The Hot Zone by Richard Preston (1989)
411 pages
Summary: A highly infectious, deadly virus from the central African rain forest suddenly appears in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. There is no cure. In a few days 90 percent of its victims are dead. A secret military SWAT team of soldiers and scientists is mobilized to stop the outbreak of this exotic “hot” virus. The Hot Zone tells this dramatic story, giving a hair-raising account of the appearance of rare and lethal viruses and their “crashes” into the human race. Shocking, frightening, and impossible to ignore, The Hot Zoneproves that truth really is scarier than fiction.
I recently got hooked on Pandemic, a board game where you have to eradicate diseases from the world. This game single handedly got me interested in viruses and outbreaks which lead me to this book.
Although it’s non-fiction, this book reads almost like a novel. Preston does such a great job of getting into the character’s minds that you feel like you are right there with them. The beginning pulls you right in and the suspense just builds from there. He also includes a lot of information and some history of different viruses, but things never get dry or boring and you don’t feel like you’re learning as you read.
I learned so much about different viruses, how they spread, where they come from, and what can be done to protect us from them (sometimes nothing). The book is somewhat terrifying simply because it’s a true story and because there are so many things we still don’t know, not to mention viruses that we still can’t cure.
This book definitely isn’t for those with a weak stomach as he describes in graphic details the symptoms of viruses and the often violent deaths of their victims. I don’t recommend reading this while you’re sick either, it’ll mess with your head. But if you’re interested in viruses, this is definitely the book for you.
Preston even touched a bit on the AIDs virus which I must admit I was quite ignorant of, especially the history of it, and now I want to read And the Band Played On as well as other books about outbreaks, pandemics, and other real-life threats.
My Rating: ★★★★☆
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