From Powells.com
In December 1997, the Pentagon decided to vaccinate all US military personnel
against the anthrax virus. Puzzled by the motive and the timing of the decision,
Judith
Miller, Stephen
Engelberg, and William Broad, three seasoned
New York Times journalists,
set out to uncover what was behind the Pentagon decision. The story proved much
larger, more complex, and far more urgent than expected. After pursuing the story
around the globe and across several disciplines (science, intelligence, foreign
affairs, etc.), the trio decided their story was important enough to turn into
a book.
In a strange twist of fate, Germs: Biological Weapons and America's Secret
War had a release date of September, 2001, the month when "everything
changed." After the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the subsequent anthrax
mail bombs, the issues explored in Germs became front page news. Germs,
which sat at the top of the New York Times bestseller list for many weeks,
became and remains the number one resource for Americans looking
to inform themselves about the biological dangers we face in this brave new
century. And good thing. Germs is an accessible, first rate overview
of the dangers of biological weapons, as well as a quick summary of the history
of biological weapons development. It is an alarming book, to be sure, but the
issues raised are ones we cannot afford to neglect. Farley, Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
In the wake of the anthrax letters following the attacks on the World Trade Center, Americans have begun to grapple with two difficult truths: that there is no terrorist threat more horrifying -- and less understood -- than germ warfare, and that it would take very little to mount a devastating attack on American soil. In
Germs, three veteran reporters draw on top sources inside and outside the U.S. government to lay bare Washington's secret strategies for combating this deadly threat.
Featuring an inside look at how germ warfare has been waged throughout history and what form its future might take (and in whose hands), Germs reads like a gripping detective story told by fascinating key figures: American and Soviet medical specialists who once made germ weapons but now fight their spread, FBI agents who track Islamic radicals, the Iraqis who built Saddam Hussein's secret arsenal, spies who travel the world collecting lethal microbes, and scientists who see ominous developments on the horizon. With clear scientific explanations and harrowing insights, Germs is a masterfully written -- and timely -- work of investigative journalism.
Review
David Perlman San Francisco Chronicle Engrossing, well-documented, and highly readable....Both a revelation and a history; [the] authors are both skilled reporters and tellers of vivid stories.
Review
William Safire The New York Times The most important book of the year.
Review
Jeff Stein The Washington Post Book World Compelling and highly readable...an authoritative book.
Synopsis
In this "engrossing, well-documented, and highly readable" (San Francisco Chronicle) New York Times bestseller, three veteran reporters draw on top sources inside and outside the U.S. government to reveal Washington's secret strategies for combating germ warfare and the deadly threat of biological and chemical weapons. Today Americans have begun to grapple with two difficult truths: that there is no terrorist threat more horrifying--and less understood--than germ warfare, and that it would take very little to mount a devastating attack on American soil.
Featuring an inside look at how germ warfare has been waged throughout history and what form its future might take (and in whose hands), Germs reads like a gripping detective story told by fascinating key figures: American and Soviet medical specialists who once made germ weapons but now fight their spread, FBI agents who track Islamic radicals, the Iraqis who built Saddam Hussein's secret arsenal, spies who travel the world collecting lethal microbes, and scientists who see ominous developments on the horizon.
With clear scientific explanations and harrowing insights, Germs is a vivid, masterfully written--and timely--work of investigative journalism.
About the Author
Judith Miller is a Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative reporter formerly with the New York Times. She won an Emmy for her work on a Nova/New York Times documentary based on articles for her book Germs. Miller is the author of four books, two #1 bestsellers. She is the recipient of many awards, among them the Society of Professional Journalists’ “First Amendment Award” for her protection of sources. An adjunct fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a contributing editor of City Journal, Miller is theater critic for Tablet magazine. Since 2008, she has been a commentator for Fox News.William J. Broad has practiced yoga since 1970. A bestselling author and senior writer at The New York Times, he has won every major award in print and television during more than thirty years as a science journalist. With New York Times colleagues, he has twice won the Pulitzer Prize, as well as an Emmy Award and a DuPont. He is the author or coauthor of seven books, including Germs: Biological Weapons and America’s Secret War, a #1 New York Times bestseller.