The Demon in the Freezer

The Demon in the Freezer by
Richard Preston

Recently a friend of mine refused to give me
a testimonial for my new book How to Protect
Yourself and Your Family From Bird Flu.

She acknowledged that my book was extremely
well researched and could help people save
lives during a bird flu pandemic.

However, she told me that it was too much
doom and gloom. She pictured me on a corner
carrying one of those signs: "The End is Near."

No, she is just too much of a the glass is half
full person to want to put her name on my
book.

Well, OK, that's her choice. Although it
seemed strange to me that, as such an
optimist, she thought that her refusal
would upset me.

Actually, the whole thing amused me - because
I was in the middle of reading this book by
Richard Preston.

I wrote back to her that although a bird flu
pandemic would kill a lot of people, humanity
would survive. So I wasn't claiming The
End is Near due to bird flu.

But I told her that it could happen -- just
bring back smallpox, particularly an
enhanced version of smallpox as described in
this book.

Funny, I haven't heard from her since then.

Personally, I don't think that preparing for
likely problems makes me any less of a
glass is half full not half empty person.

In fact, I think it's more hopeful to think
and act as though problems are survivable.
But that's a different issue.

Preston's book is well-told. He expertly
cuts back and forth between the present
and important past incidents, just like a
thriller.

I loved the revelation that one of the great
leaders of the Eradication (which eliminated
smallpox from people) was a friend of Wavy
Gravy's sent to apply for his job by an Indian guru.

He brings to life in a way never done before
the horror that is smallpox. The greatness
of the Eradication.

And the horror that terrorists and some
governments could inflict upon the world.

Kudos to the men and women who carried out
the Eradication. Kudos to the men and women
studying how to heal and prevent more
smallpox. Kudos to the men and women who are
fighting those who would even consider using
using smallpox as a weapon.

And kudos to Richard Preston for telling us
this story.