Everything Is Tuberculosis (Signed Edition): The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection
Instant #1 New York Times bestseller! • #1 Washington Post bestseller! • #1 Indie Bestseller! • USA Today Bestseller!
John Green, acclaimed author and passionate advocate for global healthcare reform, tells a deeply human story illuminating the fight against the world’s deadliest infectious disease. Signed edition
“The real magic of Green’s writing is the deeply considerate, human touch that goes into every word.” –The Associated Press
″Told with the intelligence, wit, and tragedy that have become hallmarks of the author’s work.... This is the story of us.” –Slate
“Earnest and empathetic.” –The New York Times
Tuberculosis has been entwined with humanity for millennia. Once romanticized as a malady of poets, today tuberculosis is seen as a disease of poverty that walks the trails of injustice and inequity we blazed for it.
In 2019, author John Green met Henry Reider, a young tuberculosis patient at Lakka Government Hospital in Sierra Leone. John became fast friends with Henry, a boy with spindly legs and a big, goofy smile. In the years since that first visit to Lakka, Green has become a vocal advocate for increased access to treatment and wider awareness of the healthcare inequities that allow this curable, preventable infectious disease to also be the deadliest, killing over a million people every year.
In Everything Is Tuberculosis, John tells Henry’s story, woven through with the scientific and social histories of how tuberculosis has shaped our world—and how our choices will shape the future of tuberculosis.
John Green, acclaimed author and passionate advocate for global healthcare reform, tells a deeply human story illuminating the fight against the world’s deadliest infectious disease. Signed edition
“The real magic of Green’s writing is the deeply considerate, human touch that goes into every word.” –The Associated Press
″Told with the intelligence, wit, and tragedy that have become hallmarks of the author’s work.... This is the story of us.” –Slate
“Earnest and empathetic.” –The New York Times
Tuberculosis has been entwined with humanity for millennia. Once romanticized as a malady of poets, today tuberculosis is seen as a disease of poverty that walks the trails of injustice and inequity we blazed for it.
In 2019, author John Green met Henry Reider, a young tuberculosis patient at Lakka Government Hospital in Sierra Leone. John became fast friends with Henry, a boy with spindly legs and a big, goofy smile. In the years since that first visit to Lakka, Green has become a vocal advocate for increased access to treatment and wider awareness of the healthcare inequities that allow this curable, preventable infectious disease to also be the deadliest, killing over a million people every year.
In Everything Is Tuberculosis, John tells Henry’s story, woven through with the scientific and social histories of how tuberculosis has shaped our world—and how our choices will shape the future of tuberculosis.
BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
a nice entry level narrative into tuberculosis and more generally, social determinants of health. would recommend to non-ph friends for sure.
"Everything is Tuberculosis" by John Green is one of those rare books that manages to be both heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time. Green takes a subject many of us rarely think about and makes it urgent, human, and unforgettable.
One of my favorite lines is: “When we know about suffering, when we are proximal to it, we are capable of extraordinary generosity. We can do and be so much for each other—but only when we see one another in our full humanity, not as statistics or problems, but as people who deserve to be alive in the world.”
That sentence alone is worth sitting with, and it’s just one example of the way this book combines empathy with knowledge. Reading it reminded me that change is possible when we recognize each other fully as human beings.
I honestly think everyone should read this book, and I’d love to see it taught in schools. It has the power to change how people perceive the world and how they perceive one another. It’s also a fantastic choice for book clubs, as it opens up conversations about compassion, justice, and what we owe to one another.
I wouldn't necessarily call this book everything and all about Tuberculosis as it gives the authors more personal experience and knowledge concerning this disease. It does have a brief history of consumption and tuberculosis with the journey of a few cases that tug on the heart string. I would say I walked away with new learnings but not with a deeper knowledge of the disease nor a desire to learn more.
As a teenager I read the Fault In Our Stars and Papertowns and now as an adult I’m still enjoying this author and I admire his shift in genre!
Very informative, thought-provoking, and eye opening! Incredible way to use your megaphone! ;)
(Little Disclaimer: I don’t agree with some of the progressive politics though, but whatever, we all have opinions).
“Virtuous Cycles”
“Here's the truth as I see it:Vicious cycles are common. Injustice and unfairness permeate every aspect of human life. But virtuous cycles are also possible”. I believe this quote sums up the theme of Everything Is Tuberculosis. Green presents most of the topic following a young man, Henry, he met in Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone is a poor country that sees many cases of TB. Henry and his sister were both diagnosed meaning their mom, the only source of income had to work even harder because the entire medical system is so broken. The system being big Pharma and greed. Henry is one story among millions struggling each year with tuberculosis, but as Green shows it doesn’t have to be this way. Greed is antithetical to life on earth.
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.