Our Bodies, Our Planet
A Parasite’s History of Us
$45.12
- Hardcover
336 pages
- Release Date
31 December 2025
Summary
Parasites and parasitic relationships are fundamental to life on Earth and to human history. Our Bodies, Our Planet explores how vital they are. Unlike harmful pathogens, parasites may produce no ill effects and may even improve our well-being and the lives of the creatures that surround us. Marcus Hall shows how our fellow travellers have evolved to help keep us alive, else they themselves will perish.
Parasitism is a phenomenon of partnership, and the association of parasit…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781836391074 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1836391072 |
| Author: | Marcus Hall, Prof. Marcus Hall |
| Publisher: | Reaktion Books |
| Imprint: | Reaktion Books |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 336 |
| Release Date: | 31 December 2025 |
| Weight: | 454g |
| Dimensions: | 156mm x 234mm |
You Can Find This Book In
Critics Review
Most of us are instinctively repulsed by these little freeloaders, but Hall highlights the collateral effects they have on our lifestyles and imaginations … Instead of viewing these intimate creatures simply as pathogens that produce disease, [Hall] concludes that many parasites can be re-envisioned as cooperators and symbionts. Humans and their army of parasites march together down life’s path, often to the benefit of each other. - Geographical, Book of the Month
The thought of parasites usually evokes a powerful reaction of repugnance. Yet Hall puts a positive spin on this group of biological freeloaders that comprises more than half of all species of life on Earth. Acknowledging that many parasites are pathogens (causing disease in humans, wildlife, plants, and crops), he points out that numerous others function as collaborators or benefactors to their hosts in relationships known as mutualism. - Booklist
Marcus Hall takes readers on an illuminating historical tour of the human microbiome, arguing that we should consider extending the conservationist agenda to the many parasites that call us home. The most thought-provoking book I’ve read in ages. - J. R. McNeill, author of The Webs of Humankind and Something New Under the Sun
This book will change everything you thought you knew about parasites. Hall takes us on an exhilarating journey, upending preconceptions and accepted wisdom, and encouraging us to embrace our inner parasites. - Nicole Boivin, Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology and Honorary Professor, School of Social Science, The University of Queensland
Marcus Hall’s book broadens our view of world health by its laser focus on parasites as a collective protagonist. And more so this book highlights the historical ecology of parasites as a category of the study of affliction. An excellent and challenging book. - James C. McCann, Professor Emeritus of History, Boston University
Marcus Hall
Marcus Hall is Professor of Environmental History at the University of Zurich. His books include Earth Repair (2005), Restoration and History (2009) and Mosquitopia (with Dan Tamïr, 2021).
Returns
This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.