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We’ve all become quite familiar with the word quarantine over the past two years, but journalists Geoff Manaugh and Nicola Twilley were studying the concept long before the days of COVID-19. In their deftly reported book, they trace the evolution of quarantine across the world, underlining the challenges of isolation and its impact on society. Until Proven Safe: The History and Future of Quarantine is not just a book about quarantining and its relationship to disease, but also an exploration of the intersections of biology, politics and technology. The book’s relevance in the modern moment makes it both unsettling and necessary.

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