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Join our new and exciting non-fiction book club.
A sweeping look at how the major transformations in history-from the rise of Homo sapiens to the birth of capitalism-have been shaped not by humans but by germs. According to the accepted narrative of progress, humans have thrived thanks to their brains and brawn, collectively bending the arc of history. But in this revelatory book, professor Jonathan Kennedy argues that the myth of human exceptionalism overstates the role that we play in social and political change. Instead, it is the humble microbe that wins wars and topples empires. Drawing on the latest research in fields ranging from genetics and anthropology to archaeology and economics, Pathogenesis takes us through 60,000 years of history, exploring eight major outbreaks of infectious disease that have made the modern world. By placing disease at the center of his wide-ranging history of humankind, Kennedy challenges some of the most fundamental assumptions about our collective past-and urges us to view this moment as another disease-driven inflection point that will change the course of history.
We will be discussing this book via Zoom. Please register to attend. You can request a copy via this link using your library card.
If you're having trouble acquiring a copy of this book or if you have any questions, please contact Eric at erevilla@edisonpubliclibrary.org
EPL Virtual is the online gathering space for all of the library's virtual events hosted through Zoom.
