Breathless: The Scientific Race to Defeat a Deadly Virus

David Quammen is a brilliant writer. He is the only writer who I can think of who can take me through four hundred and six pages of mostly scientific data and fascinate me all the way through. Breathless refers to pandemics, specifically the current Sars Covid and its continual mutations.

Quammen has given us a fascinating story of the genesis and morphology of this virus without once becoming political or polemic. The knowledge and complex understanding of viruses is as breathtaking as the virus itself. He makes the virologists come to life as the heroes that they are. There is a cast of hundreds in this scientific community and yet the author manages to convey their uniqueness and individual talents which bring them to life.

Needless to say, this is a must read for anyone seeking to understand the future threats and past mistakes in the quest to understand and tame the onslaught of these diseases. The virus has engaged in rapid mutations. This is a book that is essential for an understanding of what we are facing and what we may face in the future. This reader remains grateful for a writer such as Quammen, who can take complicated science and give this reader a clear understanding of its ecosystems.