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SUPERBUGS

Name: SUPERBUGS
Author: Matt McCarthy
ISBN: 978-0-7352-1750-8

THE RACE TO STOP AN EPIDEMIC

by Matt McCarthy ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 21, 2019

Insightful and honest, McCarthy effectively combines useful information about the latest advances in microbial research with...

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A riveting insider’s look at the race to find a cure for antibiotic-resistant infections, one of the most pressing challenges in modern medicine.

It’s official: Bacteria are outsmarting us. Bacterial strains that are impervious to even the most powerful antibiotics, nicknamed “superbugs,” are increasingly common and frighteningly lethal. Physicians are often left with their hands tied, forced to see patients die from infections that could have easily been treated 10 years ago. In this eye-opening book, McCarthy (The Real Doctor Will See You Shortly: A Physician’s First Year, 2015, etc.)—an assistant professor of medicine at Weill Cornell and a staff physician at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, where he is a member of the ethics committee—breaks down the complex interplay among biomedical researchers, the pharmaceutical industry, the Food and Drug Administration, and clinicians. Unsurprisingly, the most important consideration in this complicated equation is money. Conducting clinical trials to test the efficacy and safety of new antibiotics is expensive, and even when they are approved, the medications may not be hugely profitable for the manufacturer. “A study from the London School of Economics,” writes the author, “estimated that, at discovery, the net present value of a new antibiotic was minus $50 million.” McCarthy, however, is not deterred, and he agreed to lead a cutting-edge clinical trial involving a brand-new, synthetic antibiotic known as dalba. He pulls no punches as he details the tension between institutional bureaucracy and patient care, often becoming emotional as he describes his patients and their stories. He makes it clear that despite the importance of protocol, there is no time to waste. The author’s storytelling is at once urgent and empathetic, a compelling combination that leaves readers feeling informed and optimistic.

Insightful and honest, McCarthy effectively combines useful information about the latest advances in microbial research with accounts of the best aspects of humanity.

Pub Date: May 21, 2019

ISBN: 978-0-7352-1750-8

Page Count: 288

Publisher: Avery

Review Posted Online: March 9, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.