Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
Preventable
Preventable: How a Pandemic Changed the World & How to Stop the Next One | Devi Sridhar
1 post | 1 read
**THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER | BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK** The definitive story of COVID-19 and how global politics shape our health - from a world-leading expert and the pandemic's go-to science communicator Professor Devi Sridhar has risen to prominence for her vital roles in communicating science to the public and speaking truth to power. In Preventable she highlights lessons learned from outbreaks past and present in a narrative that traces the COVID-19 pandemic - including her personal experience as a scientist - and sets out a vision for how we can better protect ourselves from the inevitable health crises to come. In gripping and heartfelt prose, Sridhar exposes the varied realities of those affected and puts you in the room with key decision makers at crucial moments. She vibrantly conveys the twists and turns of a plot that saw: deadlier varients emerge (contrary to the predictions of social media pundits who argued it would mutate to a milder form); countries with weak health systems like Senegal and Vietnam fare better than countries like the US and UK (which were consistently ranked as the most prepared); and the quickest development of game-changing vaccines in history (and their unfair distribution) Combining science, politics, ethics and economics, this definitive book dissects the global structures that determine our fate, and reveals the deep-seated economic and social inequalities at their heart - it will challenge, outrage and inspire. 'A brutally compelling reminder that if voices like Devi's had been listened to, so many more could have lived' OWEN JONES 'One of the most brilliant scientists in the world who has been proven consistently right in this crisis' PIERS MORGAN 'Excellent . . . Fair, clear and compelling' NICOLA STURGEON 'Those who have found Professor Devi Sridhar's expertise and calm advice invaluable since the arrival of Covid-19 will be glad to know that she has written Preventable' RACHEL COOKE, Guardian, Non-fiction to look out for in 2022
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
review
shanaqui
Pickpick

Mostly measured and sensible, though often defensive. I think she downplays the risks of long COVID too much, particularly in the afterword, and she didn't foresee the rapid end of vaccination campaigns and the ridiculous prices of vaccines for those of us who don't fit into the UK government's narrowly defined categories.

shanaqui (For those who don't know: I am graduating from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine this year with a degree in infectious diseases, my degree is complete. I enrolled early in the pandemic and have seen the evolution of our knowledge about SARS-CoV-2 through that lens; my opinion is well-informed, and while I don't quite have Sridhar's qualifications, it's still an opinion based on fact.) 1mo
Hooked_on_books I haven‘t read this, but it‘s unfortunate that she downplays long covid. I have a friend who was a pediatrician infected early in the pandemic (April 2020, I think) who will never work again due to his cognitive impairment from long covid. 1mo
shanaqui @Hooked_on_books She mentions it a bit, to be fair, but she's pretty “back to normal“ about it all by the end of the book, like vaccination is the answer to everything... But personally I still consider the risk of long COVID way too high to be complacent, especially given the lack of free COVID vaccinations in the UK now. 1mo
17 likes3 comments