Virology

Viruses are invisible, yet they turn up in the food we eat, in the people we kiss, and inside our own bodies. They can shape far more than our health, reaching into our social, political, and economic systems. In this collection of eleven essays, microbiologist Joseph Osmundson looks at both the science and the sociopolitical consequences of viruses.

Drawing on his expertise, Osmundson takes readers under the microscope to explain how viruses are built and how they work. He then considers how viruses such as HIV and COVID-19 have changed daily life. His writing builds on the work of activists and thinkers at the center of the HIV/AIDS crisis, as well as critical scholars such as José Esteban Muñoz. Along the way he works through the intricacies of risk reduction, draws parallels between queer theory and hard science, and asks what it really means to go viral.

The essays draw on several disciplines to offer fresh perspectives on illness, sex, and collective responsibility. The book is both a warning and a reflection, and it argues for a better future.