On Immunity An Inoculation (2000) - Plot & Excerpts
Written to my demographic (apparently, I fit the demo of the anti/under vaccination crowd), this was a convincing argument for vaccination. Which, fine, I'm already so pro-vaccination that I read it just to learn more about why it is a good idea, but still, if I come across someone struggling with the topic, I can recommend it. Bliss writes from her own fears as a new mother (her son and mine are the same age) and all the 'questions' surrounding vaccination. But instead of just believing hearsay, she did the work and now is sharing it. Somewhere between four and five stars, but hey, it's Christmas so I'll round up. This, for me, is one of those books that inspires me to be a better reader and a better thinker. It's a short book but she crams a lot of thinking in there and it's clear she did a ton of research before writing this contemplation. I'm not really sure what to call this book...an essay? I do wonder if this is the sort of book she intended to write when she started her research and note-taking. In any case, with such disparate sources making up her body of research she did an impressive job of distilling her thoughts and reflections and somehow making this thing hang together and be readable. Yet, because there is so much here, I will probably be reading it again with a pencil in hand. One little thought: as a researcher myself, I thoroughly appreciated the tears that can result when one falls down the rabbit hole...
What do You think about On Immunity An Inoculation (2000)?
Pretty great meditation. Bonus points for leaning heavily on Donna Haraway throughout.
—OwensMommy
