On Immunity
Eula Biss began this book of essays after the birth of her son left her anxious about how to protect him. Rather than simply argue for vaccines, she explores why so many people fear them, drawing on Greek myth, the story of Dracula, the history of variolation and smallpox, and the cultural meanings of blood, purity, and contagion. Biss treats immunity as a shared rather than purely private matter, arguing that protecting a community depends on people acting together. She writes as a parent reasoning through her own worries, blending memoir, criticism, and reporting. The result is a short, careful meditation on trust, risk, and the ways metaphor shapes how people think about disease and the body, and it became a widely praised work of nonfiction.
What you might want to know about On Immunity
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Eula Biss examines vaccination and the fears around it as a new mother, weaving science, history, and metaphor.
Biss supports vaccination, but the book focuses on understanding the fears around it rather than simply arguing for it.
Yes. Bill Gates named it one of his favorite books of the year, praising its thoughtful approach to a divisive subject.
On Immunity was written by Eula Biss, published in 2014 by Graywolf Press.
On Immunity is 216 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, On Immunity takes most readers 3 to 5 hours to finish.
On Immunity is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
