Level 4: Virus Hunters of the Cdc

Rating:
Summary: Interesting stories, but lost in poor writing
Review: "Level 4: Virus Hunters of the CDC" is the story of two researchers for the Centers for Disease Control who spend years in Africa, treating and researching such diseases as Lassa, Ebola, and HIV. Some of the stories are fairly interesting and my eyes were opened to some of the circumstances faced by folks living in central Africa. But the book feels like it lacks a point; it's really a collection of short recollections (4-20 pages each), sometimes with very little tying them together. More maps would have been useful, and the end of the book has more information about "level 4" labs constructed to examine these viruses in safety. The book wasn't a waste of time but it didn't have what I was looking for, which was a focus on the mindset of the doctors as they investigated the various viruses. It's pretty decent evening reading, though.

Rating:
Summary: Great book for scientists and non-scientists alike
Review: I just finished reading Virus Hunters and I was very impressed. The book is written in a very scientific fashion, but is not overloaded with science at the same time. I liked how the authors took the time to explain the procedures they used in their work. Especially interesting were the ways the authors had to improvise their work in Africa, it makes you realize just how much western scientists take for granted in our nice clean constantly powered labs.

The book is more than interesting science, it also tells a great story, or several great stories. The book is essentially made up of the two authors' accounts of the different events in their long careers. They take as much time describing the human side of these diseases as they do the scientific side. The suffering inflicted by these diseases on both the patient and community are shown quite well.

Rating:
Summary: Loved it!
Review: I really enjoyed this book. It pulled you in like a good mystery novel. As I read of the "adventures" of the author in his travels with the CDC it provided a fantastic account of how many viruses have been detected, eventually isolated and treatments discovered. It is unfortunate the media is not familiar with the material in this book as it might help to prevent the mass hysteria following an ebola outbreak.

Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down.
Review: Joe McCormick and his wife's real-life account of their scary brushes with death and the cold, harsh reality of the heathcare nightmares in the small villages of Africa is a truly wonderful read. Their skills as both physicians and skilled epidemiologists are very impressive, as well as the way they convey their experiances out in the field. Having been a major fan of Richard Preston's "The Hot Zone" when I began reading about the real-life virus hunters, I have much more of an appreciation for the McCormicks' stories, especially as I began to notice errors in Preston's "factual account" of Ebola. Overall, Virus Hunters is a wonderful read that I highly recommend.

Rating:
Summary: This book is GREAT!!!
Review: The reader becomes a member of the lab team. All the conflicting emotions, compassion vs. self-preservation and the sense of urgency are expressed throughout the book. As you read, hope and perseverance becomes the strength that binds the individuals together. The knowledge of the mission of a biotech's life is unveiled. The blessings of good health vs. the viral destroyers of mankind is brought from the shadows into the open

Rating:
Summary: This book is GREAT!!!
Review: The reader becomes a member of the lab team. All the conflicting emotions, compassion vs. self-preservation and the sense of urgency are expressed throughout the book. As you read, hope and perseverance becomes the strength that binds the individuals together. The knowledge of the mission of a biotech's life is unveiled. The blessings of good health vs. the viral destroyers of mankind is brought from the shadows into the open

Rating:
Summary: Yikes!
Review: This book is written very well. It is non-fiction, and set up to give glimpses into the lives of the people who were actually hunting viruses. It's a strange and deadly operation. The book is set up with each chapter covering it's own story. While compelling, and nearly impossible to put down, this writing style does occasionally, interrupt it's own flow. However I loved reading this book. I find it informative as well as entertaining. The characters are fun, and easy to relate to. And the viruses are as ruthless as you've heard.

Rating:
Summary: Gripping true stories of life-threatening events
Review: This is an outstanding book. First-hand true-life recollections of a diverse range of natural disasters across Africa over 3 decades.

The authors tell their stories well, putting you right there in the bush. They retain their sense of humanity throughout so you really feel for their patients and their families as human beings.

1 quibble : only towards of the end of the story do they get married; at the very end of the book they both thank their first spouses for their respective sacrifices - but you never even get to know their spouses first names - what sort of acknowledgement remains anonymous?

2 mysteries : whilst there are plenty of good maps, there are no photos; no pictures of colleagues or patients, and no pictures of the offending Viruses and Bacteria - why not?

Great value for money - I've had to pay much more for far lesser books.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting stories, but lost in poor writing
Review: When I purchased the book, I was excited by the chance to see these deadly viruses from an insider's perspective. The first hand accounts of the authors' experiences with Ebola, Lassa and other viruses were interesting, but difficult to follow as they skipped back and forth in time and, in some cases, between each of the two author's perspectives. My overall impression was that the book needed a good editor. For those who are interested in the topic, I agree with others' recommendations to read The Coming Plague by Laurie Garrett. It's very long, but very readable, and offers a much more coherent reporting of many of the events discussed by McCormick and Fisher-Hoch.