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Robin Cook: Hello, everyone. I hope there are some people that have already read TOXIN.
Robin Cook: I know it is a real danger to the general public. The CDC estimates that there are up to 20,000 cases every year, with hundreds of deaths.
Robin Cook: I think medical thrillers were popular even before "ER" and "Chicago Hope." But both of these shows have certainly increased the popularity. I have seen both shows, but I don't watch them on a regular basis.
Robin Cook: I believe the meat industry has been asked to provide a large quantity of meat at a very low price, which they have done very well. The problem is that with this intensive methodology there is a great risk of contamination with fecal material. That's the source of the problem. I'm hoping that people will heed the warnings from the meat industry to cook the meat adequately, particularly ground meat. But I'm also hoping that the general public will make an outcry that they would like to have the choice of paying more and having meat and chicken that's uncontaminated.
Robin Cook: I have trouble with the idea of irradiation because I believe it's an attempt to fix a problem by dealing with the symptom only. I would rather think of ways to eliminate the chances of bacteria being in the meat during the slaughtering and the processing.
Robin Cook: I'm trained as a physician, and it was my discovery that there was a big gap in the general knowledge about medicine between us physicians and the general public. It was my feeling that an interesting and fun way to attempt to rectify this situation was to write novels and movies that were entertaining but also informing.
Robin Cook: Yes. My thrillers are cautionary tales, an attempt to alter public opinion and public behavior.
Robin Cook: I select the issue first -- like with TOXIN, the issue is food poisoning -- and then design the story to elucidate the subject.
Robin Cook: I am presently negotiating a contract for TOXIN. And as for the TV movies, I have been quite satisfied. I feel the movies have stayed quite true to the issue at hand.
Robin Cook: As I mentioned in the beginning, the CDC estimates the incidents to be up to 20,000 cases per year.
Robin Cook: Yes. I am presently doing a small tour, but I'm only visiting a handful of cities. I will be in St. Louis tomorrow, Naples, Florida, on Sunday, and Boston at the end of next week. And Los Angeles toward the end of April.
Robin Cook: No. At the present we're negotiating for TOXIN to be a movie for the big screen.
Robin Cook: I don't read a lot of the genre, although I read some books from just about each one of the authors.
Robin Cook: The research that I did for TOXIN involved reading a number of nonfiction books, which included, specifically, a book called SPOILED by Nicols Fox that I cited at the end of TOXIN. And I truly recommend readers interested in the issue to look at this nonfiction book.
Robin Cook: Medical research that I do for my books obviously varies from book to book. But I invariably will either talk at length to a specialist in the arena that I'm writing about or actually go into a clinical setting or medical-examiner setting and experience directly.
Robin Cook: Yes. I think it's relatively safe, provided you make sure that the burger is cooked adequately by breaking it open and making sure that it is not pink.
Robin Cook: I don't know of any specific plans to rerelease COMA, although the issue is just as cogent today as it was when COMA came out some 20 years ago. The fears that I had about the incursion of business into medicine have materialized.
Robin Cook: I don't have a private practice. But I maintain my academic medical connections. And I stay very current, so that I could go back to medicine at any time.
Robin Cook: After Oprah was sued, there's that worry. But what I have written is ultimately fiction.
Robin Cook: Imported meat disturbs me because the ability to track where the meat came from is even more difficult than it is in this country.
Robin Cook: No, I have had no comments from either the meat industry or the government. And I don't expect any. But I should mention that Senator Orrin Hatch has read the book and is planning on giving a copy of the book to every member of Congress.
Robin Cook: The data that I saw varied greatly depending upon the methodology of testing for the microbes. Some of the methods showed up to -- I believe it was 25 percent of the packages that were tested. Other tests showed much less. But there is a great variation in these results depending upon who it is that's reporting them. And once again, I refer any interested readers to the nonfiction book SPOILED.
Robin Cook: Salmonella, camplyobacter, cyclospora, listeriosis, and E. coli. Those are the main ones that I'm concerned about right now.
Robin Cook: No. I still eat meat. But I have become even more careful after doing my research than I was before. I'm particularly concerned about problems of cross-contamination in the kitchen.
Robin Cook: I don't know of any case of this specific strain of E. coli being spread by a domestic pet. I'd have to defer that to a veterinarian.
Robin Cook: I have written a number of scripts.
Robin Cook: When I'm actually writing a novel, I write in very concentrated periods of time, up to 12 hours a day. At that intensity, I can write a novel in about five to six weeks. But I don't start writing until I have a very extensive outline. Some of my outlines have been as large as 250 typed pages.
Robin Cook: Yes. I believe that when the bottom line is the major consideration, corners will invariably be cut.
Robin Cook: I have seen a lot of my books come to pass in some form or fashion. And that scares me.
Robin Cook: Unfortunately, yes, as demonstrated by the cyclospora outbreak last year from Guatemalan raspberries. The problem with E. coli comes from contamination with bovine feces. And there have been outbreaks from such things as unpasteurized cider where the apples had been picked up from the ground.
Robin Cook: I trained in general surgery and ophthalmological surgery. I also took a course in forensic pathology prior to writing the book BLINDSIGHT.
Robin Cook: Chicken has been found to be generally the most contaminated product in the grocery store. It is my understanding that it's 90-plus percent contaminated with some serious bacteria. So I recommend that you be particularly careful with chicken in the kitchen to avoid cross-contamination.
Robin Cook: Thanks to everybody who participated, and I hope a lot of people get to read TOXIN. And I hope everybody is careful in the kitchen.
ds_sweet
Posted August 23, 2011
I may be a little partial because I myself feel I'll to an Ecoli infection at age 8, and thanks to a wonderful doctor survived with only slight lifelong side effects, but this novel is an excellent adventure into a family struck own by an invisible deadly disease and their path through diagnosis, investigation, and getting to the other side. I read the book approximately 10 years ago so I have forgotten some of the details,but I know I will be reading the rest of his novels as I continue through my To Read list.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 8, 2011
I couldn't quite reading. It was one of the best he ever wrote.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 24, 2008
I just finished reading this book in Med-Tech English. A little on the descriptive side but highly addicting with great characters. I don't think I'll be having a burger any time soon.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted October 29, 2006
i really liked this book. at first it was kind of slow but it got really addicting after the first 150 pages.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I don't think I want to eat hamburg again after reading this book. It was well written and I could not stop reading it. I wanted to find out what happened net.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 10, 2011
I loved this book. The second I started reading, I couldn't put it down. The characters lock you in from the beginning and twists are crazy.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted August 18, 2005
I really enjoyed Toxin by Robin Cook. The book vividly describes the effects and dangers of e-coli. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. I enjoyed Cook's characters and the way he applies his medical knowledge in his story. Great Read!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted August 9, 2004
I started out reading Toxin in high school, it was a AWESOME book, I couldn't put the book down... and I'm not one to read books! I caught myslef reading the book in my other classes as well. A GREAT, NON-STOP THRILLER!!!
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted August 9, 2001
I read TOXIN in a matter of four hours because I couldn't put the book down once I started it. After reading it, I immediately got on the internet and started searching for information that the book speaks about and I was very suprised to see the amount of information there was on it. Although the book is fiction, it is based on actual documentation. Robin Cook's storytelling is superb. I recommend everyone to read this book and research the information for yourselves. You will be surprised by what you see.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted October 23, 2012
You will probably never eat a steak or hamburger without thinking about this book ....I feel that there really was a lot of truth in this fiction book.....
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 22, 2004
Cook delivers a very true and shocking story that has taught me a lesson about the meat packing industry and also all these burger chains. He brings to the point that mishaps like the one discussed in this book are kept a secret. He brings to life what ever American needs to realize not all meat is safe. A Great Read.. Couldn't put the book down. Would recommend to anyone!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 17, 2004
As always an excellent book, but unlike his other books he leaves you hanging. What happened to Kim & Tracy Reggis, Caroline Anderson ???
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 8, 2003
Overall, 'Toxin' is outstanding!!. This medical thriller exemplifies gut-wrenching action and drama along with murder, chaos, horror, and conspiracy!! Discussing and confronting the deadly virus E.coli, 'Toxin' reveals the truth behing America's corrupt meat industry. An awesome read and a real winner!!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 9, 2001
In this novel, Cook has proven once again that the medical field and suspense are totally compatible with each other. I loved this book for a couple different reasons: One, I am fascinated with the battles that are constantly waged underneath our skin between our immune systems and intruders from the outer world. And second, Cook has taken everyday things we don't think about much to levels above and beyond our grasp. Cook's thorough medical expertise makes an excellent combination when implemented into a modern-day thriller, as all his novels do. 'Toxin' will make you think twice about what you eat and where it comes from.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 2, 2013
The ultimate brain storming.............
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.rellis
Posted April 26, 2013
Great book, but I'm confused about the summary listed above, who is Seldon? Where there different versions of the book, because in the book I read, the child in question was Kim's daughter Becky.
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Posted March 21, 2013
Aww how sweet
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Posted March 8, 2013
Mah Crush is Hyenasilver... I LOVE HER!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.MotheroffourMS
Posted June 26, 2012
Toxin was a very exciting book that captured my attention from the start and held it until the end. Robin always manages to tell a very convincing story and Toxin was so convincing that it took me a few weeks to consume a fast food burger and even then I had my doubts. Robin always makes it so real.
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Posted June 22, 2012
I don't think I will ever eat a burger at a fast food again after reading this book! Robin Cook does a great job of showing you the ins and outs of the beef processing in this country and the potential for a disaterous outcome. Problems like the one at Jack-In-the- Box may well become more prevalent. I enjoyed reading this book and some research into the beef industry! Wow, what a surpise.
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