The Mosquito
A Human History of Our Deadliest Predator
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Narrated by:
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Mark Deakins
About this listen
**The instant New York Times bestseller.**
*An international bestseller.*
Finalist for the Lane Anderson Award
Finalist for the RBC Taylor Award
“Hugely impressive, a major work.”—NPR
A pioneering and groundbreaking work of narrative nonfiction that offers a dramatic new perspective on the history of humankind, showing how through millennia, the mosquito has been the single most powerful force in determining humanity’s fate
Why was gin and tonic the cocktail of choice for British colonists in India and Africa? What does Starbucks have to thank for its global domination? What has protected the lives of popes for millennia? Why did Scotland surrender its sovereignty to England? What was George Washington's secret weapon during the American Revolution?
The answer to all these questions, and many more, is the mosquito.
Across our planet since the dawn of humankind, this nefarious pest, roughly the size and weight of a grape seed, has been at the frontlines of history as the grim reaper, the harvester of human populations, and the ultimate agent of historical change. As the mosquito transformed the landscapes of civilization, humans were unwittingly required to respond to its piercing impact and universal projection of power.
The mosquito has determined the fates of empires and nations, razed and crippled economies, and decided the outcome of pivotal wars, killing nearly half of humanity along the way. She (only females bite) has dispatched an estimated 52 billion people from a total of 108 billion throughout our relatively brief existence. As the greatest purveyor of extermination we have ever known, she has played a greater role in shaping our human story than any other living thing with which we share our global village.
Imagine for a moment a world without deadly mosquitoes, or any mosquitoes, for that matter? Our history and the world we know, or think we know, would be completely unrecognizable.
Driven by surprising insights and fast-paced storytelling, The Mosquito is the extraordinary untold story of the mosquito’s reign through human history and her indelible impact on our modern world order.
©2019 Timothy C. Winegard (P)2019 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2020 RBC TAYLOR PRIZE
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2020 LANE ANDERSON AWARD
An instant New York Times bestseller
“Timothy C. Winegard's The Mosquito is as wildly entertaining as any epic narrative out there. It's also all true . . . Winegard masterfully weaves historical facts and science to offer a shocking, informative narrative that shows how who we are today is directly linked to the mosquito.”—NPR
“Winegard’s reminder of their enormous potential for destruction is a timely one for all of us…we modern folk are also guilty of believing that our hopes and our technology will somehow make us exempt from the workings of the natural world. The entire time that humanity has been in existence, the mosquito has been proof that we are not.”—The New Yorker
“Thrilling . . . a lively history of mosquitoes. Mr. Winegard convincingly argues that the insect has shaped human life as well as delivering death… Mr. Winegard is an engaging guide, especially when he combines analysis with anecdote.”—The Economist
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Interweaving a grand historical narrative with cutting-edge climate science and genetic discoveries, Kyle Harper traces how the fate of Rome was decided not just by emperors, soldiers, and barbarians but also by volcanic eruptions, solar cycles, climate instability, and devastating viruses and bacteria. He takes listeners from Rome's pinnacle in the second century, when the empire seemed an invincible superpower, to its unraveling by the seventh century, when Rome was politically fragmented and materially depleted.
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Interesting and worthwhile
- By B. Coleman on 06-15-19
By: Kyle Harper
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The Viking Heart
- How Scandinavians Conquered the World
- By: Arthur Herman
- Narrated by: Kiff VandenHeuvel
- Length: 18 hrs and 50 mins
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Scandinavia has always been a world apart. For millennia Norwegians, Danes, Finns, and Swedes lived a remote and rugged existence among the fjords and peaks of the land of the midnight sun. But when they finally left their homeland in search of opportunity, these wanderers — including the most famous, the Vikings — would reshape Europe and beyond.
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Confused and not worth the time and money
- By Jacob The Dane on 08-16-21
By: Arthur Herman
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History of Mexico
- A Captivating Guide to Mexican History, Starting from the Rise of Tenochtitlan Through Maximilian's Empire to the Mexican Revolution and the Zapatista Indigenous Uprising
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
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This fascinating journey through Mexico’s history, from its amazing pre-Hispanic past to the end of the 20th century, will reveal more surprises than the listener can imagine. In the words of the self-proclaimed Mexican singer Chavela Vargas, “Mexico has magic. I looked for that magic, and I found it there.”
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Narration
- By LIzzy on 01-05-21
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An African American and Latinx History of the United States
- By: Paul Ortiz
- Narrated by: J. D. Jackson
- Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins
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Spanning more than 200 years, An African American and Latinx History of the United States is a revolutionary, politically charged narrative history arguing that the "Global South" was crucial to the development of America as we know it. Ortiz challenges the notion of westward progress, and shows how placing African American, Latinx, and Indigenous voices unapologetically front and center transforms American history into the story of the working class organizing against imperialism.
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I had to return
- By Andrew Alvarez on 05-19-20
By: Paul Ortiz
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Carnage and Culture
- Landmark Battles in the Rise to Western Power
- By: Victor Davis Hanson
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
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Examining nine landmark battles from ancient to modern times - from Salamis, where outnumbered Greeks devastated the slave army of Xerxes, to Cortes' conquest of Mexico to the Tet offensive - Victor Davis Hanson explains why the armies of the West have been the most lethal and effective of any fighting forces in the world. Looking beyond popular explanations such as geography or superior technology, Hanson argues that it is in fact Western culture and values which have consistently produced superior arms and soldiers.
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Wow! This truly is a great book. A rarity!
- By GEJ on 11-12-19
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The Mental Floss History of the World
- An Irreverent Romp Through Civilization's Best Bits
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About 60,000 years ago, the first Homo sapiens were just beginning their move across the grasslands and up the ladder of civilization. Everything since then, as they say, is history. Just in case you were sleeping in class that day, the geniuses at mental_floss magazine have put together a hilarious (and historically accurate) primer on everything you need to know---and that means the good stuff.
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Brilliant and Funny. What more could you want?
- By Septimus MacGhilleglas on 01-22-09
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A History of the World
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From the earliest civilizations to the 21st century: a global journey through human history, published alongside a landmark BBC One television series. Our understanding of world history is changing, as new discoveries are made on all the continents and old prejudices are being challenged. In this truly global journey, Andrew Marr revisits some of the traditional epic stories, from classical Greece and Rome to the rise of Napoleon, but surrounds them with less familiar material, from Peru to the Ukraine, China to the Caribbean.
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25 hours of enjoyment
- By Mark on 04-26-13
By: Andrew Marr
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The End Is Always Near
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In The End Is Always Near, Dan Carlin looks at questions and historical events that force us to consider what sounds like fantasy; that we might suffer the same fate that all previous eras did. Will our world ever become a ruin for future archaeologists to dig up and explore? The questions themselves are both philosophical and like something out of The Twilight Zone.
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Hardcore Histories Greatest Hits
- By Steven Glover on 10-31-19
By: Dan Carlin
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War: How Conflict Shaped Us
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Margaret MacMillan looks at the ways in which war has influenced human society and how, in turn, changes in political organization, technology, or ideologies have affected how and why we fight. War: How Conflict Shaped Us explores such much-debated and controversial questions as: When did war first start? Does human nature doom us to fight one another? Why has war been described as the most organized of all human activities? Why are warriors almost always men? Is war ever within our control?
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Horrible choice of narrator derails this book
- By Steve Winnett on 02-25-21
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Born in Blackness
- Africa, Africans, and the Making of the Modern World, 1471 to the Second World War
- By: Howard W. French
- Narrated by: James Fouhey
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Born in Blackness vitally reframes the story of medieval and emerging Africa, demonstrating how the economic ascendancy of Europe, the anchoring of democracy in the West, and the fulfillment of so-called Enlightenment ideals all grew out of Europe's dehumanizing engagement with the "dark" continent. In fact, French reveals, the first impetus for the Age of Discovery was not—as we are so often told, even today—Europe's yearning for ties with Asia, but rather its centuries-old desire to forge a trade in gold with legendarily rich Black societies in the heart of West Africa.
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American History World History Our History
- By Bill on 06-13-22
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World History
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Have you ever wondered how the world got to where it is today? Get ready to discover the rich history of our planet. You will be astonished to learn about some of the events that have occurred! Subjects include: Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt, The Roman Empire, Constantine and Christianity, India, Ancient Korea, Chinese Dynasties, Napoleonic Europe, Foundation of USA, The 1812 War, Australia and Wars, World War I, World War II, The Ottoman Empire, Greece and North Africa, The Diem Regime, Pearl Harbor, and much more!
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Truly a fine book
- By Zlady Neri on 09-08-19
By: Adam Brown
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Empire
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The British Empire was the largest in all history: the nearest thing to global domination ever achieved. The world we know today is in large measure the product of Britain's age of empire. The global spread of capitalism, telecommunications, the English language, and the institutions of representative government - all these can be traced back to the extraordinary expansion of Britain's economy, population, and culture from the 17th century until the mid-20th. On a vast and vividly colored canvas, Empire shows how the British Empire acted as midwife to modernity.
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Not Balanced till Conclusion
- By Hectoris on 08-13-20
By: Niall Ferguson
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What listeners say about The Mosquito
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Nurse Natoli
- 01-14-20
Better take note
I had no idea how deadly mosquitoes were and, apparently, still are. CRISPR their asses!
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3 people found this helpful
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- Victor
- 03-24-20
Great book!!!
Very well done!!! It was a great history lesson!!! I had to take malaria medication in Massawa, Eritrea and now I know why.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Elkobri
- 09-07-19
long on stories
This book brings mosquitos to the front of historical considerations. He gives ample evidence to support this argument. I wish he would have spent more time on the adaptive evolution of people in Africa who had to live with yellow fever and malaria for thousands of years. After a while the stories seem to repeat themselves with themes of war, loss of life, more war and more loss of life. But after a number of those stories one begins to experience a deeper respect for the mosquito born illnesses which we never quite rid ourselves of.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Peter Hildebrandt
- 04-12-20
A book for the times we now inhabit
Though this book is frequently a grim and depressing read, it illuminates a side of history few have a clue about. We are just a part of the natural world and remain at its mercy. Amazing how the lowly annoying mosquito has affected every aspect of our lives and history back to the dawn of time.
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- agamemnon
- 07-01-22
meh
it was okay, with a number of good points. however, too much is probably attributed to the actual mosquito than other events associated with historic epic of history. perhaps the biggest gripe is a great deal of repetition in terms of points and counterpoints.
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- Vorzugzwang
- 04-07-20
Ok... we get it!
Didn’t read the book reviews or “back cover”, but this books title is misleading. I know this book is supposed to be able the influences the mosquito had and has on human civilizations, but this is more of a world history that includes mosquito facts than it is a book about mosquitoes. Why do I say this? Just look at the chapter headings. (Should have been a sign)
Each chapter is designated to a period in time surrounding a specific culture or leader. Technically there is nothing wrong with this, but each chapter ends up being a series or random facts about famous world leaders and how their wars were won with mosquitoes. Seriously, there are at least 2 chapters about the mosquitoes in the swamps around Rome, with the mosquito playing the same role. Both chapters could have been combined into a chapter about that region of the Earth and mosquitoes in it.
Seriously, why did I need to know about King Author’s horse? Why did I need to know about origins of Han’s name and his offspring? Why did I need to hear about Columbus motives for sailing and the motives of the Spanish court to supply the funds? Nearly 75% of each chapter is a history lesson containing relatively well known history trivia, none of which relates to mosquitoes.
To be clear, all of these eras and geographical regions are relevant. There is information in each chapter that is good, but this book could be at least half as long if it were told through the lens of the mosquito rather than the lens of world leaders and their desire for conquest.
How about 1 chapter, JUST ONE, on how mosquitoes foiled the plans of famous world leaders by sickening their armies. Then 1 on how marshes acted in favor of a city by defending it. Then 1 on unintended consequences of introducing mosquitoes and their diseases to new worlds. The 1 on medical break throughs related to mosquitoes. The 1 on the biology of mosquitoes. Then 1 on the diseases carried by mosquitoes.
Notice how this list contains different concepts related to the mosquito that impacts more than just the geopolitical arm of human history. That would be interesting. Therefore if you want to skip this book, just pick up a world history textbook and insert “and they were weakened by the disease carried by mosquitoes” after reading about EVERY civilization that lost a war. LITERALLY ALL OF THEM!!!!
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- thomas johnson
- 03-04-24
Great narrator
Great story of history and interesting. Can highly recommend. And the narrator is excellent. Will read again.
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- Donald J. Bentley
- 11-10-24
A lot of history with mosquitoes causing illness and death throughout
Much of the book was a survey of world history with mosquitoes named as the cause of many illnesses and deaths. I did not find that part of the book very interesting. I liked the later part of the book that discussed the research on how to eradicate mosquitoes and mosquito-borne diseases.
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- CAS
- 08-15-19
Needs editing
Some good material but way too much repetition. 'The mosquito did X. When the mosquto did X, Y happened. Previous clause unnecessarily repeated. Needs basic editing and shortening.
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- Kate
- 01-21-20
Fascinating!
This was a well written, eye opening history lesson! To think of the mosquito as a danger greater than Godzilla is mind boggling!! I’m not one to listen or read science stuff, but the title and summary caught my attention.
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