The Hot Zone

I recently got the itch to read more non-fiction to broaden my horizon and learn a thing or two. To start this off, I picked up this highly praised book. Why not start the journey to more knowledge with deadly viruses?

Of course I've followed the news and knew about Ebola and its symptoms and consequences. But I never really digged deeper into it. And boy it is as fascinating as it is terrifying.

Although based truly in facts and history, “The Hot Zone” is written like fiction which immensely helps to terrify you. It was really fascinating to learn about the place of birth of filoviruses and how they're adapting to survive. Preston describes in detail what happens to a human being and/or animal once it catches one of many different strings of filoviruses. If this would be a fiction book, many people would be appalled of the cruelty and brutality that happens to animals and humans. The fact that it isn't makes this story so haunting.

What can you learn from this book? Besides the story of the discovery of different deadly viruses and a look behind the scenes of scientific animal tests, you learn how hauntingly helpless we humans are if nature decides to get rid of us. We can battle it, but it's a fight against windmills. Nature can adapt and change and we will never know where it's going to strike next.