as a “viral storm.”
I think the book was expansive based on what I already knew about viruses. His encounters with all the viruses served to be more interesting than I expected from a biology summer reading assignment. It wasn’t an impossible book to read, it was easily understandable. His personal experiences added the most interest for me, and kept me awake while reading the book. I didn’t expect to find the book as informative, yet as appealing as I did. Nathans own interest on the subject portrayed well in the book, and wasn’t It definitely expanded my knowledge on the various viruses around the world. I also found it interesting that most viruses start out in other species, then work their way up and infect humans. I also think Nathan Wolfe did a great job in portraying how various animals are closely related to us, and we can use their organs for organ transplants in humans. Wolfe put himself in so many dangerous positions to investigate different viruses all around the world, and it was really cool how he was able to give in depth information about each virus and keep me attentive at the same time. ~ Nikki Puvvada
The Viral Storm was actually an interesting book to read. When reading the novel, it was fascinating to see how easy viruses can transfer from animals to animals or animals to humans. Every time I read the real life stories in which the humans would suffer from physical and neurological symptoms, it was as if I was reading an investigation book in which researchers try to find out who is the murderer- in this case were viruses and bacteria. This book was easy to read and easy to understand. It didn't like a textbook with fancy words but rather a leisure time book. This book made me become more knowledgeable and educated about viruses and the potential threat they have to the whole planet. -Magie Huynh
The Viral Storm by Nathan Wolfe was an intriguing book. It was a nice balance between textbook facts combined with a story line. However on the negative side I did find it a bit repetitive at times. The best parts of the book, in my mind, were his observations on the connected nature of our world today. I find it quite paradoxical that the interconnected world we live in is the major cause for the upstart of many new deadly microbes and it is also the future for preventing these out breaks. The fact that we are interconnected provides many new routes that microbes can take in spreading from human to human. Conversely, social networks that connect us, including Google, Facebook, Twitter, and even the cellphone, are all tools that we can use to predict future outbreaks and prevent them from occurring. On a side note, Wolfe proposed a situation that deals with HIV/AIDS that I had not thought of before. I knew that HIV/AIDS weakens the immune system and understood that people die from other diseases that attack the weakened immune system but it was never brought to my attention that these people provide a spring board for new deadly diseases that we have not seen before. I also found it fascinating that after reading this book I was more aware of my connection to others and I became conscious of the ways I could be infected by others around me. -Alex Weisel
The book was compelling to read because the book included much information about viruses. Dr. Wolfe describes the age as a pandemic age, where mass communication happens virtually instantly. One of the major points that Wolfe focuses on is the five different classes of infectious diseases that he and his colleague Jared Diamond figured out. Category One viruses only exist in animals, such as one that is limited to fish. Category two diseases only come from animals, but can’t spread from person to person, such as rabies, while Category Five diseases can only be transmitted from person to person. Dr. Wolfe also say that we are entering an age where the pandemics start to grow because there is just so much global interconnectivity that happens, and humans are able to get from halfway across the world within hours. This makes the chance that diseases travel from one city to another even greater. However, I think that they are doing a great thing to help out the communities in central Africa, as the places there have very little access to adequate sanitation, definitely not state of the art treatment facilities for the sick. Overall, the book explains much of the basics of the global effects of viruses in the medical and disease environment. Sharan Ravigopal
ReplyDeleteViral Storm was one of the few required reading books I can actually say I enjoyed on a personal level and from an educational perspective. Nathan Wolfe managed to incorporate vital information on the worlds nastiest and more deadly viruses while spinning for his readers an intricate tale of his journey into his field of study. Rather then being just another dry cut book of facts that students would gaze over with glassy eyes and dazed faces, The Viral Storm read more like an actual novel one might expect to pick up in literature class. Wolfe opens several captures with vivid descriptions of several of the remote area's of Africa he visited in order to peruse his passion and research of these deadly microbes which helped draw readers into the book as well as made it an easier set up for identifying and digesting important key pieces of information that are provided all throughout the book. While sneaking in a few humerus comments about his fellow researchers and his own personal experience with some of these potentially fatal diseases Wolfe manages to captivate his readers and by the end of the book he has them wanting to dig further into the immense and unknown world of microbes that surround us
ReplyDelete-Anna Marie Chadwick
The Viral Storm was a very interesting book that I had not expected to read this summer. Nathan Wolfe tells his encounters with the world on a microscopic level in both Africa and Asia. But as dull at that may seem at first glance, there is much than meets the eye. He create vivid images in the readers minds of the many dangers and life threatening conditions he's in whilst searching for the origin of most virus' in the world and how the scientist of that time would race against the clock to find the cure. As the readers learn from the Wolfe about the effects of virus' and how they are able to spread, they also watch how Wolfe explores these places and tells the untold stories of evolution as if you were there with him, finding the chimpanzees attack the pray in the upper Congo, dealing with malaria, and so much more. He also explains throughout the book what exactly virus' and bacteria can spread through manners of touch, sneeze, cough, and much more and he explains it so well that it could make a person rethink their own cleanliness. The book also creates somewhat of a thrill ride for the readers as they enter the life of Wolfe and watch as he pursues his dreams and struggles to find the origins of virus'. The Viral Storm is a fulfilling novel that is truly teaches readers about the true dangers of microorganisms through a novel full real life events of Nathan Wolfe.
ReplyDeleteLeonard hayes
I actually really liked this book, The Viral Storm, because the author didn't make the subject boring and really tried to make it real for you. A lot of science books either try way too hard to get your attention or are really boring. But this author laid the information down and gave the truth to you straight. I like how he didn't try to sweeten the truth: our world is full of tiny viruses that can, and will, infect anything. I also liked how he explained everything out to you so you could understand what all the hullabaloo was about in the scientific community. I have been able to connect many of the things I learned about in this book with some of my other classes, such as the story of Ötze the Iceman who was found in the Alps(p. 145). We've been talking about him in my AP World History class.
ReplyDeleteIt has also been awesome learning about the many viruses that are out in the world that the world ignores. It is so true what he says about humans' inability to accurately assess risks in our society. " From April 2001 to August 2002, a period which includes the 9/11 attacks, it's estimated that around eight thousand people died from terrorism. From April 2009 to August 2010, the same period of time but eight years later, over eighteen thousand people were confirmed dead from the H1N1 pandemic alone- a pandemic dismissed by the public as insignificant. And that number is certainly an underestimate. I'm not claiming that proportionality in deaths is the only factor we should take into account when preparing for threats. But the trillions of dollars spent to prevent terrorism seem wildly disproportionate to actual risks when we put the threats in their proper context. (p. 245)"
Paige Johnson
While reading The Viral Storm, I cannot say I was having the best experience of my lifetime. However, I can say that I learned enormous amounts of new things about viruses and the diseases that they cause. Before reading this book, I had next to no clue about what the first thing about viruses was. All I knew was of that Ebola guy they quarantined in Atlanta over the summer. In fact, when I reached the part of the book where they mentioned Ebola, I became exited and said,” Wow I think I actually know something about this!” But then I read it and realized I had no clue what the first thing about Ebola was either, so go figure. Aside from all of this, I actually find this book interesting, and it gave me tons of new information about viruses. The author, Nathan Wolfe, told of his experiences working alongside many famous virologists and specialists to study viruses and the diseases they cause. He mentioned Ebola, Hepatitis, HIV, AIDS, Smallpox, Monkeypox, Influenza, Malaria, Rabies, and more. One of my favorite and most interesting topics mentioned in this book (at least in my opinion) is the classification of viruses. By this, I mean the system where a virus can be classified as a different stage from one through five. What I found interesting about this is that a virus can evolve from being stage 1, being only in animals, all the way to stage 4 or 5, being all or mostly all infected in humans, which becomes a serious pandemic. I think pandemics are especially interesting since a pandemic would have to mean a virus spread on all continents (except Antarctica). Even though this is highly unlikely, viruses such as smallpox, influenza, and HIV have done it before. In my opinion, it is extremely interesting to learn how a virus can evolve and mutate to become a full-fledged pandemic. All in all, I think that this book, while boring at times, gave me gigantic amounts of information on some of the viruses around the world and what diseases they can cause.
ReplyDeleteHussain Naib
The Viral Storm was not like i thought it was going to be. I really enjoyed it. Many of these viruses I had no idea about, I mean i heard of them, but I did not know a lot of information about it. Wolfe had some pretty awesome ways of describing all these viruses to the readers. Even through some of his own experiences which he clearly was ok with. Much of this information i would have not acquired without reading this book. When reading the first page I began to think "oh no another one of those boring summer reading books i wont want to finish". I can honestly say i read every page of the book and managed to understand and stay awake through out the book. He had a very good way of explaining each virus to the readers and the different stages viruses can be in. I always thought viruses where just some simple little microbe that just happened to get us sick, and that there was not much more to them. I was obviously proven wrong. I am amazed on how he can keep readers reading with the use of the vivid description he says. My knowledge on viruses have expanded and they are more interesting than i originally thought they would be.
ReplyDeleteHaylie Dixon
Shrey Patel
ReplyDeleteThe Viral Storm by Nathan Wolfe was probably one of the best science book I have read so far. The way he explains every organism, every one of his experience . and the viruses causing a pandemic in very specific details. He would try to get the audience into every chapter by adding his personal experience to a place he went to or how he survived malaria 3 times! He gave out facts left and right to show us that it has happened or it is happening now. The truth behind the viruses he explains helped find some vaccines to it and even warning people today. The work with his colleagues help get more perspective on the organism and unknown virus. It was just interesting to learn more about a single viruses in depth. I also know a virus because its all over the news, but now I understand how some originated and where they came from. I think Nathan Wolfe did a great job about explaining that. I also found some facts he said really interesting. first would be his organization about tracking viruses and outbreaks throughout the world easily and finding a vaccine quickly. Also the fact about how a girl with a heart condition lived 11 days with a baboon heart in her. Nathan Wolfe made learning about viruses in a fun way, and I know I had learned a lot from his experiences.
I liked this book more than I thought I would. I already knew some basics about how viruses spread and how many people die from them, but I never had any idea how many viruses there were around me. I had always seen statistics about how many people a year die from pandemic diseases like the flu, but I never believed how dangerous they could be. I didn't even understand that there could be so large a variety of viruses in the world. I never wanted to live in a place like New York City where it is extremely crowded, but this book really helped me see how such a packed area could be no different from a farm when it comes to being the perfect place for viruses and disease to spread. It also showed me how the many ways of transportation and communication could also aid in the spreading of pandemic diseases. Learning about how far we had come in science in respects to learning about viruses was pretty interesting. Overall, I liked this book. It isn't the most interesting book, and I probably won't find myself reading it for fun, but I found it easy to understand and very informative.
ReplyDeleteThe main focus of the novel The Viral Storm by Nathan Wolfe is viruses. This includes the discussion of what scientists know about them (since our knowledge is still quite limited), how hunting has dramatically increased the risks for acquiring new and deadly microbes, the events that have led up to changes in microbial repertoires, and how viruses spread. Some of the viruses discussed in detail are smallpox, HIV, malaria, monkeypox, cholera, SIV (in African monkeys), Ebola, and H1N1. This book also highlights how an infectious agent in animals can go from spreading in animals only, to animals to humans, and eventually to humans only. Furthermore, Nathan Wolfe discusses how the goal of public health should not be to eradicate all viral agents, but to merely control the deadly ones. As a final point, much is talked about how pandemics can originate and how important it is to realize they are neither predictable or preventable. However, with the technology continuing to advance, we may soon be able to "build a global immune system."
ReplyDeleteI truly enjoyed this book because in the midst of discussing these topics, Wolfe manages to use personal experiences and hypothetical scenarios and make several cases of the discovery of a virus or a procedure in which viruses are used seem like a story instead of statements. I much prefer this type of writing rather than textbook style, plain facts. It makes it much more interesting and easier to maintain focus.
I enjoyed reading the Viral Storm more than I expected to. Nathan Wolfe managed to put viruses into a kind of perspective that I had not considered before. It had never fully occurred to me just how much of an opportunity learning to control viruses could be. The fact that they could be used to help take down other fellow viruses sounded very promising. Nathan Wolfe has so many stories about other countries that he's visited and casual accounts of his struggles with malaria that it makes anyone else's life sound boring. While I'm not the biggest fan of his constant interjection of ape to human evolution into his reasoning for multiple things, I found that Wolfe was full of boundless information that was interesting to read. The book got slightly dry by the end, but as an overall whole, it gave a good idea of what future viruses may look like and how they may affect our world. -Katelyn Mayo
ReplyDeleteThe Viral Storm was a surprisingly decent book. The beginning of each chapter really hooked you on. The beginning told events, like the monkey gland operation, the finding of the first virus and many more. These stories put a real life perspective on how viruses can affect us from doing simple things like caring for a sick animal. As we continued on into each chapter, the beginning of the chapter was further explained in a more a scientific meaning. While the middle may not have been as interesting as the beginning, it served the purpose of educating us on the many different viruses. The ending, however, made you really think and put some of Wolfe’s ideas into perspective. Overall this book really educated and changed my view points on viruses.
ReplyDeleteThe Viral storm was a information filled book that provided me with lots of information about viruses and microbes. There were many things that i knew from he beginning and some things that i haven't even heard about. He provided enough information to make the books message clearly conveyed. I also loved how he incorporated his personal experiences with the book to make it an even more attention grabbing read. The book demonstrated the virus from a microbe level and that explained a lot about the viruses and how the transfer to other host. He also used other references ands stories from around the world like the Bird flu one and he elaborated on it and made the book a little bit emotional also. Over all The Viral Storm was a great read which explained allot about viruses and i would recommend this to other students who are taking Biology. Amaan Ismail
ReplyDeleteAugustine Song
ReplyDeleteThe Viral Storm was one of the more enjoyable summer reading books I have ever read. It definitely beats any history class. The book was filled with extremely detailed accounts of each virus origin along with the implications of each outbreak. The Viral Storm hits every prominent killer virus in the past few centuries, from small pox to HIV. Wolfe did not disappoint in his supply of raw information. One interesting fact I learned was that viruses are truly the most diverse and undiscovered "organisms" in the world. Especially since they outnumber all other human life by billions, it's surprising that everyone isn't a hypochondriac.
The possibilities of studying pandemics; in their origins, spreading, and prevention could save the human race someday. The early detection of pandemics like H1N1 or in recent times, Ebola, could mean the difference of millions of lives by containing and neutralizing said infections. If Nathan Wolfe's dream of a global immune system detecting pandemics before they originate comes to fruition, it would truly be the greatest global health service organization in human history. I suspect that in the future, we will see much more on viruses affecting human lives, since the field of virology is truly one of the last frontiers in the discovery of new organisms.
The Viral Storm by Nathan Wolfe was an interesting book. It was a very informational and entertaining book. The book covers the entire story of viruses from its discovery to its status today in our world. The book contained effects of viruses, both good and bad as well as the remedies or cures for the problems created by viruses. It also talked about the mediums through these viruses spread and for each virus, the mediums differ. Wolfe talked about different cures for the viruses and the history of it. Wolfe's book also contained stories of his life that connected to the topic. This made the book more interesting. Through Wolfe's stories, facts and information about viruses, one could easily picture the virus and its actions. The Viral Storm was a really good read with tons of information and interesting sections along the way.
ReplyDeleteThe Viral Storm was the first science book that isn’t a textbook I’ve read. Initially I expected a book filled with pointless facts about viruses. The fact that Wolfe was able to incorporate his personal experiences and theories in the book made it much less bland however some of the “pointless facts” turned out to be quite interesting. The thought of reading a whole book about viruses didn’t seem ideal but in the end it turned out to be a great read. In the book Wolfe is able to hit on the big ideas such as the history and definition of a pandemic to smaller, complex ideas that consider the factors that contributed to some of the world’s deadliest diseases. While offering all the basic information you would expect out of a virus novel Wolfe also provides you with specific data sets and experiments to help support theories and ideas. Not only does Wolfe explain and thoroughly talk about different diseases and microbes but he also takes the time to explain how the technology we have and need to find pandemics before they even start. Overall the book is much more than a simple virus book. It’s an educational read about viruses and the world around them.
ReplyDeleteEddie Thurmon
ReplyDeleteThe Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age by Nathan Wolfe was an extremely good book. Not only was it informative on how viruses act and how we have defeated them in the past, but Nathan gives the reader information that can inspire his or her own conclusions. Examples of this are found throughout the book. Wolfe relates information and examples about viruses being contracted in remote areas by hunters. Additionally, he explains how one animal farm can infect millions due to a single animal being distributed to multiple consumers. With compelling examples such as these, it is not hard to see just how easy the entire human race can be put on the brink of extinction; all it would take is a virus that can transmit quickly and stealthily. Monkey pox is a clear example for such a virus. The only reason it hasn’t become a global pandemic is because of its isolation from the rest of the global population. There were a lot of scenarios Nathan Wolfe described that proved almost terrifying in their realism. The reader can easily imagine a viral spread throughout the world in the hypothetical stories he tells. Overall, The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age was definitely my favorite summer reading book, and I plan to continue to use it as a resource for viral information.
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ReplyDeleteThe Viral Storm by Nathan Wolfe might not be the most interesting read to the average person, but anyone with basic interest in the subject will find the wide variety of subjects immersive and engaging. Wolfe covers a wide variety of topics ranging from viral transmission to pandemic prevention to viral mutations. A particlarly interesting case is his HIV study, where he was able to trace HIV into twelve isolated villages, each carrying a unique strain that appeared to be closer to the original HIV strain transfered from animal to human. This viral analysis shows off various methods researchers use to trace viral ancestry which can help their research when it comes to cures or origins, and in this HIV case it also shows the astounding capabilities of the virus to mutate, as seen in the over twelve unique strains, which will entertain and frighten readers. Wolfe also spends a great deal discussing pandemic prevention, with a simple but promising solution being text messages between hospitals in developing countries, which is particularly interesting due to its ease and simplicity. Readers will find new technologies in Wolfe's book, which might be simple or complex, to be interesting in their influence of the spread of diseases or the prevention of such. Overall, the book contains a huge variety of topics which will appeal to many readers, from frightening possibilities of transmission and rampant mutation, to new technologies designed to halt such outbreaks. Anyone with a mild interest in the topics in the book should give it a try.
ReplyDelete-Admiral Zheng
The Viral Storm by Nathan Wolfe is an interesting read that describes viruses and how they have impacted human society. Wolfe uses personal anecdotes to provide very entertaining interludes about his experiences with viral diseases. He mentions his encounters with Malaria, which he obtained three times and still somehow managed to survive. Wolfe’s book provides multiple explanations about different viruses that plague the world such as HIV, Swine Flu, Bird Flu, HPV and many others. He provides many facts in this book, but he also keeps it engaging, which makes it a very effective book. Wolfe also explains various intricate ideas regarding the transmission of viruses and how they can be stopped. Viruses have the ability to mutate and evolve quickly, and it is very frightening to think that these tiny microbial organisms can kill humans within days or weeks. In this book, Wolfe informs his readers about the research that has been done that can combat this oncoming “viral storm.” His book provides a new perspective on viruses and it can change the way humans view and treat viruses. Scientists like Wolfe should continue to publish books on their research, because it is a great step towards fixing one of the many problems our world faces today.
ReplyDeleteAsad Lalani
The viral storm by Nathan Wolfe wasn't like any other science novel that I've read before. It contained compelling statistics and an interesting outlook on viruses. Wolfe does a very good job of explaining the nature of viruses through personal experiences. Having contracted Malaria 3 times and being an expert in the viral world wolf's work is very credible and interesting. Not only does the book expand on your knowledge of viruses but it engages you and really gets you thinking about different treatments, vaccinations etc. Overall, if you're looking for a compelling novel that engages you, The Viral Storm is just for you
ReplyDeleteDaniel Sviridenkov
Batul Momin
ReplyDeleteThe Viral Storm by Nathan Wolfe was one of the most intriguing books I have ever read. The book did not engage me at first, but the mention of microbial life and how it connects to the world really involved me with the text. Wolfe manages to inform readers about how we truly are nearing a pandemic age by providing personal accounts with viruses as well as secondary sources. The book covers a vast amount of diseases and deadly viruses; some of which include HIV, HPV, smallpox, malaria, monkeypox, etc. The most captivating part of the book was when Wolfe broke the evolution of a virus into different stages. The virus first begins with only animal transmission and slowly moves up the chain towards a human host. This is largely in part due to our large and vastly interconnected world, including roads and waterways which were some of the earliest forms of virus transmission. In conclusion, this book is a great read for all virologists and people who are interested in how we have neared a pandemic age as we as a “viral storm.”
I think the book was expansive based on what I already knew about viruses. His encounters with all the viruses served to be more interesting than I expected from a biology summer reading assignment. It wasn’t an impossible book to read, it was easily understandable. His personal experiences added the most interest for me, and kept me awake while reading the book. I didn’t expect to find the book as informative, yet as appealing as I did. Nathans own interest on the subject portrayed well in the book, and wasn’t It definitely expanded my knowledge on the various viruses around the world. I also found it interesting that most viruses start out in other species, then work their way up and infect humans. I also think Nathan Wolfe did a great job in portraying how various animals are closely related to us, and we can use their organs for organ transplants in humans. Wolfe put himself in so many dangerous positions to investigate different viruses all around the world, and it was really cool how he was able to give in depth information about each virus and keep me attentive at the same time.
ReplyDelete~ Nikki Puvvada
The Viral Storm was actually an interesting book to read. When reading the novel, it was fascinating to see how easy viruses can transfer from animals to animals or animals to humans. Every time I read the real life stories in which the humans would suffer from physical and neurological symptoms, it was as if I was reading an investigation book in which researchers try to find out who is the murderer- in this case were viruses and bacteria. This book was easy to read and easy to understand. It didn't like a textbook with fancy words but rather a leisure time book. This book made me become more knowledgeable and educated about viruses and the potential threat they have to the whole planet.
ReplyDelete-Magie Huynh
The Viral Storm by Nathan Wolfe was an intriguing book. It was a nice balance between textbook facts combined with a story line. However on the negative side I did find it a bit repetitive at times. The best parts of the book, in my mind, were his observations on the connected nature of our world today. I find it quite paradoxical that the interconnected world we live in is the major cause for the upstart of many new deadly microbes and it is also the future for preventing these out breaks. The fact that we are interconnected provides many new routes that microbes can take in spreading from human to human. Conversely, social networks that connect us, including Google, Facebook, Twitter, and even the cellphone, are all tools that we can use to predict future outbreaks and prevent them from occurring. On a side note, Wolfe proposed a situation that deals with HIV/AIDS that I had not thought of before. I knew that HIV/AIDS weakens the immune system and understood that people die from other diseases that attack the weakened immune system but it was never brought to my attention that these people provide a spring board for new deadly diseases that we have not seen before. I also found it fascinating that after reading this book I was more aware of my connection to others and I became conscious of the ways I could be infected by others around me. -Alex Weisel
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