
An Elegant Defense
The Extraordinary New Science of the Immune System: A Tale in Four Lives
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Narrated by:
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Fred Sanders
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By:
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Matt Richtel
About this listen
A magnificently reported and soulfully crafted exploration of the human immune system - the key to health and wellness, life and death. An epic, first-of-its-kind audiobook, entwining leading-edge scientific discovery with the intimate stories of four individual lives, by the Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times journalist.
“An Elegant Defense by Matt Richtel is one of those rare nonfiction books that transcends the genre. On one level it is a fascinating and engrossing account of the latest, and quite astonishing, discoveries involving the human immune system and how it works. But it is also a story about people facing mortality, about the passion of scientists searching for truth, and a meditation on death and how all of us struggle with the ultimate mystery. Heartfelt and moving, full of compassion, love, and the human drama, this is the work of a writer of high ethical character who is grappling with big issues and deep humanistic problems. What an inspiring and wonderful read. I highly recommend this extraordinary book.” (Douglas Preston, number-one best-selling author of The Lost City of the Monkey God)
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Joining the ranks of popular science classics like The Botany of Desire and The Selfish Gene, a groundbreaking, wondrously informative, and vastly entertaining examination of the most significant revolution in biology since Darwin - a "microbe's-eye view" of the world that reveals a marvelous, radically reconceived picture of life on Earth.
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Undoes what you've learned from the headlines
- By Tristan on 10-14-16
By: Ed Yong
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Allergy and Immunology - Medical School Crash Course
- By: AudioLearn Medical Content Team
- Narrated by: Scott Jasmin RN
- Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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AudioLearn’s Medical School Crash Courses presents Allergy and Immunology. Written by experienced professors and professionally narrated for easy listening, this crash course is a valuable tool both during school and when preparing for the USMLE, or if you’re simply interested in the subject of Allergy and Immunology. The audio is focused and high-yield, covering the most important topics you might expect to learn in a typical Medical school Allergy and Immunology course.
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The Emperor of All Maladies
- A Biography of Cancer
- By: Siddhartha Mukherjee
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders
- Length: 22 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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The Emperor of All Maladies reveals the many faces of an iconic, shape-shifting disease that is the defining plague of our generation. The story of cancer is a story of human ingenuity, resilience, and perseverance but also of hubris, arrogance, paternalism, and misperception, all leveraged against a disease that, just three decades ago, was thought to be easily vanquished in an all-out "war against cancer".
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Incredible
- By S.R.E. on 03-02-16
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The Secret Language of Cells
- What Biological Conversations Tell Us About the Brain-Body Connection, the Future of Medicine, and Life Itself
- By: Jon Lieff MD
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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While cells are commonly considered the building block of living things, it is actually the communication between cells that brings us to life, controlling our bodies and brains, determining whether we are healthy or sick, and directly influencing how we think, feel, and behave. In The Secret Language of Cells, doctor and neuroscientist Jon Lieff lets us listen in on these conversations, and reveals their significance for everything from mental health to cancer.
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top notch!
- By Amazon Customer on 10-11-20
By: Jon Lieff MD
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Bottle of Lies
- The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom
- By: Katherine Eban
- Narrated by: Katherine Eban
- Length: 14 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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From an award-winning Fortune reporter, an explosive narrative investigation of the generic drug boom that reveals the life-threatening dangers posed by globalization - The Jungle for pharmaceuticals.
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overbearing self-righteous indignation
- By VB on 01-13-20
By: Katherine Eban
What listeners say about An Elegant Defense
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- Karan
- 09-10-21
Laymen’s way to immunology
Inspiring and quite an informational book on immunology. Simplified for someone who doesn’t have a background in biology
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1 person found this helpful
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- C. Brieant
- 05-07-19
Good science but too much biography
Very good discussion of the immune system. Could have done without the personal accounts. M
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- Lauren
- 07-23-21
book of the year!
a story of life intermingled with the latest knowledge of the immune system: a book for those with no prior knowledge of medicine
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1 person found this helpful
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- Kindle Customer
- 07-24-20
fascinating
a fascinating story
a great narration
an accurate science
a must for anyone who wants to learn about immunotherapy
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1 person found this helpful
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- Quique G
- 08-10-20
Book of the year
The best science and health book I have ever read, with story, emotional sometimes, funny other times, very interesting. A must read for everybody
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- Lisha and Ken Erez
- 04-04-25
I learned so much!
So much detail about cells- hard to keep track. If I had been reading it I would have skipped parts.
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- Erin Brewer
- 08-28-19
worth reading
interesting but could have done without the politicalization of the immune response. good reading and interesting information.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Dutchgirl
- 03-19-19
Excellent
Loved this book. I think everyone should read it! He did an amazing job of explaining a complicated subject.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Tater Tot
- 09-22-19
we all need to know this information
made me pay more attention to what I was eating and how to handle my everyday actions
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- Ellen
- 03-30-19
Engrossing and well told
This is one of the most well written books I’ve heard. The narration was patient and well done. The book is not just an explanation of science - but an added perspective that, I think, made the book more relatable and important. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
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