The Mosquito: A Human History of Our Deadliest Predator
Ratings5
Average rating3.7
15
Ratings5
Average rating3.7
**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.
Reviews with the most likes.
This narrative weaving of science and history is well done and engaging. I was surprised by how short the time that the mosquito was really “a problem” for North America, and also how challenging mosquito-born disease has been, and continues to be, for people throughout the world.
I enjoyed learning this layer of history - like the book, Salt, the Mosquito gives you a hyper focused view of one major influence on human development along with the bigger picture.
I'd recommend this book for people who enjoy history and science. It'd be fine for junior high on up.
Creepy at times; the first chapter reminded me of the horror flick I was shown during Driver's Ed [ucation] called “Blood on the Highway”, which was intended to show all the horrors of not driving safely.
I found this one rather tough because all the numbers that were presented began to blur and desensitize me in the fact I began to scan thru the book. It did impress on me the amount of research the author, and the many other researchers he relied on, had to have done to inform their readers. It was also a tough read because of the number of words used to get a message across. Maybe someone who does scanning might enjoy this but I don't.
I'm glad I did read the book as I would never have understood the impact the mosquito has had.
