I found this to be learned but not patronising. Although it's clever and comprehensive it is written quite plainly so it's very readable. Fascinating stuff. I really enjoyed it.

Pathogenesis is a fascinating and very readable book, exploring the impact of infectious diseases on human history. It really made me think about the intended and unintended consequences of colonialism and has definitely altered my world view.

Totally vindicates my decision to get a degree in microbiology in the 1990's!

This is a very comprehensive account of the history of disease. It details everything you will ever need to know about the subject matter and it is succinctly written.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Pathogenesis by Jonathan Kennedy is a fascinating examination of how germs and disease have shaped and influenced human society, culture and history from the earliest ages to the current day. The book begins with the rise of Homo Sapiens over the Neanderthal , the last chapters bring us right up to date with the Covid-19 pandemic , and everything between from the dark ages and the Black Death to the industrial revolution and the AIDS epidemic. The author blends the biological and the sociological brilliantly and creates thought provoking links when discussing colonialism , the spread of disease and the lasting economic consequences. While the book is obviously science based, it it not heavy on jargon , and the lay reader should find it both entertaining and informative while being easy to read. If I had one criticism it would be the pacing, it seemed like we spend a lot of time reading about the prehistoric era while the last century only merited a few pages, which seemed a little counter intuitive to me, but that is a very small quibble about a book I enjoyed immensely and look forward to recommending and discussing with friends and colleagues.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Interesting and informative…..Provocative and brimming with insight, Pathogenesis transforms our understanding of the human story, revealing how the crisis of a pandemic can offer vital opportunities for change. Full of great facts!

Kennedy has it all: germs, genes, and jokes.
I was lucky enough to get an ARC of Pathogenesis by Jonathan Kennedy through Netgalley. I was very excited to read it and was not disappointed. I love learning about diseases – I am a diehard fan of This Podcast Will Kill You – and I feel like I learned so much through this book.
One of the aspects of Pathogenesis I appreciated was Kennedy’s dedication to including colonialism and its modern shadows in his history of diseases and their spread. This includes deeper information on the spread of smallpox in Meso and South America by the Spanish, of which most people already have a rudimentary understanding, and explanations of how the Transatlantic Slave Trade spread disease and their devastating consequences.
This aspect of the book meshed very well with another non-fiction book I have read recently – Superior by Angela Saini. Kennedy’s breakdown of early hominid migration patterns and how they affected human evolution and DNA was especially interesting and complementary to Superior. Pathogenesis is rightfully heavy on science, but it is not dense or thudding.
And he’s got jokes
For early humans, the Eastern Mediterranean region must have seemed like a cursed realm, the Palaeolithic equivalent of Tolkien’s Mordor.
&
Oliver Cromwell, who headed an austere Protestant dictatorship after the execution of Charles I in 1649, came down with malaria but stubbornly refused to take a medicine that was so closely associated with papists. He died shortly afterwards.
Pathogenesis is informative and entertaining, in the vein of Mary Roach (author of Stiff, Packing for Mars, and others) and I would recommend this book, especially as it is so relevant to today’s political landscape – and yes, public health is political.

One of the best researched books I've ever read. I love microbiology and was drawn to Pathogenesis immediately. I loved the petri dishes cover and the title is just great.
I definitely had expected a bit different content although I wasn't disappointed. If only history was taught at school this way, I might have actually liked the subject! As a person who is not a fan of history, going through ages of events with microbes in mind was great.
I especially loved the first chapters which were about the first forms of life and pre-homo sapiens. I couldn't stop reading! The rest of the book was also interesting, but as I'm not a huge fan of history in general, there were moments when I thought that I'd like the author to get to microbes sooner.

All in all, it's written in an easy language, it's a really interesting and an impressive book. I was excited to see the number of references (pages and pages of them!) as I'm definitely going to dive into some of the topics.

Everyone who'd like to get a different perspective on our history should read it.

I think this book would have appealed to me before the pandemic but of course now that we’ve all been affected by the spread of disease it holds even more interest. In some respects, though, Covid-19 is not special, just the latest in a long line of microbes that have had devastating effects. Most of my non-fiction reading is in the history genre rather than science but Jonathan Kennedy provides a compelling mix of the two. I found his clear, conversational style immediately easy to enjoy; his explanations are simple but without any dumbing down and it’s not without a dose of humour. There are lots of wow facts from the off, not least that eukaryotes (i.e. all animals, plants and fungi) make up less than 0.001 per cent of all species on the planet. And the gene responsible for creating the placenta is almost identical to the ones used by retroviruses to sneak past host defences.
Rather than seeking to attribute everything in human history to the spread of disease, Kennedy points out when it was a crucial factor alongside the actions of people, familiar events running alongside other explanations. For instance, the 1707 Act of Union between England and Scotland might not have happened had not so much of Scotland’s wealth been lost in a scheme in Panama doomed by disease. Immunity is not always helpful, though: West African people’s acquired resistance to malaria was exploited by plantation owners themselves vulnerable to it. What I found most surprising is how little of this is a major part of the narrative elsewhere.
While many communicable diseases can now be treated, prevented and even eradicated, they still exist. Rich countries exploit poor ones and there is huge inequality within states; as ever, those living in poverty are more vulnerable to all kinds of disease. Progress has been made but there is still much to do. In Pathogenesis, Jonathan Kennedy is playing with the biggest ideas but it’s not lofty; I really hope it gets the wide readership it deserves so we remember it’s a microbial world and we’re all living in it.

I am not from a scientific background but found this fascinating. It is very accessible for the layman to read. How disease has forged human development , a very different and interesting take on human history.

Fascinating look at how germs and diseases have influenced major turning points in human history. Written in an easy and engaging style, the book is split up into sections that deal with specific time periods which makes it every easy to follow. It manages to onboard the inquisitive layman and also welcome the scientist and historian. Some of this was information I already knew a fair bit about but some of it was new to me too and the conclusions drawn made a lot of sense. Overall an excellent book.

Pathogenesis relays the history of the human race in the context of the infectious diseases that helped shape the course of events and lead us to the world we live in today. I went into this book expecting more emphasis on the science of pathogens and in this sense I was a little disappointed. Whilst touching on the biology of pathogens in the first chapters, the majority of this book felt more like a history than it did science. However, I did find myself enjoying the historical accounts more than I would usualy due to the focus on disease and the influence that this had on events.

This is definitely a very relevant read after the events of the pandemic that we are still, in many ways, suffering from as a society. I wouldn't recommend if, like me, you have a scientific background and are looking to expand upon your understanding, as this isn't that type of book. But it is a fascinating premise and, overall, I enjoyed reading it.

What a brilliant book!
The writer has a really accessible style; without being patronising he explains his ideas really well so that non scientists like me can appreciate where his ideas stem from. At times, it was like he was rewriting history, or at least giving a different interpretation of the reasons various things happened. I found the social and religious history particularly fascinating and the upheaval bacteria and viruses have caused throughout history.
A book I will be recommending to friends and family.
Thank you to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book

A fascinating and informative book. Especially in view of the recent pandemic.
A comprehensive historical look at how the world, humans disease and viruses spread.

This book description was brief “Find out why we don’t lay eggs, why Romans' love of bread weakened their Eastern Empire, why Vikings didn't colonise North America, why slavery first became racialised in the West Indies, why Scotland was forced to join a Union with England, and much more.”

I chose to read the book based on the title and this little snippet and I was not disappointed. It is completely riveting, written linking human evolution alongside the bacteria and viruses which have affected us through the ages. I found myself dropping random tidbits into the conversation at dinners with friends, and had conversation hanging on every word. Followed by requests for the name of the book I am getting all this information from.

I have a background in science and academics, but this book is incredibly well-written and signposted, making it incredibly accessible - anyone can pick it up and enjoy it.

Viewing history from this standpoint was a fantastic journey. Kennedy’s stance that viruses and pathogens have been the key drivers of human history was an engaging approach. I particularly enjoyed the earlier chapters delving into the effect pathogens may have had on Neanderthals and Sapiens, and the colonising of further landmasses.

This book was fantastic. Absolutely one to keep on the shelf, to loan to friends, to buy as a gift, and to keep returning to. You get absolute nuggets of information every time you pick it up.

*I received this copy from NetGalley for review, but all opinions are my own.

Thank you for the advanced copy.

I loved this and will definitely purchase this. I loved the style of writing and it's layout. Excellent subject matter which is fascinating especially as he delves into both economic and social changes

This book is very informative and interesting to read. I highly recommend this. A fascinating insight into the human body and how it react to illness and disease.

A very interesting read, with things I already knew/had read about somewhere else, but also with additional information that I hadn't suspected at first, but make a lot of sense in hindsight. The writing itself is easy enough to follow (if a bit on the academic side -- nothing too complex though) and the 'narrative', with each chapter following a specific period of time (Neolithic, Greek/Roman ancient times, Middle Ages, etc.), was quite enthralling. I especially liked the take on earlier periods, such as what pathogens' role may have been for Sapiens and Neanderthal, and the additional details when it came to the Americas and their colonising -- the latter both chilling and full of meaning.

All in all, I think the earlier chapters were best. The ones about more recent periods were just as interesting, but their context meant having to delve into politics/history as well, and at times it hid the 'pathogen' aspect a little. Not much, though, so that was fine.

Thanks ever so much to @penguinrandomhouse for sharing this title with me on @netgalley!

Pathogenesis by Jonathan Kennedy, published by @penguinrandomhouse (Torva.)

Simply fantastic. If, like me, you enjoy romps through world history from an economic and epidemiological point of view (I know, I know), then I have great news for you. Not only do you have a ridiculously niche interest, but now you have this wonderful book to look forward to.

Kennedy's thesis is that germs, infectious diseases, viruses, plagues, you name it, have been the key advancers of human history, from the time of Neanderthals and Homo sapiens to our own ubiquitous Covid-19 in the present day. The book is divided into chronological accounts of plagues throughout history, covering all continents. Call me gullible, but I am sold on this idea. Kennedy's account of world history is accessible, persuasive, and fun, plus I'd much rather imagine our history being built and advanced by invisible germs than by a bunch of old white men.

I savoured every part of this book, but my favourite section was the discussion on how the Black Death triggered and/or set the scene for the emergence of capitalism. It's a period of history that simply fascinates me. One small qualm is that there was barely any discussion of the mistakenly called Spanish Flu, but perhaps the author doesn't think it changed the course of history sufficiently? There was also little attention given to SARS and MERS, making the ending seem a little rushed. Nevertheless, this doesn't tarnish my 5 star review and I cannot stress enough how much I enjoyed reading this. Right up my street? No, it's actually set up camp on my street and plans to live there permanently.

Really informative and easy to follow. I found some chapters stronger than others, for example the first part on Prehistoric diseases was really good and detailed, while I found the ones on more modern history, like Victorian England, a bit more vague despite presumably better historical sources. The chapters on colonisation and the role viruses and diseases have played in supporting the colonists agenda was excellent.

This book is brilliant! Utterly engaging, incredibly informative - every page is a revelation. In examining human history and evolution through the perspective of the bacteria and viruses that have affected us, he also gives a fascinating account of the growth of civilisation. It's witty and surprising, and very unputdownable!