Synopses & Reviews
Scientists call this the Golden Age of the Common Cold because Americans suffer up to a billion colds each year, resulting in 40 million days of missed work and school and 100 million doctor visits. They've also learned over the past decade much more about what cold viruses are, what they do to the human body, and how symptoms can be addressed. In this ode to the odious cold, Jennifer Ackerman sifts through the chatter about treatments—what works, what doesn't, and what can't hurt. She dispels myths, such as susceptibility to colds reflects a weakened immune system. And she tracks current research, including work at the University of Virginia at Charlottesville, a world-renowned center of cold research studies, where the search for a cure continues.
Review
"In the hands of gifted science writer Ackerman, the cold is addressed with dry wit while she covers every detail from soup (chicken, of course) to nuts (folk remedies)." ---Booklist Starred Review
Synopsis
Some colds are like mice, timid and annoying; others like dragons, accompanied by body aches and deep misery. In Ah-Choo! Jennifer Ackerman explains what, exactly, a cold is, how it works, and whether it's really possible to "fight one off."
About the Author
Jennifer Ackerman is the author of Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream: A Day in the Life of Your Body; Chance in the House of Fate: A Natural History of Heredity; and Notes from the Shore. A contributor to National Geographic, the New York Times, and many other publications, her articles and essays have been included in several anthologies, among them Best American Science Writing, the Nature Reader, and Best Nature Writing. Jennifer lives in Charlottesville, Virginia. Emily Durante has been acting since the age of seven, performing in a number of stage plays professionally, in the community, and at the college level. Other performance credits include commercial and industrial voice work, educational live theater, and singing telegrams. She has been narrating audiobooks for over ten years. Her titles include the Midnight Twins trilogy by Jacquelyn Mitchard, Casting Off by Nicole R. Dickson, Impossible and Locked Inside both by Nancy Werlin, and Smooth Talking Stranger by Lisa Kleypus. She has also directed audiobooks, including the Earphones Award-winning performance of Heaven's Keep narrated by Buck Schirner. Emily resides in the Philadelphia area with her husband and two children.