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Amazon.co.uk Review
The philosopher Wittgenstein might say that if a microbe could talk we couldn't understand it, but psychoanalyst and science writer Arno Karlenhas done his best to listen and translate in Biography of a Germ. This lovely, funny, and even endearing portrait of Borrelia burgdorferi (or Bb), the screwy bacterium that causes Lyme disease, would charm even a terminal mysophobe like Howard Hughes. Unfortunately, Karlen has to justify his topic at greater length than most biographers, but his reasoning is nearly lyrical in its enthusiasm for the microscopic. Following the genealogy of the germ back to our common ancestor (gulp) and beyond, the author finds a freshness in what we too often see as dry taxonomy and genetics. From there he watches Bb as it makes its way through the circulation superhighways of deer, ticks, and hikers, each as top on its complex life cycle.
We elbowed our way into Bb's story comparatively recently, ironically hurting ourselves as we renewed our appreciation of and commitment to wilderness areas. As we destroyed, and then created, habitat for deer, we ended up inviting Bb to run amok in our bodies. Karlen captures the beauty and terror of this bizarre chain of events perfectly, providing new insights into our relationship with our environment. Much like its cousins that live harmlessly in our bloodstream, eyelashes, and gut, this tick-borne germ will eventually evolve a truce with us to protect its reproduction; unfortunately for current and future sufferers of Lyme disease, we're quite a few generations away from that happy time. While we're waiting, we can read Biography of a Germ to learn more about our new tenants and why we should care about them. --Rob Lightner
Product Description
Germs get a bad press, so we never hear their side of the story. What is life really like in their invisible kingdom? In this witty and erudite book, Arno Karlen tells the fascinating life story of the germ Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb for short), the microbe that causes Lyme disease. He takes us through its ancestry, its appearance, its environment, its sex life, its struggle for survival, and its adventures with other species, including us. Interwoven with Bb's biography are fascinating discursions on how life began, why we cannot live without bacteria, and how perturbed environments breed disease. Karlen also describes how perpeptions of microbes have changed through history, especially their unfair connection with dirt and suffering. And he pays homage to the pioneers of the microscope, who first saw germs' teeming universe, and to Linnaeus's beautifully constructed tree of life. The Biography of a Germ makes the world of microbiology absolutely riveting, and it will help to rehabilitate Bb's undeserved reputation. Exhilarating, entertaining and imaginative, this is popular science writing at its best. Praise for Plague's Progress: 'Provides wonderful stories and marvellous images.' New Scientist 'Excellent...a combination of meticulous research and easy, natural writing.' Oliver Sacks
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