Book Detective

His goal--to prevent every disease that commonly attacked children--was unattainable. But Maurice Hilleman came close.

Maurice Hilleman is the father of modern vaccines. Chief among his accomplishments are nine vaccines that practically every child gets, rendering formerly deadly diseases--including mumps, rubella, and measles--nearly forgotten. Author Paul A. Offit's rich and lively narrative details Hilleman's research and experiences as the basis for a larger exploration of the development of vaccines, covering two hundred years of medical history and traveling across the globe in the process. The history of vaccines necessarily brings with it a cautionary message, as they have come under assault from those insisting they do more harm than good. Paul Offit clearly and compellingly rebuts these arguments, and, by demonstrating how much the work of Hilleman and others has gained for humanity, shows us how much we have to lose.

Deadly Choices by Paul A. Offit

Dr. Mutter's Marvels by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz

Nine Pints by Rose George

The Mystery of the Exploding Teeth by Thomas Morris

Doctors by Sherwin B. Nuland

The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee

The Demon Under the Microscope by Thomas Hager

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Quackery by Lydia Kang

Rocket Men by Robert Kurson

Skunk Works by Ben R. Rich

The Invention of Nature by Andrea Wulf

Under the Knife by Arnold van de Laar

Carrying the Fire by Michael Collins

Failure Is Not an Option by Gene Kranz

E=mc2 by David Bodanis

Autism's False Prophets by Paul A. Offit

The Knife Man by Wendy Moore

How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming by Mike Brown

Alan Turing by Andrew Hodges