Dynamic young Stanford biologist Nathan Wolfe reveals the surprising origins of the world's most deadly viruses, and how we can overcome catastrophic pandemics.

In The Viral Storm, award-winning biologist Nathan Wolfe tells the story of how viruses and human beings have evolved side by side through history; how deadly viruses like HIV, swine flu, and bird flu almost wiped us out in the past; and why modern life has made our species vulnerable to the threat of a global pandemic.

Wolfe's research missions to the jungles of Africa and the rain forests of Borneo have earned him the nickname "the Indiana Jones of virus hunters," and here Wolfe takes readers along on his groundbreaking and often dangerous research trips—to reveal the surprising origins of the most deadly diseases and to explain the role that viruses have played in human evolution.

In a world where each new outbreak seems worse than the one before, Wolfe points the way forward, as new technologies are brought to bear in the most remote areas of the world to neutralize these viruses and even harness their power for the good of humanity. His provocative vision of the future will change the way we think about viruses, and perhaps remove a potential threat to humanity's survival.

Length: 324 pages	Word Wise: Enabled	Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
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Product Details

File Size: 1977 KB
Print Length: 324 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1846142989
Publisher: Times Books; Reprint edition (October 11, 2011)
Publication Date: October 11, 2011
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B004V9O58E
Text-to-Speech: Enabled

X-Ray:

Enabled

Word Wise: Enabled
Lending: Not Enabled
Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #421,117 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #50 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Science > Biological Sciences > Biology > Microbiology
- #89 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Medical eBooks > Internal Medicine > Infectious Disease > Communicable Diseases
- #378 in Books > Medical Books > Medicine > Internal Medicine > Pathology > Diseases > Viral

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Customer Reviews

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3 star		12%
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Not really what I expected

By Justin on November 17, 2011

Format: Hardcover

More of a Nathan Wolfe Autobiography / Primate Evolution book than anything else. Not to say that it isn't interesting in it's own right (and Dr. Wolfe has certainly had an amazing career), but this is far from what I expected based on the summaries. He also seems to focus on other infectious agents as much as viruses and more on how to monitor them than their history or pandemic potential. While reading the first 100 pages or so I was pretty sure I picked up a book about primate behavior instead of viruses. That's a bit much for a book of less than 250 pages total.

I personally didn't find it very engaging but it's not bad book by any means. Just don't be mislead by the title.

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The first 35 pages are worth the price of the book

By Beth E. Williams VINE VOICE on December 24, 2011

Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase

I know enough about my fascination with viruses to know, as a non-scientist, my curiosity about them has more to do with philosophy than medicine but that may well be yet another reason for biologists (for just one group) to be equally ensnared by their subject.

The Virus, for its opportunism in the extreme (parasitical is too meager a description) and because its very nature is controversial (is it Life or isn't it? I agree with his footnote on the bottom of pg.8) can appear to be such a vast topic that no one author can be expected to resolve or ask or even comprehend all the questions. Wolfe, in his first 35 pages, does at least try - and it remains my favorite section of the book - his amazement with these microscopic life(?)forms is so engaging that if you didn't have a respect for them before you will have afterwards. And, if the next 300 or so pages that come after it were just "so-so" for me that is not the fault of Wolfe, he has a wide readership to appeal to and just because I am not particularly interested in bureaucracies, who got what grant to do what and where does not mean that these aren't valid sections for millions of others.

But those first 35 pages, yes, they are heady indeed, Wolfe is delightful in both his recognition of just what makes these viruses so shocking and where we fit in their world (ie."our bodies are their habitats," p.27), and his conclusion in the first chapter, (Viral Planet) says it all: the viral world is the "new world," the last frontier of undiscovered life on our planet."

Perhaps it is the Lewis Thomas phenomena, a flashpoint where scientist and non-scientist can co-exist in a mutual relationship of shared passion, be it horror or admiration, or both?Read more ›

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Very interesting science, overwhelmed by his ego

By AngusHudson on January 28, 2012

Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase

Look I very much wanted to love this book. For a physician, this area is fascinating and current and Nathan Wolfe interviewed is a wonder to behold for popularizing these fascinating ideas. In print though, he is far too self referential about his admittedly brilliant career. He has certainly had the good fortune to hit upon a topic and approach that will get grant/government/investor money in perpetuity. But after your gold plated academic credentials are made clear on the back page, keep yourself out of it and credit your mentors and collaborators more than yourself. Champion the ideas not yourself. The ideas are compelling, his potential solutions creative but utterly awash in ego. There can be a fine line between cutting edge brilliance and huckster self-promotion and this book sits on that razor's edge. When you pass from scientist to rock star celebrity your credibility can plummet cf Carl Sagan. These are marvelous ideas and research....

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A huge disappointment

By Reader on May 1, 2012

Format: Hardcover

This book reads more like the cover letter of an insecure person applying for a job. It seemed like Nathan's primary concern is that you know how elite the institutions are where he has worked, and that he label every single person in his field as his colleague. I've never seen so much name-dropping in a science book. He also glosses over really interesting topics in a single paragraph. There is very little scientific information in this book. Nathan even admits that he's obsessed with how diseases can jump from wild animals to hunters. It's an important topic, but he beats it to death just because it makes for dramatic imagery.

I learned about this book and Parasite Rex by Carl Zimmer through Radio Lab. I recommend anything and everything Carl Zimmer has written and to skip The Viral Storm. The tiny amount that you'll learn about viruses in The Viral Storm you'll read about in Parasite Rex but in so much greater detail, plus fascinating stories about many other parasites. I've bought copies of Parasite Rex to give away to people but I wouldn't recommend The Viral Storm to anyone.

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Overpromises and underdelivers

By sandy on June 4, 2012

Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase

This book and author have great potential. The topic is interesting, the author clearly a leader in the field and well-connected into what is happening currently in the area of virus and viral research. I ordered it after hearing an interview on NPR, where he was articulate and very interesting.

There are some significant weaknesses in this book:
* it is repetitive. Like Jared Diamond's second book, it repeats key themes in several chapters...an intelligent audience does not need to be hit over the head repeatedly that the change in accessibility (roads and travel) have also enabled viruses to travel faster and further. I suspect the editor dumbed the book down, based on how articulate the author seemed to be on the radio, or someone ghostwrote the book for him. Unfortunate.
* The author touches on some interesting subjects and does not complete the analysis, such as when he indicates he is going to provide a definitive review of the AIDS spread and then after he touches on how it jumped species and how access to roads in Africa enabled the spread (plus brief mention of mens camps) does not even touch on the spread in the US and Europe and how cultural changes and norms contributed. It feels as though he shies away from anything that could be controversial or political in the aspect of sexual preference and behavior.
* he uses sensationalistic photos and stories that do not contribute to the theme or science, for example when he tells the story of some unethical monkey research and shows a picture of a snake that had been caughts as a result of eating the monkey. It does not contribute in any meaningful way to the story and seems more sensationalistic.Read more ›

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Five Stars

Awesome

Published 1 month ago by maria

Nathan Wolfe enjoyed to narrate

I could not rank The Viral Storm a full-fledged five stars, despite it at times persuading me to pursue a virology path. Read more

Published 3 months ago by Amazon Customer

The Viral Storm IS Quite Viral!

Initially, I began reading this book expecting a novel regarding a viral crises; however, I was surprised to discover that the content of the story surrounds the almost novel-like... Read more

Published 3 months ago by Michelle Bach

Five Stars

Great Book

Published 3 months ago by A. Smelley

A Riveting Exploration of Human-Pathogen Relationships

I had to order this book for a Geography class at my university that focused on geographical patterns of disease. Read more

Published 4 months ago by Andrew

Five Stars

Everyone should read this book and we all would become vegetarians.

Published 10 months ago by Elizabeth Smyle

This. This book will change your entire perspective about ...

This. This book will change your entire perspective about the world you live in. It is gripping, well-written and informative. Read more

Published 13 months ago by Maria

Please don't breathe on me

A book that makes you think while still being a good read.

Published 15 months ago by Ian Moore

incredible read

I loved the prose and flow of the book. Fascinating and made it a really good and surprisingly easy read

Published 19 months ago by Marc Safran

Four Stars

Excellent interweave of one's scientist's personal journey into and through a major issue (infectious diseases) of human history.

Published 19 months ago by George

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