Book Review: Why We Need Vaccines

Disclaimer: I received an advanced digital copy of this book from Orca Book Publishers for review. All opinions are my own. 

Rating: 5 stars

Rowena Rae is a biologist and the daughter of an infectious disease doctor. Throughout her childhood, her mother shared her experiences and knowledge with her children which helped to shape her confidence in vaccines. So when she learned that her friend did not believe in vaccinating her children, Rae decided to learn more about the history of vaccines in our society to understand vaccine hesitancy and mistrust of science better.

While this book seems to be targeted towards a middle school audience, I can see readers of all ages benefitting from reading this. Topics covered include the history of infectious diseases, the history of vaccines, vaccine hesitancy, vaccine accessibility, ethics, and how vaccines have shaped our relationship with diseases over time. One of the many topics discussed was how it is a privilege to live in a world where we are protected from many diseases that our parents and older generations had to fight.

I enjoyed this book because it reminded me of the infectious disease biology course that was one of my inspirations for studying biology and public health. I particularly enjoyed that the author included a collection of profiles highlighting different professionals and their connection to vaccines, including medical historians, medical ethicists, clinical trials managers, students, research technicians, epidemiologists, and many more. This was a highlight because I believe it is very important to introduce people to different careers outside of the typical ones we associate with each field. This book also features short, straightforward chapters, a thorough glossary, and illustrations by Paige Stampatori that greatly enhance this resource. I can see this being supplemental reading for many courses from middle school through college and for readers starting to explore this topic.

Thank you to Netgalley, author Rowena Rae, illustrator Paige Stampatori, and Orca Book Publishers for an advanced copy of this book!