An urgent case for how we could have stopped the COVID-19 pandemic - and how to make sure it never happens again.

"MacKenzie's fascinating book gives us the scope and scale to be able to put this pandemic in perspective and, it begs the question, will we learn from this in time to prevent to next one?" (Molly Caldwell Crosby, best-selling author of The American Plague)

Named one of the Best Science Books of the Year by the Financial Times

The COVID-19 pandemic has left a trail of loss, misery, and economic ruin in its wake. With such destruction, can there be any silver lining? As veteran science journalist Debora MacKenzie illuminates in this captivating, acclaimed book, there is one: With the lessons learned from this disaster, we can stop it from happening again.

Here, in this fully revised and updated edition, she lays out the full story in accessible, gripping detail: the previous viruses that should have prepared us, the shocking public health failures that led to this catastrophe, the wrong decisions made at every turn. And employing what we have learned about viruses, vaccines, inequality, global cooperation, and more, she charts a bold, optimistic path forward for protecting humanity from threats to come. There is no question that more viruses are on the way, and we are still unprepared. But if we learn from our mistakes and heed the vision MacKenzie lays out in this book, we might avoid going through a nightmare like this - or worse - ever again.