Historians sometimes contend that before the fall of the Roman Empire, Western society possessed enough knowledge that our civilization could have advanced directly to the Enlightenment and the Industrial Age. Instead, the advent of the so-called Dark Ages reminds us that history does not always progress. We must seize the opportunities; our collective will and choices matter in history’s long arc. Novelist John Green has a self-described “obsession” with the disease of tuberculosis, or what was formerly known as consumption. In this book, he transforms this deep interest into a well-worded plea advocating for additional attention and money to crush this infectious disease.
Tuberculosis (or TB) used to affect everyone in society – both rich and poor. Those in crowded urban settings tended to suffer more, but everyone was affected. Today, rich countries are relatively free of tuberculosis while the disease continues to plague poor countries. We know about good treatments; even multi-drug resistant TB is relatively treatable. The main problem is economic. Most countries inundated by TB have weak healthcare systems because of financial limitations. Those limitations took place because of colonization systems that served the rich in other countries and depleted the country’s resources. To be blunt, the rich exploited the poor and now won’t share their cures with them.
Green makes an eloquent case that today’s TB situation stems from injustice. He advances his point by describing a few individual stories and how, with a few changes and society’s collective will, we might live in a different world. He avoids sentimentality and instead focuses on critical thinking. He also makes the case that rich countries’ collective neglect of global health might end up making them – us – relapse into illness.
In an era where the world’s richest nation will not fund even continued efforts to mitigate HIV, Green’s pleas can seem like a pipe dream. However, steady organization and awareness can expand our horizons. While many use society’s abundance and excess wealth to fund frivolous adventures, perhaps we should instead consider serving our fellow humans with global health. This book is aimed to the general population and especially pertinent to those in public health. Reading it can be a start in that trajectory to a more just world, a world with less TB and more social flourishing.
Everything is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection
By John Green
Narrated by John Green
Audio copyright (c) 2025
Listening Library
Text copyright (c) 2025
Crash Course Books
ASIN B0DK2G4D48
Length: 5:35
Genre: Public Health
www.amazon.com