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Brendan (History Nerds United)'s Reviews > Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection
Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection
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Quick question for you, dear reader. Do you know why so often a character coughing into a rag is ominous especially when there ends up being blood? (Think Doc Holliday in Tombstone) That is because the character has tuberculosis and the end is near. Yes, it is a cliche. And it is a cliche because tuberculosis is the deadliest infection in human history and is still killing people to this day. Yes, we do have a cure. Yes, it is still killing people. This is what John Green wants to talk to us about in his book, Everything is Tuberculosis.
Green is ultimately trying to start a conversation with this book. It is not long (less than 200 pages) and there are many ideas and facts highlighted but not beaten into the ground. Mainly, Green tells the story of Henry, a young man he met in Sierra Leone who is battling tuberculosis. His outlook is murky because the care he needs is not readily available. Through his story, Green is able to illuminate the reader on the shame, isolation, and hopelessness that often follows a TB diagnosis in areas without adequate healthcare.
I had a long talk about the book with Lady History Nerd (trademark pending). We went back and forth about what do we do with the information that is in the book. Do we donate to a TB charity? Do we write a congressman? Picket a pharma company? We realized (after a long talk because we are both stubborn, but she gave the vast majority of dismissive looks) that Green wasn't trying to answer any of those questions. He just wanted us to ask them. We have to take it from there.
I think this book will be most effective for people who don't realize the destructive power of TB throughout the years. History nerds will recognize the awful disease and already know how terrible it has been to humans for thousands of years (yes, thousands). But no matter what, everyone will have a lot to think about by the time they put this one down.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Crash Course Books.)
Green is ultimately trying to start a conversation with this book. It is not long (less than 200 pages) and there are many ideas and facts highlighted but not beaten into the ground. Mainly, Green tells the story of Henry, a young man he met in Sierra Leone who is battling tuberculosis. His outlook is murky because the care he needs is not readily available. Through his story, Green is able to illuminate the reader on the shame, isolation, and hopelessness that often follows a TB diagnosis in areas without adequate healthcare.
I had a long talk about the book with Lady History Nerd (trademark pending). We went back and forth about what do we do with the information that is in the book. Do we donate to a TB charity? Do we write a congressman? Picket a pharma company? We realized (after a long talk because we are both stubborn, but she gave the vast majority of dismissive looks) that Green wasn't trying to answer any of those questions. He just wanted us to ask them. We have to take it from there.
I think this book will be most effective for people who don't realize the destructive power of TB throughout the years. History nerds will recognize the awful disease and already know how terrible it has been to humans for thousands of years (yes, thousands). But no matter what, everyone will have a lot to think about by the time they put this one down.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Crash Course Books.)
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Reading Progress
February 22, 2025
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February 22, 2025
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February 23, 2025
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Feb 23, 2025 05:44PM
Nice review, Brendan! Indeed, TB has been plaguing humans for centuries (and many other species have their own mycobacterium subspecies that's co-evolved to plague them), and there are no easy solutions. Not many of us can be Paul Farmers (as Tracy Kidder writes about in Mountains Beyond Mountains) and spend our lives fighting it on the front lines.
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CatReader wrote: "Nice review, Brendan! Indeed, TB has been plaguing humans for centuries (and many other species have their own mycobacterium subspecies that's co-evolved to plague them), and there are no easy solu..."Thanks, Cat! Yes, being a history nerd, you just come across it so much as it kills indiscriminately. I only wrote that big word because I want to sound fancy like your response :O)
Excellent review! This book is on my TBR and now I'll bump it up higher. Thanks!
My grandmother had tuberculosis and was in a sanitarium with people who died. TB is scary.
Sharon wrote: "Excellent review! This book is on my TBR and now I'll bump it up higher. Thanks!"Wooo! Hope you love it, Sharon!
boxer_dogs_dance wrote: "My grandmother had tuberculosis and was in a sanitarium with people who died. TB is scary."So scary and this book talks about how those wards can be. Your poor grandmother!
Bingo! Great review. In my area, and I suppose, across the country in the early 20th century, people with TB were quarantined in their homes with a huge sign on their front door. Then they were transported, sometimes unwillingly, to Hopemont, which was the state TB sanitarium. They were treated like criminals.
Jill wrote: "Bingo! Great review. In my area, and I suppose, across the country in the early 20th century, people with TB were quarantined in their homes with a huge sign on their front door. Then they were tra..."Thanks, Jill! And Green directly talks about what you are describing about the isolation and shame put on people with TB. I think you'll enjoy this!
That's a really interesting way to frame the book! Using the 'coughing into a rag' trope to explain the impact of TB is clever.
Taufiq wrote: "That's a really interesting way to frame the book! Using the 'coughing into a rag' trope to explain the impact of TB is clever."Thanks, Taufiq!
My copy just shipped today, impatiently waiting for it after reading this review!
Abby wrote: "My copy just shipped today, impatiently waiting for it after reading this review!"Awesome! Hope you enjoy it, Abby!
This review makes me want to read this as soon as I clock out of work for the weekend
Sabrina ☺ wrote: "This review makes me want to read this as soon as I clock out of work for the weekend"I love that plan for you! Hope you enjoy it!
Great review Brendan. I don’t think I could’ve said it any better.Like John Green said in his postscript remarks at the end of the book, when the topic of tuberculosis first came up with him, he thought “Is this really still a thing?” I was in that same mindset the last time my pharmacist reminded me that I should get a TB skin test, as it had been a while.
I learned so much from this book. It was both fascinating and horrifying, discouraging but hopeful and he personalizes it by giving very human examples of the biases and the obstacles faced by the poor in getting effective treatment.
I also was struck by how TB was romanticized in literature and often tied to creative types, such as writers and poets. He cites that all the Brontë sisters suffered and died of tuberculosis, and that there was beauty associated with the condition in women - where their skin was pale alabaster, and their eyes were huge. The whole coughing into the hanky for women seemed to also be a common image.
This book made me think a lot about injustice, both socially and economically and Green gives numerous examples of how historically people have been stigmatized, isolated and prevented from getting access to treatments that otherwise rich people could get access to.
I don’t consider myself an activist type, but after reading this book, I was asking myself why not?
Thank you for your wonderful summarization Brendan. I also gave it 5 stars.
Abigail wrote: "Great review Brendan. I don’t think I could’ve said it any better.Like John Green said in his postscript remarks at the end of the book, when the topic of tuberculosis first came up with him, he ..."
Thank you for the thoughtful comment, Abigail! We are totally in agreement!
