I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life
Ed Yong, 2016
HarperCollins
368 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780062368591
Summary
Joining the ranks of popular science classics like The Botany of Desire and The Selfish Gene, a groundbreaking, wondrously informative, and vastly entertaining examination of the most significant revolution in biology since Darwin—a "microbe’s-eye view" of the world that reveals a marvelous, radically reconceived picture of life on earth.
Every animal, whether human, squid, or wasp, is home to millions of bacteria and other microbes. Ed Yong, whose humor is as evident as his erudition, prompts us to look at ourselves and our animal companions in a new light—less as individuals and more as the interconnected, interdependent multitudes we assuredly are.
The microbes in our bodies are part of our immune systems and protect us from disease. In the deep oceans, mysterious creatures without mouths or guts depend on microbes for all their energy. Bacteria provide squid with invisibility cloaks, help beetles to bring down forests, and allow worms to cause diseases that afflict millions of people.
Many people think of microbes as germs to be eradicated, but those that live with us—the microbiome—build our bodies, protect our health, shape our identities, and grant us incredible abilities.
In this astonishing book, Ed Yong takes us on a grand tour through our microbial partners, and introduces us to the scientists on the front lines of discovery. It will change both our view of nature and our sense of where we belong in it. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—December, 1981
• Where—England, UK
• Education—B.A., M.A., Cambridge University; M.Phil., University College of London
• Awards—(see below)
• Currently—lives in London, England, and Washington, D.C., USA
Edmund Soon-Weng Yong is a British science journalist. As of 2016 his blog Not Exactly Rocket Science, is published as part of the National Geographic Phenomena blog network. Previously his work has been published by Nature, Scientific American, the BBC, Slate, The Guardian, The Times of London, New Scientist, Wired, The New York Times and The New Yorker. He has been a permanent staff member of The Atlantic since 2015.
Education
Yong was awarded Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in Natural Sciences (Zoology) from the University of Cambridge in 2002. He completed postgraduate study at University College London where he was awarded a Master of Philosophy degree on the biochemistry of resolvases, a group of enzymes that repress transposases.
Awards
Yong's approach to popular science writing has been described as "the future of science news," and he has received numerous awards for his work. Yong received the National Academies Communication Award from the National Academy of Sciences of the United States in 2010 in recognition of his online journalism, then part of Discover's blog group.
In the same year he received three awards from ResearchBlogging.org, which supports online science journalism focused on covering research that has already been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals which can be adapted for a wider public audience. In 2012 he received the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) Stephen White Award. His blog received the first Best Science Blog award from the Association of British Science Writers (ABSW) in 2014.
Yong's interactions with other science bloggers and engagement with commenters on his own blog have served as case studies for academic work in media studies. (From Wikoipedia. Retrieved 8/9/2016.)
Read the author's newsletter.
Book Reviews
This compelling and beautifully written book will change the way people look at the world around, and within, them. Certainly among the best books in an increasingly crowded field and written with a true passion for and understanding of the microbiome.
Professor Rob Knight, University of California, San Diego, author of Follow Your Gut
Yong has captured the essence of this exciting field, expressing the enthusiasm and wonder that the scientific community feels when working with the microbiome.
Professor Jack Gilbert, University of Chicago
(Starred revicew.) British science journalist Yong succeeds in encouraging readers to recognize the critical importance of biological microorganisms. He argues that humans must move past the belief that bacteria are bad.... and reveals "how ubiquitous and vital microbes are" on scales large and small.
Publishers Weekly
Yong's readable and entertaining style is appropriate for the nonspecialist, though occasionally the author gets carried away with the use of metaphor and other figurative language. Verdict: Highly recommended for general science readers interested in the complicated relationships between microbes and their hosts. —Cynthia Lee Knight, Hunterdon Cty. Historical Soc., Flemington, NJ
Library Journal
(Starred revicew.) Bottom line: don’t hate or fear the microbial world within you. Appreciate its wonders. After all, they are more than half of you.
Booklist
(Starred revicew.) The author excels at objectively navigating the large body of research related to the microbiome..., and he delivers some of the finest science writing out there.... An exceptionally informative, beautifully written book that will profoundly shift one's sense of self to that of symbiotic multitudes.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
We'll add publisher questions if and when they're available; in the meantime, use these LitLovers talking points to start a discussion for I Contain Multitudes...then take of on your own:
1. What specifically are microbes, and where do they live within the bodies of animals?
2. Talk about the wide-ranging roles that microbes play in the health of their hosts, particularly we humans. Consider how microbes facilitate digestion and reproduction, or affect immunity and inflammation.
3. Trace the history of the microbe, going back to when they were the planet's only inhabitants, swimming in Earth's early oceans. Explain the sigificance of those early bacteria merging with archaea?
4. Microbes have long had a poor reputation. What are some of the misconceptions Ed Yong dispels?
5. What was the book's greatest "ick" factor for you? What most surprised, even astonished you?
6. Yong paints a vibrant canvas of the characters who played important roles in the discovery and understanding (or misunderstanding) of microbes. Whom did you find most interesting?
7. Yong raises an important question: Are we too clean? What are the implications of our sanitized life? Why do some believe our obsession with cleanliness is unhealthy? If so, what is the solution?
8. Discuss some of the new therapies that are being explored regarding the use of microbes in, say, the treatment of irritable bowel disorder or allergies.
(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)