Rising Plague: The Global Threat from Deadly Bacteria and Our Dwindling Arsenal to Fight Them

Brad Spellings fascinating book Rising Plague is about humanities growing war against bacteria and how the fight is going today. Written with accounts from out front line hospitals and leading experts the book is concise and informative. Read it!

Don't think Brad Spellbergs long list of accomplishments will make this is a dry or difficult read. By using first hand knowledge and experiencet he informs the reader about humanitires ongoing war with bacteria. The ever-changing chess board of bacteria continues to thrive while the antibiotic cupboard is bare and no new wonder drug is coming down the pike. Whether you are a student, doctor, polititian, or a housewife, you will come away from the book with lots to think about.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Good

Informative and very simple to comprehend

Too Much Opinion, Not Enough Information

The book begins with compelling stories about actual patients with which the author had personal contact. The author's first-hand delivery allows the reader an unexpected intimacy with the victims and leads toward a sense of urgency about the subject.
The author provides accurate and informative details about the development, and later overuse, of antibiotics in medicine. He makes a good case for his point, that our society has inadvertently created an environment for superbugs that we won't be able to treat.
After that, however, the writing digresses into the author's personal philosophies and opinions, and what could have been a compelling call to action dissolves into prose that makes the reader forget what the point was to begin with.
Interesting for lay people, but I would not recommend the book to serious scholars or researchers.

An important book -- highly readable, highly relevant

This is an important book -- for pharmaceutical company leaders, government officials, biotech entrepreneurs, and above all the public, because ultimately we are all patients. In Rising Plague Dr. Spellberg exposes the growing threat of antibiotic resistant microbes, explains the urgency to respond along with the complexity of mounting a response. He maps out a course, identifies the challenges and pitfalls, and as a physician/research scientist, writes a prescription for action. He also sounds a warning for what could happen if this threat is ignored.