Richard PrestonThe Hot Zone: The Terrifying True Story of the Origins of the Ebola Virus

At nearly 500 pages this is quite a hefty book. It is also a terrifying book that is hard to put down. Not a topic I would seek out on purpose, but a friend recommended it so I decided why not.I’ll tell you why not.Because you will learn things about Ebola and other horribly, deadly, bloody smart viruses you cannot unlearnBecause the loss of the rainforests will frighten you even more than it already does when you discover that we are destroying where viruses live too – and they don’t take kindly to thatBecause you will be horrified at the fact that thousands of monkeys and other primates are captured every year and shipped to America for various medical thingsBecause you will realise that Ebola and other viruses are potentially right there, just spitting distance from you, all. the. time.Because you will be terrified every time you have a tiny headacheBecause you will want strangers to stay far away from you, especially if they are breathingBecause you will realise that your government, our government, the government will probably be unable to stop a proper Ebola virusBecause you will forgive the sometimes over detailed writing because you are completely absorbed in the horrorBecause this is not fiction, this is real, this is here, this is nowAnd this is a gripping, interesting, well put together, well researched non-fiction book that reads like an adventure, a horror and a thriller all at onceViruses are clever little buggers and best we be afraid. The more we screw with the world, the more the world’s mother nature will screw with usWe have been warned!

This book is interesting.For those who read this and think "this type of fumbling wouldn't happen today", you are sadly mistaken my friend...Our federal government isn't good at handling/managing ANYTHING. There is so much red tape, and so much lack of motivation to do work, that it will seriously take a year to do something that should take at most 2 weeks. I have experience in this.Have you ever heard the saying "good enough for government work"? There is a reason people say that..Not just my experience working for the government, but also my experience growing up as a military brat using military health care has shown me just how stupid and inept the government management can be.For one because the establishment is so massive, and two because it is run by politicians who are really concerned with furthering their carriers.If a disaster would happen today, you can count on a few things:1. First, if the government didn't have to tell you, they wouldn't.2. If they did tell you, they would say "they are still assessing the situation", but at this time there is no need to panic.3. Then they would consistently tell you things aren't as bad as you think.An example of this is during TMI partial meltdown, they said there was no radiation leak, and that it was safe to come back to you homes in the area. Even while Jimmy Carter visited the plant, at the same time, there was a huge hydrogen bubble growing inside the reactor that they didn't know how to deal with, or if it would explode(if it did, it would be game over for the surrounding area). Look it up if you don't believe me.4. The response to actually manage things would be very slow. Once they started to "manage" things, there would be great areas missed.Think Katrina.I am not trying to tell you to hide in your bunker down in your basement. In fact, I recommend getting out and enjoying life, and remembering that you can't control everything, or even a lot of the things you think you are managing.However, after reading this interesting story, maybe store a few weeks of food and water in case you have to shelter in place, and if something happens, do not wait for authorities to tell you to leave if you can.Be ready to think, and act on your own.I guess as a book review goes I should be talking more about the writing of this book, and less about what this book is really about . How the government delt with a very serious threat.Well, the book is an interesting, enjoyable read. It really gives you insight into how the government has worked in the past, and show it still works.It makes you wonder a little about how safe you really are, and I think this book is well worth the read just to open your mind.Beyond all that, it is a good, intricate story.Mark :)

I chose to purchase this book for the purposes of a presentation in my college Biology class that was required, and this was on the "Books to Chose From" list for that semester. As I am a biology major and fascinated by viruses, especially ebola, this particular novel was of great interest to me, as well as earning me an "A" on my presentation!The Hot Zone was published in 1994 by the book's author, Richard Preston. Richard Preston is a scientifically-minded man who earned his Ph. D. in English from Princeton University and has written many books on scientific topics including diseases and virology. Preston has written over six books and several newspaper articles, one of which, “Crisis in the Hot Zone” was published in 1992 by The New Yorker and was the basis of the inspiration for The Hot Zone.Despite the author's enthusiasm for science and virology, his educational background in English makes this book more enjoyable through story and description than it is enjoyable due to science as Preston's science is shaky at best, even to a student such as myself, and even to some more qualified reviewers who agree that much of Preston's scientific descriptions of Ebola were at best exaggerated. Preston's usage of descriptive adjectives such as “liquefy”, “bleeding out”, and “cell wall” – the latter when describing a human cell, when it should only be used in plant cells – are far more enhancing to the story because of the way they portray a vision and not because of scientific accuracy.Although the science can be somewhat shaky, the book itself is very entertaining and I recommend it to those who are avid readers and enjoy horror novels, science fiction, and books about plagues or epidemics. And though the plot and characters can be one-dimensional at times, the book is very well organized! Preston divides the book into four major sections: The Shadow of Mount Elgon (Part 1), The Monkey House (Part 2), Smashdown (Part 3), and Kitum Cave (Part 4), then proceeds to have both a list and description of main characters as well as a glossary for complete clarification and cross-referencing. Due to the way the book is organized, as well as a very unique and meta introduction to the reader to put them in a suitable frame of mind for reading the book.There are many intensely graphic and potentially disturbing passages which depict medical and viral scenarios, therefore reader discretion is advised. However if you have the stomach and the interest in the topic such as I did, then you have a very good chance of enjoying this book which describes a real-life situation which occurred that was barely noticed by the “outside world” but was the closest we have ever – at the time of the book being published – been as a species to seeing a full-scale Ebola outbreak world-wide. Our species simply never knew the entire story until the writing of this book.Besides describing the crisis outside Washington D.C., at Fort Detrick, Maryland which almost caused an Ebola outbreak of epidemic proportions, Preston also traces the origins of Ebola as well as other similar thread-shaped viruses such as Marburg from their apparent beginnings to how they are transferred among species and across species. Though the book is written in the style of Michael Crichton with a hint of Stephen King, there are more scientific aspects to this book including some fascinating up close microscopic photographs of various viruses including several strains of Ebola.In conclusion, although this book can at times seem to focus more on the “horror and thriller” aspect of things and over-exaggerate certain points, the science behind the book is sound - however sometimes severely outdated, and is a great basis for learning about the Ebola virus and other filoviruses and deadly pathogens. If you are looking to read a true story of horror that includes scientific fact as well as historically accurate situations, I highly recommend you read this book!