Folks, it’s Sunday, and SUPERBUG will be officially released on Tuesday. Press copies have been landing at last. Readers who responded to my plea for pre-orders (because pre-orders are very important to how the publisher and the market behave subsequently about the book) have been telling me they’re getting emails saying the book is on its way.
And a few reviews are starting to pop up!
Kirkus said: “A gripping account of one of the most devastating infectious agents on the planet… A meticulously researched, frightening report on a deadly pathogen.”
Booklist said: “Lays bare, often all too graphically, the ravages of a disease with the potential to do grievous international harm.”
But of most value to me today, my blog-friend and supporter Michael Coston of Avian Flu Diary said this morning:
I can think of a great many superlatives to describe this book; engaging, harrowing, fascinating, powerful… even terrifying at times.
But the descriptive term that keeps coming back to me is: Important. …
Superbug, quite frankly, should be required reading for every doctor, nurse, and health care professional, if for no other reason than to alert them to the changes they must make in order to help curb the spread of these deadly pathogens.
But it should also be on the reading list of parents, students, and teachers who need to be able to recognize the early warning signs of infection.
And just as importantly, read by those who make policy at the local, state, and Federal level. We either make institutional changes or risk serious peril from these resistant bacteria.
The cheering of Mike and other bloggers including Revere of Effect Measure and Crof of H5N1 has meant so much to me as I’ve worked on this book (and also written about flu and other diseases at CIDRAP.) I’m grateful.