The Hot Zone: The Terrifying True Story of the Origins of the Ebola Virus

y Review and Thoughts: This is truly a mind altering book that leaves you scared crap-less in so many horrifying, real life ways. This book showcases the brutal reality of this horrible virus that is more killer than anything else. This is the real life monster living somewhere out there ready to attack in waves of pure painful death that is graphic, disturbing and most of all a ravaging beast inside your own body. This book left me breathless and utterly disturbed. This is possibly one of the best books ever written on a virus. Richard Preston gave a voice to this beast of destruction. He allows you to understand and grasp the horror of this virus. In vivid detail he recounts the moments of infection, key figures who came down with the virus. The exploration of this virus in all its horrifying, painful moments that lead victim after victim to death. A death that is both painful and described in this book in brutal means. This book details total fear. This book showcases the truth of this virus in all its fascinating brutality. Dreadful in the thought that it lingers out there waiting. I think what stands out with this book is Richard gives a human side to this horror. He allows those who put their lives on the line to be expressed throughout this reality of carnage, fear and the not known. From human fear to science and medical clarity, Richard expresses an honest undertaking that often leaves you the reader in a state of shock, and amazement that allows you to be a part of the procedure. I felt as if I was there inside the blood drenched walls. I felt the breathing inside the respiratory mask, and sweated inside the protective bio-suits. I felt the squeals of the infected monkeys. I felt the darkness, and cringe inducing reality of the unexplored caves of Kitum Cave. I felt the pathway of the deadly pathogen as it slowly moved throughout the bodies of its ultimate victims. I felt as if I got to know brave hero’s like Nancy Jaax, Jerry Jaax, Tom Geisbert, Dan Dalgard, C.J. Peters, Gene Johnson, Peter Jarling, and all those others who fought against it, sought it out to understand it, and for those who expressed a bravery to face it head-on, which I could never do. Utterly fascinating, shocking, brutal and filled with a massive dose of pure learning education on a scary as hell topic, and true monster. Would I Return to it Again: Absolutely. I think this should be required reading for science or medical classes or even College History lessons. A wonderful exploration of this horrifying killer that you can’t even see coming. Would I Recommend: In a heartbeat. This should be read and expressed in all its brutal understanding and exploration of this virus. My Rating: 5 out of 5 Four Words: Scary, Well-Researched, Informative. Nightmarish. I’ll leave you with this extraordinary statement from Richard Preston in the book: Page 406-407 AIDS…. Marburg. Ebola Sudan. Ebola Zaire. Ebola Reston…. “In a sense, the earth is mounting an immune response against the human species. It is beginning to react to the human parasite, the flooding infection of people, the dead spots of concrete all over the planet, the cancerous rot-outs in Europe, Japan, and the United States, thick with replicating primates, the colonies enlarging and spreading and threatening to shock the biosphere with mass extinctions. Perhaps the biosphere does not “like” the idea of five billion humans. Or it could also be said that the extreme amplification of the human race, which has occurred only in the past hundred years or so, has suddenly produced a very large quantity of meat, which is sitting everywhere in the biosphere and may not be able to defend itself against a life form that might want to consume it. Nature has interesting ways of balancing itself. The rain forest has its own defenses. The earth’s immune system, so to speak, has reorganized the presence of the human species and is starting to kick in. The earth is attempting to rid itself of an infection by the human parasite.” Originally posted on my webpage: http://www.classicbookreading.com/2015/09/richard-prestons-hot-zone-terrifying.html

Everything about Ebola from about twenty years ago and why pretty much nothing has changed. A good read. A terrifying one. A must read. Written over 20 years ago, this book was prophetic in some ways and details the work of the people at ground zero of the Ebola outbreaks in East Africa in the 1970s, the outbreak in Reston Virginia, and clarifies, for me, the dichotomy between how the primary researchers working on Ebola at USARIID at Ft. Dietrich, Maryland would like us to respond to an outbreak and how the CDC refuses to take such extreme measures as is necessary to prevent this agent from becoming epidemic in the US. The cultures of the two organizations come from two different experiential circumstances. You'll have to read the book to truly understand that our government's response to the threat presented by this virus is being led by political people with a medical background (indeed, Tom Friedan has't renewed his medical license but he's director of the CDC), not medical people who are in uniform or working for politicians. Dr. Fauci is primarily responsible for the HIV/AIDS "epidemic" in the 1980s by not insisting CDC's guidelines to close the bathhouses and glory holes allowed its rapid spread through the homosexual community coast to coast. He seems to be applying the same politically correct attitudes and platitudes to Ebola today, placing our country - and the world - at risk of great peril. A truly remarkable book, this reads well, quickly, with a minimum of medical/scientific "jargon" (there's a glossary in the back). I found reading it again, 20 years after I first did, with many more years' exposure and experience in CBRNE, Medical community response to catastrophic events, medical planning for same, infectious disease medicine and direct exposure to "political medicine" working in government healthcare in the National Capitol Area, Preston perfectly exposes and encapsulates the aforementioned dichotomy and political enmity between CDC and military medicine. Last Spring, WHO was aware of Ebola breaking out in West Africa and, by their own admission, dropped the ball. CDC's Friedan tells us "we'll control this outbreak like we did every other one in the past twenty years", except this one, and he said that after five countries had outbreaks and individuals in Spain, the US and a few other countries tested positive or were already in quarrantine. Doctors without borders has had over half their medical staff infected. 16 our of 29 physicians have died. Fully ten percent of all healthcare workers involved in the outbreak have been infected. If Ebola is SO hard to catch, why are so many people catching it? The agencies are withholding information. CDC tried blaming the nurses when CDC/WHO PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) protocols failed. Ebola IS airborne (it's in the book - this has been known for decades), it persists (lives) on surfaces for days if not weeks (as do MANY other enteroviruses) and yes, you CAN get it from an asymptomatic patient (Polio, another enterovirus, is documented as shedding from upwards of 90% of infected, asymptomatic, individuals). There is SO much "wrong" with our government's response to the Ebola outbreaks, the roots of much of it can be seen in how Preston details the interactions between CDC and military medical experts. It's too bad this was never made into the movie it should have been.

I chose to purchase this book for the purposes of a presentation in my college Biology class that was required, and this was on the "Books to Chose From" list for that semester. As I am a biology major and fascinated by viruses, especially ebola, this particular novel was of great interest to me, as well as earning me an "A" on my presentation! The Hot Zone was published in 1994 by the book's author, Richard Preston. Richard Preston is a scientifically-minded man who earned his Ph. D. in English from Princeton University and has written many books on scientific topics including diseases and virology. Preston has written over six books and several newspaper articles, one of which, “Crisis in the Hot Zone” was published in 1992 by The New Yorker and was the basis of the inspiration for The Hot Zone. Despite the author's enthusiasm for science and virology, his educational background in English makes this book more enjoyable through story and description than it is enjoyable due to science as Preston's science is shaky at best, even to a student such as myself, and even to some more qualified reviewers who agree that much of Preston's scientific descriptions of Ebola were at best exaggerated. Preston's usage of descriptive adjectives such as “liquefy”, “bleeding out”, and “cell wall” – the latter when describing a human cell, when it should only be used in plant cells – are far more enhancing to the story because of the way they portray a vision and not because of scientific accuracy. Although the science can be somewhat shaky, the book itself is very entertaining and I recommend it to those who are avid readers and enjoy horror novels, science fiction, and books about plagues or epidemics. And though the plot and characters can be one-dimensional at times, the book is very well organized! Preston divides the book into four major sections: The Shadow of Mount Elgon (Part 1), The Monkey House (Part 2), Smashdown (Part 3), and Kitum Cave (Part 4), then proceeds to have both a list and description of main characters as well as a glossary for complete clarification and cross-referencing. Due to the way the book is organized, as well as a very unique and meta introduction to the reader to put them in a suitable frame of mind for reading the book. There are many intensely graphic and potentially disturbing passages which depict medical and viral scenarios, therefore reader discretion is advised. However if you have the stomach and the interest in the topic such as I did, then you have a very good chance of enjoying this book which describes a real-life situation which occurred that was barely noticed by the “outside world” but was the closest we have ever – at the time of the book being published – been as a species to seeing a full-scale Ebola outbreak world-wide. Our species simply never knew the entire story until the writing of this book. Besides describing the crisis outside Washington D.C., at Fort Detrick, Maryland which almost caused an Ebola outbreak of epidemic proportions, Preston also traces the origins of Ebola as well as other similar thread-shaped viruses such as Marburg from their apparent beginnings to how they are transferred among species and across species. Though the book is written in the style of Michael Crichton with a hint of Stephen King, there are more scientific aspects to this book including some fascinating up close microscopic photographs of various viruses including several strains of Ebola. In conclusion, although this book can at times seem to focus more on the “horror and thriller” aspect of things and over-exaggerate certain points, the science behind the book is sound - however sometimes severely outdated, and is a great basis for learning about the Ebola virus and other filoviruses and deadly pathogens. If you are looking to read a true story of horror that includes scientific fact as well as historically accurate situations, I highly recommend you read this book!

Started my interest in emerging back in high school in the 90s. Reading it now with my 13 year old while the Bundibugyo strain is igniting in the Congo. Still fascinating and scary looking at this through the lens of COVID.

This book is interesting. For those who read this and think "this type of fumbling wouldn't happen today", you are sadly mistaken my friend... Our federal government isn't good at handling/managing ANYTHING. There is so much red tape, and so much lack of motivation to do work, that it will seriously take a year to do something that should take at most 2 weeks. I have experience in this. Have you ever heard the saying "good enough for government work"? There is a reason people say that.. Not just my experience working for the government, but also my experience growing up as a military brat using military health care has shown me just how stupid and inept the government management can be. For one because the establishment is so massive, and two because it is run by politicians who are really concerned with furthering their carriers. If a disaster would happen today, you can count on a few things: 1. First, if the government didn't have to tell you, they wouldn't. 2. If they did tell you, they would say "they are still assessing the situation", but at this time there is no need to panic. 3. Then they would consistently tell you things aren't as bad as you think. An example of this is during TMI partial meltdown, they said there was no radiation leak, and that it was safe to come back to you homes in the area. Even while Jimmy Carter visited the plant, at the same time, there was a huge hydrogen bubble growing inside the reactor that they didn't know how to deal with, or if it would explode(if it did, it would be game over for the surrounding area). Look it up if you don't believe me. 4. The response to actually manage things would be very slow. Once they started to "manage" things, there would be great areas missed. Think Katrina. I am not trying to tell you to hide in your bunker down in your basement. In fact, I recommend getting out and enjoying life, and remembering that you can't control everything, or even a lot of the things you think you are managing. However, after reading this interesting story, maybe store a few weeks of food and water in case you have to shelter in place, and if something happens, do not wait for authorities to tell you to leave if you can. Be ready to think, and act on your own. I guess as a book review goes I should be talking more about the writing of this book, and less about what this book is really about . How the government delt with a very serious threat. Well, the book is an interesting, enjoyable read. It really gives you insight into how the government has worked in the past, and show it still works. It makes you wonder a little about how safe you really are, and I think this book is well worth the read just to open your mind. Beyond all that, it is a good, intricate story. Mark :)

I read The Hot Zone several years ago, and it still haunts me. This book is the definition of “truth is scarier than fiction”—a gripping, real-life thriller about the emergence of deadly viruses and how close we’ve come to catastrophe. Richard Preston masterfully details the horrifying outbreak of the Ebola virus and the near-disaster in a lab just outside Washington, D.C., making this read feel like a high-stakes thriller rather than nonfiction. The tension in this book is unreal. From the first pages, the level of detail and the sheer speed at which the virus spreads make for an incredibly stressful reading experience (in the best way possible). Preston doesn’t just explore the science—he brings the people involved to life, from scientists risking exposure to military teams trying to contain the outbreak. It’s intense, fast-paced, and downright chilling. Beyond the suspense, The Hot Zone is deeply thought-provoking. It makes you rethink how vulnerable we are to emerging diseases and just how thin the line is between safety and disaster. If you’re into medical thrillers, real-world horror, or just love a book that keeps you up at night, this is absolutely worth reading.

If there's one thing I can say about this book, is that it's decent. But what I can't say is that it's a "true story". It's BASED on truth, but many of the "facts" are exaggerated and made up for horror and shock value. Be warned: this is only just barely a "terrifying true story", and for real facts, there are better books out there suited for learning all about this virus. Preston gives us a good first look into virology if we're all new to it, and it can invoke passion in some for science, enough to dream of becoming scientists themselves. For that, I can actually congratulate him. But for telling the truth? No. He certainly does not do that. To anyone claiming this to be a virology bible, it is not. Ebola is infectious, but it is not as infectious as this book makes it out to be. In fact, many people who come in contact with the sick don't end up sick themselves. While it definitely is one of the more deadly filoviruses in human existence, the effects and symptoms of ebola are grossly over-exaggerated in this book, and really, just entirely made up. While The Hot Zone makes a good horror story, it is NOT a true science story, and should not be conveyed as such. Ebola is described in this text to "liquefy" people, and make them explode inside, and "turn from human into virus" and all sorts of nasty things that just don't happen with ebola in real life. In fact, the way ebola is depicted makes it sound like a necroa/zombie virus, taking people over and turning them into walking corpses. It couldn't be more similar to Dawn of the Dead if it tried. The kind of descriptions about ebola in this book are better suited for a sci-fi pandemic horror movie (like Contagion or Outbreak), but not for a book claiming to be based on fact. With that said... the book itself is still a good read for that same reason-- if you like both science-fiction (FICTION) and horror, and especially love horror stories about pandemics. While I do love the actual, truthful science behind viruses and how they've always infected humans, and I love to learn the factual details of their existence, I also love to be entertained by the threat of them in a chilling, haunting story about an outbreak. Viruses and bacteria have scared humans for generations, and for good reason. For that, the book works great. But ONLY for that, as this should not be used or elevated as factual evidence. While people do bleed internally and externally while infected, they don't do the gross amount of "liquefying" and "exploding inside" and "shooting and spraying vomit" everywhere. In fact, the symptoms in reality behave more like a severe influenza, and share symptoms with malaria, typhoid, and meningitis. But that's not scary or exciting, so yeah, people with ebola crap and puke ooze, according to Preston. However-- The accounts of how Ebola came to us are, for the most part, true. The people involved in the first cases of ebola are present in this novel. The people are about the most real thing about the story, and if you're to read it, read it for that aspect, and not for scientific fact. There are far better books out there (and Wikipedia, CDC, WHO, and various other sources) that tell you the true nature and true symptoms of ebola (that aren't as exaggerated, and quite frankly, ludicrous as this), but if you're just starting out in the world of virology, epidemiology and microbiology, this book might be a good place for you to begin your journey of learning if it's a passion for you, as the stories of how ebola came into our world are true, and the people involved with those people did tell these stories. Preston just took several, if not infinite artistic liberties. Just know that what you're reading is a horror novel and not 100% true, and be prepared to do a little bit more studying on the virus if it's your thing.

This book was written to be the most terrible story ever told. It was designed to generate fear. After all, we are talking about the worst disease ever reported in history, which kills 90% of all who are infected. There is no vaccine, no cure. Your body liquefies, I the end you basically melt and explode in a pool of blood, contaminating everybody who is around you. Really a nasty way to go. The book has three parts. The first one (and the best) tells about the first reported surges of Ebola: Kenya, Sudan, Zaire. It is really impressive and catches one attention. Part 2 is about an epidemics of a fourth Ebola variety which only affects monkeys but happens to appear 20 miles from Washington DC! The problem is that the whole operation reported is quite technical, bureaucratic, military stuff. Very hard to get some excitement out of it. The third part is about the writer trying to find out Ebola himself. Trying to look straight in the eyes of evil. And this is really, really Bad! The writer's expedition to Kitum Cave is absolutely pathetic. The most boring description of the empty building were the Reston episode happened is embarrassing. Anyway, the story is good, the writing quite poor (full of cliches: everybody has "pale blue eyes" and colonels who are "fixing cereals" for breakfast for their kids...gosh!) but it is worth having a look, especially after the new and terrible Ebola surge in west Africa that we saw in 2014.

Chilling account of events but a gripping read and full of facts ubiquitously ignored by us all. Highly recommended for insights to a phenomenon that is quietly threatening global catastrophe.

I found this so interesting. Definitely worth reading! The world is a wild thing and it's crazy what it's capable of.

Fantastic. I read this after discovering it through the original New Yorker article. I enjoy Richard Preston's writing so much I have ordered two more of his books while reading this one.

boa leitura para quem gosta de ciência.

Lo compré usando y aunque es viejito está en muy buenas condiciones. Definitivamente lo volvería a comprar.