At the center of David Quammen’s new book Breathless: The Scientific Race to Defeat a Deadly Virus is the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and its life-altering impact on us all. Quammen’s comprehensive account of the deadly disease charts not only its origin story, but also how its mutable nature has had far-reaching consequences for humans around the world. Featuring interviews with nearly 100 scientists, Quammen’s work is a clear-eyed analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic that experts anticipated but the world was unprepared for. In powerful terms, Quammen follows scientists as they discover and study the virus, and as they seek to control it with new vaccines. —Cady Lang
Buy Now: Breathless on Bookshop | Amazon
More Must-Reads From TIME
- What We Know So Far About the Deadly Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria
- Beyoncé's Album of the Year Snub Fits Into the Grammys' Long History of Overlooking Black Women
- How the U.S. Shot Down the Alleged Chinese Spy Balloon
- Effective Altruism Has a Toxic Culture of Sexual Harassment and Abuse, Women Say
- Inside Bolsonaro's Surreal New Life as a Florida Man—and MAGA Darling
- 'Return to Office' Plans Spell Trouble for Working Moms
- 8 Ways to Read More Books—and Why You Should
- Why Aren't Movies Sexy Anymore?
- How Logan Paul's Crypto Empire Fell Apart
