On Immunity: An Inoculation

In this bold, fascinating book, Eula Biss addresses a chronic condition of fear - fear of the government, the medical establishment, and what may be in your children's air, food, mattresses, medicines, and vaccines. Reflecting on her own experience as a new mother, Biss investigates the metaphors and myths surrounding our conception of immunity and its implications for the individual and the social body. She extends a conversation with other mothers to meditations on Voltaire's Candide. , Bram Stoker's Dracula. , Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. , Susan Sontag's AIDS and Its Metaphors. , and beyond. On Immunity. is an inoculation against our fear and a moving account of how we are all interconnected - our bodies and our fates.