Chimp & the River How AIDS Emerged from an African Forest

The real story of AIDS--how it originated with a virus in a chimpanzee, jumped to one human, and then infected more than 60 million people--is very different from what most of us think we know. Recent research has revealed dark surprises and yielded a radically new scenario of how AIDS began and spread. First recounted in , which Walter Isaacson called "a frightening and fascinating masterpiece," is the true account of how an unnoticed chimpanzee infection became a human plague. With a new introduction by the author, David Quammen's hair-raising report tracks the virus from chimp populations in the jungles of southeastern Cameroon to laboratories across the globe, as he unravels the mysteries of when, where, and under what circumstances such a consequential "spillover" can happen. An audacious search for answers amid more than a century of data, tells the haunting tale of one of the most devastating pandemics of our time.

"To call David Quammen one of our greatest science writers is to belittle him. He is one of our greatest writers, period." Hampton Sides, best-selling narrative historian and editor at large at Outside magazine

"David Quammen [is] one of that rare breed of science journalists who blend exploration with a talent for synthesis and storytelling." Nathan Wolfe

"[An] intense study of the origins of AIDS. With Sherlockian verve... Quammen's portrait of the real 'Patient Zero'... is a masterful summing-up of the evidence." Nathan Wolfe

"Compelling...[an] utterly gripping story." Nature

The true origin of HIV/AIDS, from the New York Times best-selling science writer David Quammen.

In this "frightening and fascinating masterpiece" (Walter Isaacson), David Quammen explores the true origins of HIV/AIDS.

David Quammen is the author of The Song of the Dodo, among other books. He has been honored by the American Academy of Arts and Letters and is the recipient of a John Burroughs Medal and the National Magazine Award. He lives in Bozeman, Montana.