Overview

"The most fatal virus known to science, rabies-a disease that spreads avidly from animals to humans-kills nearly one hundred percent of its victims once the infection takes root in the brain. In this critically acclaimed exploration from the authors of Our Kindred Creatures, journalist Bill Wasik and veterinarian Monica Murphy chart four thousand years of the history, science, and cultural mythology of rabies. From Greek myths to zombie flicks, from the laboratory heroics of Louis Pasteur to the contemporary search for a lifesaving treatment, Rabid is a fresh and often wildly entertaining look at one of humankind's oldest and most fearsome foes. ""A searing narrative."" -The New York Times ""In this keen and exceptionally well-written book, rife with surprises, narrative suspense and a steady flow of expansive insights, 'the world's most diabolical virus' conquers the unsuspecting reader's imaginative nervous system. . . . A smart, unsettling, and strangely stirring piece of work."" -San Francisco Chronicle ""Fascinating. . . . Wasik and Murphy chronicle more than two millennia of myths and discoveries about rabies and the animals that transmit it, including dogs, bats and raccoons."" -The Wall Street Journal"

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9780143123576

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Reviews

A searing narrative. <br> --The New York Times <br> In this keen and exceptionally well-written book, rife with surprises, narrative suspense and a steady flow of expansive insights, 'the world's most diabolical virus' conquers the unsuspecting reader's imaginative nervous system. . . . A smart, unsettling, and strangely stirring piece of work. <br> --San Francisco Chronicle <br> Fascinating. . . . Wasik and Murphy chronicle more than two millennia of myths and discoveries about rabies and the animals that transmit it, including dogs, bats and raccoons. <br> --The Wall Street Journal <br> Rabid delivers the drama of Louis Pasteur's courageous work developing the rabies vaccine at the same time it details the disease's place in our cultural history, taking us from Homer to the Bronte sisters to Zora Neale Hurston to Richard Matheson. . . . All along the book's prose and pace shine--the book is as fast as the virus is slow. <br> --The Seattle Times <br> A very readable, fascinating account of a terrifying disease....Wasik and Murphy grippingly trace the cultural history of the disease. . . . Rabid reminds us that the disease is a chilling, persistent reminder of our own animal connections, and of the simple fact that humans don't call all of the shots. <br> --The Boston Globe <br> Compelling. . . . Murphy and Wasik give life, context and understanding to the terrifying disease. Like the virus itself, this fascinating book moves quickly, exploring both the marginalized status and deadly nature of the virus. And as the authors trace the influence of rabies through history, Rabid becomes nearly impossible to put down. <br> --New Scientist <br> An elegant exploration of the science behind one of the most horrible way to die. <br>--Chris Anderson, author of The Long Tail <br> This book is not for the squeamish. Yet those who are fascinated by how viruses attack the body, by the history of vaccination and by physicians' effo

Author Information

Bill Wasikis the editorial director ofThe New York Times Magazine. He has written multiple books, includingAnd Then There's This,Rabid, andOur Kindred Creatures- How Americans Came to Feel the Way They Do About Animals.

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