Richard Preston’s The Hot Zone is an ...

I love this book you guys! it is so legit. page by page richard preston has my skin cringing. i am amazed by these viruses, too. im am actually thinking about going into this feild of work similar to nancy jaax. this stuff is beautiful.

Richard Preston’s The Hot Zone is an excellent nonfiction account of a deadly virus from the central rain forests of Africa that suddenly appears in the suburbs of Washington DC. The Virus is highly contagious and has no cure. This book describes many frightening encounters with this virus and the effects it has on the human body, getting more and more graphic as the book continues. It also attempts to explain where and why the viruses originated. From reading The Hot Zone one can interpret two main themes, the first of which involves the idea that the Ebola virus could spread very rapidly if airborne. In today’s society, with the worldwide use of airplanes, an airborne virus could travel from country to another in a matter of hours. Many of the outbreaks occurred as a result of infected people traveling to other areas and infecting people there. With the use of airplanes a virus such as an airborne strand of Ebola could destroy the world. Another major theme in this book is Preston’s idea that disease is nature’s defense.

The Hot Zone opens with a vivid telling of Charles Monet's infection and how it eats away at his body. From the hideous condition of Charles Monet, with blood dripping from every orifice and the images of thick black liquid staining the walls of a hospital, the reader is disgusted, and yet appalled by the effects of the exotic virus. Charles Monet had apparently received the virus in the Kitum Cave, nestled in the African Mount Elgon. Perhaps the biosphere does not 'like' the idea of five billion humans. Preston believes that the horrible viruses are the earth's way of punishing the human race for taking over and for preventing their future expanse. The earth's immune system, so to speak, has recognized the presence of the human species and is starting to kick in. The earth is attempting to rid itself of an infection by the human parasite. The tone of the book becomes much more matter-of-fact, and much drier. For the most part The Hot Zone is a very interesting book. The organization could have been better. The last chapter of the book was also out of place. The rain forest has its own defenses. Or it could also be said that the extreme amplification of the human race, which has occurred only in the past hundred years or so, has suddenly produced a very large quantity of meat, which is sitting everywhere in the biosphere and may not be able to defend itself against a life form that might want to consume it.

From the hideous condition of Charles Monet, with blood dripping from every orifice and the images of thick black liquid staining the walls of a hospital, the reader is disgusted, and yet appalled by the effects of the exotic virus. Charles Monet had apparently received the virus in the Kitum Cave, nestled in the African Mount Elgon. The Ebola Sudan is more that twice as lethal as Marburg, its case-fatality rate being 50 percent. However, this terrifying story is the complete truth, an exhibition of nature's parasites, or predators, in its purest form. It is an undeniable tale of pure horror. Finally, was a test for Ebola Zaire, from the bloodstream of the deceased Nurse Mayinga. com/interviews/980924/biography/html. With the various twists and turns, Preston transforms the usual work of nonfiction into an unmistakable work of art. He had performed tests using the blood serum from three human victims.