Pathogenesis

A History of the World in Eight Plagues

By: Jonathan Kennedy

Narrated by: Jonathan Kennedy

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A “gripping” (The Washington Post) account of how the major transformations in history—from the rise of Homo sapiens to the birth of capitalism—have been shaped not by humans but by germs

“Superbly written . . . Kennedy seamlessly weaves together scientific and historical research, and his confident authorial voice is sure to please readers of Yuval Noah Harari or Rutger Bregman.”—The Times (U.K.)

According to the accepted narrative of progress, humans have thrived thanks to their brains and brawn, collectively bending the arc of history. But in this revelatory book, Professor Jonathan Kennedy argues that the myth of human exceptionalism overstates the role that we play in social and political change. Instead, it is the humble microbe that wins wars and topples empires.

Drawing on the latest research in fields ranging from genetics and anthropology to archaeology and economics, Pathogenesis takes us through sixty thousand years of history, exploring eight major outbreaks of infectious disease that have made the modern world. Bacteria and viruses were protagonists in the demise of the Neanderthals, the growth of Islam, the transition from feudalism to capitalism, the devastation wrought by European colonialism, and the evolution of the United States from an imperial backwater to a global superpower. Even Christianity rose to prominence in the wake of a series of deadly pandemics that swept through the Roman Empire in the second and third centuries: Caring for the sick turned what was a tiny sect into one of the world’s major religions.

By placing disease at the center of his wide-ranging history of humankind, Kennedy challenges some of the most fundamental assumptions about our collective past—and urges us to view this moment as another disease-driven inflection point that will change the course of history. Provocative and brimming with insight, Pathogenesis transforms our understanding of the human story.

©2023 Jonathan Kennedy (P)2023 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“[Kennedy] wrangles an astonishing breadth of material into easily accessible, plain prose. . . . Even readers familiar with the material will find [Pathogenesis] fascinating. . . . Kennedy will leave readers galvanized by the time they flip to the last page, having assured us that we could win the narrative back from germs—if we’re able to muster the political will to do so. Pathogenesis puts us in our rightful tiny place in the universe as this great, big—and terrifying, at times—world spins. But, Kennedy reminds us, we are not helpless.” —The Washington Post

“Full of amazing facts . . . Pathogenesis doesn’t only cover thousands of years of history—it seeks radically to alter the way the reader views many of the (often very well-known) events it describes.” —The Guardian

“Well-timed . . . [and] compelling . . . Kennedy’s book manages to end on a somewhat hopeful note. Yes, our trajectory is defined by microbes. But it’s also influenced by our reactions to them—and our acknowledgment of their power.” —The Atlantic

Give Us Science Not Opinion

Liked: first half of book was very informative.
Disliked: second half of book was largely the author's political opinions. it's not that I necessarily disagree with his opinions. It's that I didn't purchase the book for them.
Author did an adequate job narrating.

Very interesting reas

This is a great non-fiction book that reads like fiction. Read this book, even if you're not big into science, this is a great book.

Good start, poor ending

I got the book to learn more about pathogens and their impact on human development, and found it addressed that well. But towards the end, the author injected his political views which detracted from the topic and prevented a more thoughtful analysis of trends in pathogens. Moreover, the author’s political views were naive and lacked common sense, which in turn, retrospectively tainted the whole book. I will not recommend this book.

Full existence in hours

Well it’s hypothetical and I appreciate that and also the magnitude of research it’s based on is so impressive and makes me try to pull it apart more—very time consuming and not really a negative.

Another Academic with a Hidden Agenda

Pathogenesis begins with great storytelling of our anthropological history woven with the apparent history of major disease outbreaks and the potential effects these diseases had on our history. But there is a point at which anthropology is put aside, and Kennedy’s personal opinions become the underlying narrative.

Whereas earlier parts of the book address a comprehensive view of the world’s humans and subpopulations, the later chapters focus on certain subpopulations and diseases as if to jump on the bandwagon of recent events to spark emotional response. Kennedy jumps the rails of telling of possible correlations between rises and falls of societies with disease outbreaks and takes a sharp turn into pushing personal ideals about how societies should govern public health. The author is entitled to his opinions, but he is far from qualified to dictate how world health should be governed. Further, the information presented in the book is insufficient for drawing such conclusions as it leaves out presentation and discussion of many other diseases (including those made by our own presence on earth), socio-economic situations, and world events that deserve consideration.

Readers should keep in mind that many academics such as Kennedy conduct their research and write papers and books such as this one insulated within their university walls with a goal to gain attention to bring funding to their universities to ‘further their research’ (i.e., keep their jobs). It really is no different than the journalist who is skilled at writing gripping headlines that drive the consumers to click on the links of their articles just to get the ad views that drive their profits.

I thank the author for some delightful storytelling of anthropological history, but if you are looking for scientific information on the origin and history of diseases, as the title would lead you to believe, this book is not for you.

Worth a read especially the early chapters

Early chapters fascinating. Political commentary of the later chapters obscures the argument and makes the book less compelling.

Very interesting and elucidate book.

Very interesting and elucidate book. The story of the world is told by multiple perspectives and fundamented with scientific data. Great book. This would greatly benefit from having been read/performed by an experienced narrator. Great writer does not make a great narrator. Still a nice experience (due to the good quality writing).

fascinating and compelling

Tremendously compelling overall and truly fascinating. Provides logical and simple rationale to explain the processes whereby pathogens fundamentally, integrally, and perhaps inevitably dictated the outcomes for many historical events, and ultimately, the current state of the globe. The process of learning about the affect of pathogens on nations, peoples, and races provides a lot of concomitant, granular information about historical figures, cities, social evolution, genetic evolution, racial, social, and economic disparities. Overall, this book had me muttering "wow" and "no way..." quite a lot. The author is an excellent narrator with a good voice. I'm recommending this book to most of my family and friends and have already sent a copy to my father. I'd encourage anyone to read/listen to this book just to be exposed to a very surprising perspective on the world.

Begins With Pathogenesis Ends In The Clouds

The first half is an interesting and up to date analysis of the course of biological human evolution, and later human history, from the perspective of pandemic type events. But the work veers badly off topic into the kind of sanctimonious and intellectually incoherent social and political commentary that is obnoxious to an educated critical thinker.

Fascinating tour through our evolution

Provides a insight into the major events in human evolution through the lens of microbes. I have a much better understanding of how human Health has played in not only evolution but human history. Excellent story telling with much facts.