This is a great introduction to the immune system. The writing style is clear and—honestly—rollicking. And it's an actual science book! What I mean is, it trusts that the science itself is interesting, and uses that as its source of propulsion. Writers of "popular" science, whether academics or not, tend to have a low opinion of the laity. So they fill their books with how "it was a crisp autumn morning when Pasteur walked through the streets, thinking about the day's experiments," and so on. None of that here. Clark trusts that the mysteries and logical puzzles of the immune system are interesting in themselves. Great!

Rating: 5 infectious diseases,