Viral BS is based on a series of newspaper columns by the author. The title of each chapter is a question such as "Do vaccines cause autisim?" She then describes the studies and media stories that led to the question being asked, and cites other studies to support or debunk the claim. The writing is concise, so that each section is 3-5 pages. Not all of the topics may be of interest, so this book would be best enjoyed by skipping around to the chapters of personal interest, as opposed to reading everything in order as I did.

The author does a good job of describing complicated issues for which there is sometimes conflicting evidence in a way that is readable for someone without a medical or science background.

This book is scheduled to be released in January 2021, so will feel somewhat outdated as the medical questions people are concerned about have changed so much in the last year. There was one mention of COVID-19, but a format like that of this book would have been perfect to address current questions such as "Do masks protect against COVID?" or "Does an mRNA vaccine alter your genes?" The current situation makes some of the questions answered in the book such as "Is there lead in your lipstick?" (who cares now, as everyone's face should be covered anyway) seem trite. If a few additional chapters could be hastily added, this could be a 5 star read.

Thanks to Amazon Vine and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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