About the Book

In the name of progress, we scrub much of nature off our bodies and homes, removing whole kinds of life—parasites, bacteria, and predators. To modern humans, nature is the landscape outside.

Biologist Rob Dunn contends that while “clean living" has benefited us in some ways, it has also made us sicker in others.” Here, he examines how we can create a richer nature, one in which we choose to surround ourselves with species that benefit us, not just those that, despite us, survive.

Freshman Common Read: Vassar College

Critical Praise

“A pleasure to read. He is not a biologist moonlighting as a writer; he is both. Dunn also does a wonderful job interspersing history, research, and speculation with real-life human beings. He has a natural flair for drama and tension . . . a highly readable, informative mashing of ideas and disciplines.” — Boston Globe

“Grabbing the reader from the start . . . Dunn moves through the answer to these and other questions with a sure use of language, scientific research, and humor-all of which combined keep the reader highly engaged. . . . Mr. Dunn is a thorough and talented writer.” — New York Journal of Books

“An extraordinary book about a previously little explored subject. With clarity and charm the author takes the reader into the overlap of medicine, ecology, and evolutionary biology to reveal an important domain of the human condition.” — Edward O. Wilson, University Research Professor Emeritus, Harvard University

“[Dunn is] a master at applying the principle of administering a spoonful of sugar (i.e., humor) to make the “medicine” of complicated scientific information not merely interesting but gripping. Nothing less than an every-person’s handbook for understanding life, great and small, on planet Earth.” — Booklist (starred review)

“Adding touches of humor along the way, Dunn deftly explains complex biological systems for the general reader. […] Highly recommended for nature aficionados, this book should inspire many lively discussions.” — Library Journal

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Product Details

• ISBN: 9780061806469
• ISBN 10: 0061806463
• Imprint: Harper Perennial
• On Sale: 12/23/2014
• Trimsize: 5.310 in (w) x 8.000 in (h) x 0.680 in (d)
• Pages: 304
• List Price: $16.99
• BISAC1 : MEDICAL / Microbiology
• BISAC2 : SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Biology
• BISAC3 : SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Cell Biology
• BISAC4 : SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Ecology
• BISAC5 : SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Evolution
• BISAC6 : SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Marine Biology
• BISAC7 : SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Microbiology
• BISAC8 : SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Molecular Biology
• BISAC9 : SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Developmental Biology
• BISAC10 : SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Virology