Beating Back the Devil: On the Front Lines with the Disease Detectives of the Epidemic Intelligence Service Audiobook

" After reading a really depressing fiction book, I reached for the book about horrible epidemics to cheer myself up. And with the exception of the chapter on a refugee camp and terrorism, it worked. Beating Back the Devil is broken up into chapters that deal with specific outbreaks and the EIS agents who worked them. It ranges from TB to AIDS to SARS. The book is based on lots of interviews with the agents past and present, which gives the narrative a sense of personality and veracity. "

" The book comes off as disjointed. The attempts to maintain a human element by tracking a few members of a single class are thwarted by the huge amount of territory this book seeks to cover. As a result you find yourself bouncing between characters, times, places and between descriptions of the service's structure and the minutia of the people in it. While I am glad for such an ambitious overview, a more narrow focus on any one or two aspects of the EIS would have made this book much more enjoyable and/or informative. "

" This book was interesting in that each chapter was a different case that the EIS worked on. It went from Malaria in Africa to ADIS in LA to SARS in Asia and even NYC in September 2001. The EIS officers are called in usually by a state (or country's) health department to help manage or confirm an outbreak of a disease. The officers leave sometimes on a few hours notice and can go anywhere in the world. Their stint with EIS runs for 2 years after which many stay on with the CDC. Since each chapter was a different case study, there were a lot of names to keep straight. It wasn't just the EIS officers, there were also many health care workers from the different countries that were mentioned. "

" Fascinating book that gives you an inside view of the CDC and EIS.....very cool stories that give you the background behind many of the diseases that have been in the news over the past few decades.... "

" I'm becoming more interested in epidemiology, so this was fascinating and has peaked my interest even more. "

" The true stories themselves are fascinating, following people connected to the Epidemic Intelligence Service, an organization founded some sixty years ago to combat biological warfare and disease epidemics. That means that for decades they have been deployed to deal with small pox, SARS, and a mysterious immune disorder striking gay men that became the nightmare of HIV/AIDS. They were in charge during the post-9/11 anthrax scare, and were deployed on desperate missions to fight primitive diseases in third world countries. Every anecdote-driven chapter is worth reading for its information, though McKenna does the book few favors with a dry, highly procedural writing style that turns life-threatening situations dull. In particular her style of providing unhelpful miniature biographies of many people who rapidly become faceless casts in epidemics slows things down, and she has a habit of throwing a paragraph of false information at you only to dispel it in the next that seriously grates. The writing itself is well worth overcoming, though, to learn about an amazing service most readers will never have heard of before. "

" Fascinating read about the struggle against unseen killers. My only criticism is that the chapters build up so that you're expecting a climax, but next thing you know the data has been crunched or the problem just fixes itself, and it's on to the next story. "

" I am so in love with the this I can't stand it. This is exactly the reason why I want to do what I want to do. "

" Great insight into the work of the EIS, a division of the CDC. Chronicals many famous outbreaks and events, but reveals the hardwork and the people behind uncovering the solutions. "

" This is the sort of work I would be doing if I were ten times as ambitious, but just as cool. "

" Love the subject, but this is what happens when a scientist is allowed to write without help. Reads like an owners manual for a complicated calculator. "

" This book provides and entertaining intro to some of the more interesting CDC investigations. I found it enjoyable, but lacking in depth. "

" Ya gotta love reading CDC data to like this one. "

" A fascinating, though slightly lacking in detail, look into the world of the EIS. While great, the vignette story-telling wasn't quite as compelling as a longer story, like The Hot Zone. "

" A very interesting book detailing some of the work done by the EIS (Epidemic Intelligence Service). Though this book doesn't delve into the science of disease, you do learn about some of the different disease and how the CDC and EIS work to combat them. "

" Interesting book about the CDC's special group and their investigations of international outbreaks - TB, HIV, Listeria, SARS, polio, West Nile, smallpox, anthrax, MRSA, etc. Some in third world conditions even if they are in the US! "

" Wow -- I never knew food poisoning could be so interesting. Kind of makes me want to be an epidemiologist! "

" This book was fascinating! I loved reading about how the EIS tackles the outbreaks of various diseases. "

" Found this account of the CDC fascinating. Ironically, the chapter on listeria in luncheon meat triggered a craving for a turkey sandwich. "

" Awesome book. I'm into this kind of thing, though. This is ultimately my career goal, becoming one of these. "

" Tells how the CDC disease detectives work. I found it very interesting. "

" This is an excellent book. I particularly enjoyed learning about the history of the EIS and the many overseas assignments that EIS officers serve. Beating Back the Devil is one of those books that I was disappointed to finish and would have happily read several more chapters. "

" Excellent book, very well researched and accessibly written for readers without any medical training. McKenna is an engaging writer and neatly ties together current events, history, and the ongoing mission of EIS. This is an excellent read. "

" Good, not great. The book focuses more on the people and their stories than the actual diseases - which can be a good or a bad thing depending on what kind of read you're looking for. "

" Some parts can be a little dry, but otherwise a fascinating account of many pandemics that the EIS has handled. Very informative about the field of epidemiology. "

" Engaging & informative. "

" This wasn't a thriller in an over-the-top drama kind of way, but the slow reveal of details definitely made me want to keep reading to find out how each outbreak started and resolved. It also made me think about a career switch... "

" An excellent read. A great insight into a well known agency that is oddly not that well known. If you're at all curious about the CDC and the EIS this book will offer a primer on what they do and just how dangerous the work can be. Enjoy. "

" Excellent book, very well researched and accessibly written for readers without any medical training. McKenna is an engaging writer and neatly ties together current events, history, and the ongoing mission of EIS. This is an excellent read. "

" Ya gotta love reading CDC data to like this one. "

" A fascinating, though slightly lacking in detail, look into the world of the EIS. While great, the vignette story-telling wasn't quite as compelling as a longer story, like The Hot Zone. "

" I am so in love with the this I can't stand it. This is exactly the reason why I want to do what I want to do. "

" I'm becoming more interested in epidemiology, so this was fascinating and has peaked my interest even more. "

" Interesting book about the CDC's special group and their investigations of international outbreaks - TB, HIV, Listeria, SARS, polio, West Nile, smallpox, anthrax, MRSA, etc. Some in third world conditions even if they are in the US! "

" Great insight into the work of the EIS, a division of the CDC. Chronicals many famous outbreaks and events, but reveals the hardwork and the people behind uncovering the solutions. "

" This book provides and entertaining intro to some of the more interesting CDC investigations. I found it enjoyable, but lacking in depth. "

" Love the subject, but this is what happens when a scientist is allowed to write without help. Reads like an owners manual for a complicated calculator. "

" Found this account of the CDC fascinating. Ironically, the chapter on listeria in luncheon meat triggered a craving for a turkey sandwich. "

" <br/>Wow -- I never knew food poisoning could be so interesting. Kind of makes me want to be an epidemiologist! "