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Author:
Madeline Roberts, PhD, MPH
and
Katelyn Jetelina, PhD, MPH
Summer
is in full swing, and whether you find yourself on a plane, at the
beach, poolside, or otherwise, you may want an excellent read to take
along on whatever adventures and endeavors you have in store. We’ve
rounded up a few old and new books that we’ve been thinking about, and
we hope they spark your interest and thinking!
Thinking,
Fast and Slow
by Daniel Kahneman
https://bit.ly/3DpPmvq
Available in
Kindle, Audio,
Paperback & Hardcover formats |
Adventures of
a Disease Detective
by Mark White
https://amzn.to/43zmeNd
Available in
Kindle
& Paperback formats |
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This book, written by Nobel Prize-winning economist Daniel
Kahneman, is not about epidemiology per se but deals extensively
with bias, heuristics, and systematic error in cognition.
Startlingly insightful, Kahneman’s work on how we tend to make
decisions and how to make better ones is a must-read. This book
was required reading for a class during my (Madeline) MPH, and
one that I have returned to on several occasions in the time
since to reflect on my decision-making processes.
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Written by
epidemiologist and former CDC Director of International Health,
Dr. Mark White, this book follows the harrowing, real-life
experiences that comprised Dr. White’s career as an infectious
disease specialist. The reflections on pandemics and life
experiences from a true expert in disease investigation include
his Ebola and HIV surveillance work in the Philippines and
Uganda, where he encountered numerous natural disasters and
political instability.
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Lessons from
the Covid War:
An Investigative Report
by The Covid Crisis Group
https://amzn.to/44S5eCY
Available in
Kindle, Audio
& Paperback formats |
Pathogenesis:
A History of the World
in Eight Plagues
by Jonathan Kennedy
https://amzn.to/3K4Bw5G
Available in
Kindle, Audio
& Hardcover formats |
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Now that the COVID-19 emergency is over, we need a national
commission to review what the United States got right, what we
got wrong, and how we can prepare for the future, just like the
9/11 Commission. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like this will
happen due to the politicized landscape. This book is the next
best thing. The commissioner for 9/11 conducted hundreds of
interviews to understand lessons learned from experts around the
country. Each chapter dives deep and accurately depicts the
downfalls and successes. A fantastic read that every American
should read, particularly those of us in public health.
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A thorough delve into history and evolution through the lens of
disease, Pathogenesis (written by a sociologist in 2023)
is an engaging read on how outbreaks have shaped human events.
From military conquests to labor practices, Kennedy makes a case
for how infectious disease has often functioned as a
“devastating weapon of mass destruction,” which has
substantially contributed to and interfered in human history.
After reading through thousands of years of the ravages of
infectious disease, Kennedy’s call for collective political will
to organize against the next pandemic should certainly register
with readers.
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Plagues and
Peoples
by William H. McNeill
https://amzn.to/3Q6UCf9
Available in Kindle, Paperback
& Hardcover formats |
Creating
Great Choices:
A Leader's Guide to Integrative Thinking
by Jennifer Riel, Roger L. Martin
https://amzn.to/43znM9Z
Available in Kindle, Audio
& Hardcover formats |
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For a several-decades-earlier historical take on world history
in disease, Plagues and Peoples (written by a historian in 1976)
offers a comprehensive look at the implications of disease
throughout human history and covers everything from ecology
disruption and politics to migration and societal development.
Science has advanced since 1976. However, this book came to mind
not only because of the recent release of Pathogenesis
but also because of the underlying premise: “…in
any effort to understand what lies ahead, the role of infectious
disease cannot properly be left out of consideration."
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Given the substantial upheaval over the past few years in
virtually every sector, particularly the current state of public
health, this book came to mind for rebuilding and creating a
path forward. This book offers a framework for choices with
several practical exercises, not just for leaders in the title
but for anyone thinking critically about their organization or
career. Perhaps the most valuable element of this book is that
it presents an alternative to all-or-nothing thinking, namely,
taking the best aspects from opposing options and creating a new
choice—and that this is a skill you can practice and cultivate.
We can’t think of a more needed skill in the current age. |
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Please DM us on
Twitter @theEpimonitor or Instagram @epimonitor
and let us know what you’re reading this summer!
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