Ebola: The Natural and Human History of a Deadly Virus

Written by David Quammen

Narrated by Mel Foster

“A frightening and fascinating masterpiece of science reporting that reads like a detective story.” —Walter Isaacson

In 1976 a deadly virus emerged from the Congo forest. As swiftly as it came, it disappeared, leaving no trace. Over the four decades since, Ebola has emerged sporadically, each time to devastating effect. It can kill up to 90 percent of its victims. In between these outbreaks, it is untraceable, hiding deep in the jungle. The search is on to find Ebola’s elusive host animal. And until we find it, Ebola will continue to strike. Acclaimed science writer and explorer David Quammen first came near the virus while he was traveling in the jungles of Gabon, accompanied by local men whose village had been devastated by a recent outbreak. Here he tells the story of Ebola—its past, present, and its unknowable future.

Extracted from Spillover by David Quammen, updated and with additional material.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Dec 23, 2014
• ISBN: 9781501238970

David Quammen

David Quammen’s books include Breathless, The Tangled Tree, The Song of the Dodo, The Reluctant Mr. Darwin, and Spillover. He has written for The New Yorker, Harper’s Magazine, The Atlantic, National Geographic, and Outside, among other magazines, and is a three-time winner of the National Magazine Award. Quammen shares a home in Bozeman, Montana, with his wife, Betsy Gaines Quammen, author of American Zion, and with three Russian wolfhounds, a cross-eyed cat, and a rescue python. Visit him at DavidQuammen.com.

Reviews for Ebola

[william turnier · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a good read about one of our zoonotic viruses. I read this at the time of the outbreak of COVID-19. I had listened to David Quammen on Fresh Air with Terry Gross and he provided a sophisticated easy to understand explanation of that horrible disease. I therefore decided to look for a book by him on a zoonotic virus. I was not disappointed.

[MARTY THOMAS · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Any book by QUAMMEN is a must-read, and EBOLA is particularly relevant during this terrible time of pandemic. QUAMMEN does meticulous research, then narrates the information in a story-telling, humanizing, way, relating the history of the Ebola virus from its animal reservoir, jumping species to an African human, and its spread to other parts of the world. Strangely, an incident involving Dr. Fauci, the leading virologist, is described in this book, written long before COVID-19, the virus Dr. Fauci is fighting today, had begun sickening and killing people around the world.

I enjoyed EBOLA as an audiobook. It was narrated well, and I was totally engrossed. I then purchased the hardbound book for my library, and to lend to others.

[Heather · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It is a good book to listen to . I loved it

[Annette Montalvo-Rivera · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed it, it was short and yet very informative

[Stephanie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely wonderful book! Recommended to everyone! A true must read.

[Elijah · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Informative and engaging. Provides a good history and scientific perspective of Ebola.

[sartor resartus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Excellent, informative book. I read Quammen’s book ‘Spillover’ a couple of years ago. ‘Spillover’ was equally as good, though it covered other virus,’ not just the Ebola virus. Now under lockdown because of CoVid-19, I begin to wonder if we can survive continued pandemics. Aretha virus’ winning?

[Ray Gilbert · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fantastic insight on viruses and the brilliant detective work needed to understand origins.

[schatzi_5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"We live on a complicated planet, rich with organisms of vast diversity, including viruses, all interacting opportunistically, and although there are seven billion of us humans, the place has not been arranged for our convenience and pleasure."This book is a very approachable look at the Ebola virus. I picked up this book on sale several months ago because I realized that I knew practically nothing about Ebola, expect people bled to death. Turned out that that was wrong - people die due to systemic organ failure. And that is just the beginning of the information packed into this relatively slim book.There is some overlap with Quammen's book "Spillover," which is still in my TBR pile (the author states as much), so if you've read that book, some of this may seem repetitive (I am uncertain which parts). But while "Spillover" deals with many viruses and diseases, this book focuses on Ebola and its "cousins" (Marburg, etc). I found it to be completely fascinating, and I am looking forward to reading the book that Quammen wrote about HIV/AIDS as well (I have always wondered how, exactly, that virus made the leap into humans).Recommended brain food.