John Green: Everything is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection

John Green is a world-famous author, but he isn't typically known for nonfiction. Instead, Looking for Alaska, The Fault in Our Stars, and his other works are typically geared toward teen readers. However, this book is different. I started following John Green on Instagram maybe a year or so ago, and enjoyed his reels. There was a definite shift in them after a while, as Green started talking more and more about Tuberculosis. I was fascinated by his perspective on the disease, and so I've wanted to read this book. There are bonus points with this one, because I'm also planning on adding it to my AP curriculum.

Everything is Tuberculosis explains just that: how so many things are tied to TB. Green discusses the history of the disease, how treatments were developed, and (I think) most importantly, the stigma tied to TB. It all started years ago in Sierra Leone, where Green was visiting with an organization he works with. He wasn't there to study TB, but a different crisis. While there, he met a young man named Henry who suffered from a drug-resistant strain of the disease. The book follows his story as well.

I loved this book a lot. I thought it was interesting, well written overall, and a criticism of rich Western nations who gatekeep access to medical care. Green's bias is clear, as is his feeling of gratitude for the privilege of living in a country where healthcare is easy to access. This bias didn't bother me at all.

I found his dissection of stigma and the perceptions people have of disease, and particularly TB, to be fascinating. I appreciated how he approached TB and also the discussion of money and how to solve the TB crisis in Africa.

This is a short book (not even 200 pages), but I thought his research was thorough, and he intertwined Henry's story expertly. The draw of Henry's personal story kept me reading, and I found myself hoping and hoping that Henry would survive TB. I think this expert narrative was carried over from Green's novel skills. I appreciated how he paced this book.

I did find the beginning a little disorganized, and I felt like Green overused the phrase "It should be noted here" or other variations. It got old after a while, but I feel like this is probably how he thinks, so I understand why it's there. These were really my only two gripes with the book.

To learn more about Henry and his story, you can find his YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Tuberculosis-l1jSurvivorHenry/

I rated this book: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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