An Elegant Defense audiobook

Um passeio bastante marcate por como funciona nosso sistema imune, que saiu aqui no Brasil como Imune: A extraordinária história de como o organismo se defende das doenças.Richtel elege algumas pessoas para contar a história delas e de condições que desenvolveram relacionadas a imunidade (câncer, HIV e autoimunidade) para falar sobre como nosso sistema imune funciona, o que acontece quando ele não funciona e o que acontece quando ele funciona demais e reage contra o próprio corpo.É um livro bastante didático que consegue transformar em legível a área de biológicas onde encontrei mais termos, cifras e vias complexas. O que é um trabalho hercúleo. Em uma época onde todo mundo quer saber como vacinas funcionam, que tipo de imunidade desenvolvemos e o que é importante, é uma leitura recomendadíssima.

Wow! I’m almost at a loss for words to describe AN ELEGANT DEFENSE and emphasize not only how important but also how interesting this book is. So I begin my comments with an exclamation (wow).This is a science book. But (whoa, don’t go away) it is probably unlike any science book you’ve had experience with. It is casual and easy to understand. And even though it does contain scientific words, Matt Richtel occasionally reminds the reader what they mean and how they are applicable to what he then describes.I am not a scientific or medical person. I only decided to read this because Richtel is a Pulitzer Prize winner for his A DEADLY WANDERING. And was I surprised that someone could make the science of the immune system so darned interesting. Honestly, it was as if I was reading an exciting thriller last night when I stayed up reading this book until I fell asleep sometime past midnight. Maybe that’s because he gives real-life examples of what he is talking about.Richtel divides AN ELEGANT DEFENSE into five parts, each perfectly named (as are the chapters). First he introduces us to four people, examples of “the extraordinary new science of the immune system.” Next comes the science, which Richtel still manages to keep casual, even humorous at times. And he sometimes adds to this part other real-life examples. The remainder of the book concentrates more on the people he began with.Much, maybe most, of AN ELEGANT DEFENSE is personal. Yes, I learned a lot. But I think, even with these readable explanations and examples showing how our immune systems are so important to everything about our bodies, this book absorbed me because Richtel makes it personal, especially Jason. Jason is the reason I stayed awake past midnight last night.I won the ARC of AN ELEGANT DEFENSE through librarything.com.

Matt Richtel is one of those rare writers able to convey complex concepts with ease. He pulls apart interwoven strands of the human immune system to reweave it for us through the stories of physicians, scientists, and patients. Several times I found myself saying, “You have to hear this,” before reading aloud a few particularly fascinating paragraphs to whatever family member was in the room. This is an especially useful book for anyone with health issues, since a closer familiarity with one’s own immune system can help us keep up with research and advocate for ourselves. If I have any complaints, it’s that the author’s main patient story (spoiler alert) is deemed a “success” in several chapters, but the outcome is one that’s sadly familiar to too many who have endured years of torturous, expensive, body-depleting chemotherapy treatments. The author does, all too briefly, get around to the wisdom of listening to one’s own body to find solutions outside mainstream medicine. I also appreciated the author’s wider perspective on the intersection between science and culture. As he writes near the close of the book, “…Our survival, as individuals and a species, is best served by cooperation. This may sound obvious, but civilization, even of late, has been dominated by the push and pull of our competing instincts to cooperate and alienate, to see what people share in common or prey on what divides them. The lesson of the immune system is that the better able we are to find common ground, the more allies and weapons we have to contend with a greater, common foe.” I appreciated the opportunity to get an advance reader’s copy. An Elegant Defense is an impressively researched and ultimately optimistic book.

Pultizer Prize Winner, Matt Richtel, takes us on a journey of our immune systems, how they work and how they fail and why. Through extension research by Physicians, Scientists and Researchers who study and explore the structure and function of the immune system, there has been a great turnabout in treating patients suffering from cancer, HIV, autoimmune diseases to name a few. Even in the age of the Black Plague and other epidemics, there were often a few who made it through without any dire consequences. What were the antibodies that caused them to ward off these diseases? The author introduces us to four patients and we follow along on their paths. This is a must read for anyone seeking quality of life.

An interesting and informative exploration of research on the human defense system. Starting the with Black Plague, the book includes very early theories and research to recon breakthroughs. For each of the major topics, which were cancer, AIDS, and autoimmune disorders, Richtel went into detail on a specific person who tell with that issue. The result was a book that never became too technical and remained fully rooted in the real world of patients, individuals, and families. Furthermore, he frequently makes connections between the immune system, which has to distinguish between our bodies and invaders, to real-world issues like xenophobia. I did get lost at times listening to the audiobook but overall a good book!

The author bent over backwards to make the science understandable. I don't think I'll retain a lot of it, but I am left with wonder and admiration for the body's immune system. Explaining the science while profiling 4 people with immune system health challenges was helpful. I really loved the last chapter where the author tries to articulate some meaning from what he has learned in his life and through research for this book. Recommended.

Matt Richtel takes you on a tour of the Festival of Life, exploring the multidimensional entity within all of us, the immune system. The book expanded my previous knowledge on the subject greatly, pointing out how the immune system can act as both the savior and the thing you need to be saved from.The book also tells us the story of four people battling simultaneously very different but very similar challenges.I loved the writing style, which made the book easily digestible even with the heavy medical glossary and complex science. Everything was explained, put to simpler terms, and then revisited whenever any concept became relevant to the story again. The book also inspires the reader to look at their own habits, both harmful and positive, and shed light on the long term impact of, for example, sleep deprivation, stress, or smoking. For someone who experiences stress very easily and with immediate physical effects, such as digestive issues, it painted a concrete picture of what could happen if I stressed myself out too much and too often. The book handles themes such as death, depression, and chronic illness, so anyone wanting to avoid them should steer clear. But it also handled the discussions of our mortality and the pain that comes with it beautifully, with perspectives from people with real experiences. Maybe these stories have a consoling effect to show you — you are not alone.

Author Matt Richtel has performed a great service to readers of popular science, and yet “popular science” probably does him and his book a slight disservice. An Elegant Defense: The Extraordinary New Science of the Immune System narrates—in considerable detail—the fascinating history of the human immune system. Richtel has not skimped on depth of research, nor on breadth of topic. His engaging story rings of authenticity in two ways: first, he talks to and extensively quotes experts in the field of immunology; and second, he cleverly illustrates his points through the real-life stories of four people whose immune systems are significantly challenged.I would argue that the majority of us go about our daily business paying very little attention to our immune systems. But whether you are sitting in your favorite rocking chair reading a book, or have just smashed your thumb with a hammer, your immune system is engaged in a massive amount of work to keep you safe from constant exposure to parasites, viruses, bacteria, and other malignancies. Homeostasis is the immune system’s sweet spot, where life is copacetic, and it is not having to mount an attack on any kind of bodily assault or invasion. If it does, there are all kinds of lines of defense that immediately kick into gear to try and restore stability. On the one hand, Richtel likens the immune system to a peacekeeping force—patrolling, monitoring, and biologically babysitting your body. But when necessary, the immune system’s actions equate to deploying a full-blown army with “General” cells to issue orders, foot soldier cells to obey them, and even assassin cells to take out the really bad guys. And all of this happens at phenomenal speed. “The immune system’s communications network rivals in power, speed, and reach any communications network the world has ever invented.” The four case studies discuss two immune systems that are too powerful, one that is too weak, and one that is just right.While the immune system is the result of millions of years of evolution, so have viruses and other bodily enemies been evolving. The immune system typically knows what, when, and how much to do to defend itself, but occasionally, a virus, say, can outsmart the immune system, or even co-opt it into thinking the virus is benign. That’s when trouble starts: immune systems can overreact, underreact, or they can unintentionally aid and abet a bad-guy virus.Everything to do with treating the immune system is layered in complexity; progress is often painstakingly slow. But immunology has become incredibly sophisticated, with targeted treatments operating at the molecular level in a constant battle. Richtel does a stellar job walking the reader through all the trials and tribulations our immune systems undergo all the time. His narrative is fluid and fluent, his explanations clear and comprehensible. Since one of the four case studies is Richtel’s long-time close friend, there’s a personal poignancy in that particular story.An Elegant Defense: The Extraordinary New Science of the Immune System is hard to put down once started. Richtel is eloquent and engaging, and the bonus for readers of this book is that they will undoubtedly be able to ace an immunology 101 test!

A great read to better understanding our immune system while learning about the discoveries that have lead to saving lives. If you are interested in immunology this is a great book to read.

I am on a spree to read books on the immune system, Our body's mechanism to cope up with harmful viruses and pathogens.The author started with the accidental discovery of thymus, which contains T cells and walks us through the B cells that originated in the bone marrow, and also told us the exciting stories behind innovations of these cells.So T cells and B cells pretty much made the most of our body's defence system. Still, there are others such as dendritic cells which act as signalling mechanism T cells and neutrophils which act first when there is pathogen detected.This book covered most of the things, that is needed to understand the immune system, or it will make you understand the technical jargons related to Immunology and virology.It's written in simple sentences, and the author told every discovery with the story that leads to it.

Author Matt Richtel reveals the science of immunology and introduces us to our own own immune system. He gives us a fascinating and fairly easy to understand view of the intricate processes and actions of our immune cells. We learn about the scientists and also get to meet 4 “regular folks” whose lives are impacted by their immune systems. We even get to know more about Dr. Fauci! I wish Author Richtel would write an addition to his book- in light of the COVID Pandemic. If you want to learn more about your immune system, this is a great place to start.

The Immune System of any creature is a remarkable thing. In the book, An Elegant Defense author Matt Richtel discusses these topics and more by talking about the impact of the Immune System on four particular lives. While the field of Quantum Mechanics might have the particle zoo, the author describes the Festival of Life in this book. We are still just dipping our toe into the depth of the immune system and what it is capable of or why it is capable of those feats.Richtel talks about these matters in a conversational style that doesn’t throw too much jargon at the reader. Of course, he has to talk about Lymphocytes, T cells, B Cells, Interleukin, Natural Born Killer Cells, and a few other things, but he also talks about how these things were discovered in the human body and in the systems of other animals.Richtel also clears up some common misunderstandings. While the idea of the Immune System as a police force is technically true, it also has an equally taxing job in being a peacekeeper of sorts. Your body contains multitudes of various beneficial critters as well. The Immune System also needs a way to differentiate between ‘self’ and ‘non-self.’ This is an essential task that goes wrong with remarkable frequency in our stress-filled present. These are called autoimmune diseases, and they can cause unprecedented havoc to your system. Lupus, Celiac Disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis, each one of them caused by an Immune System that failed to differentiate between friend and foe. An even worse case is in that of Cancer. Cancer is even more insidious since it is technically your cells.Anyway, along the way with all of these developments in our understanding of immunity, the author also talks about vaccines and antibiotics. Finally, the author eventually leads to the development of drugs that suppress the immune system. This takes us full circle back to the four individuals that he opened the book with.The book is very good and taught me some things that I did not know.

Solid 4 plus stars. Immensely readable and fascinating discussion about the immune system focusing on 4 individuals -- two with immune system deficiencies and two with immune systems that turned in the body. I've read critiques on some of the science in the book, but how it describes the functioning of the immune system in language and images that the non-existent can understand and relate to is truly exceptional. Would have been 5 stars except for the science concerns. But am I going to remember the details, no. But I will remember the over all description of how the system works. And in today's world where do many of the advancements focus on immunotherapy, that is a valuable component of my future ability to understand these advancements.