The Angel and the Assassin

The Tiny Brain Cell That Changed the Course of Medicine

By: Donna Jackson Nakazawa

Narrated by: Melinda Wade

A thrilling story of scientific detective work and medical potential that illuminates the newly understood role of microglia - an elusive type of brain cell that is vitally relevant to our everyday lives.

"The rarest of books: a combination of page-turning discovery and remarkably readable science journalism." (Mark Hyman, MD, number one New York Times best-selling author of Food: What the Heck Should I Eat?)

Named one of the best books of the year by Wired

Until recently, microglia were thought to be helpful but rather boring: housekeeper cells in the brain. But a recent groundbreaking discovery has revealed that they connect our physical and mental health in surprising ways. When triggered - and anything that stirs up the immune system in the body can activate microglia, including chronic stressors, trauma, and viral infections - they can contribute to memory problems, anxiety, depression, and Alzheimer’s. Under the right circumstances, however, microglia can be coaxed back into being angelic healers, able to make brain repairs in ways that help alleviate symptoms and hold the promise to one day prevent disease.

With the compassion born of her own experience, award-winning journalist Donna Jackson Nakazawa illuminates this newly understood science, following practitioners and patients on the front lines of treatments that help to “reboot” microglia. In at least one case, she witnesses a stunning recovery - and in others, significant relief from pressing symptoms, offering new hope to the tens of millions who suffer from mental, cognitive, and physical health issues.

Hailed as a “riveting”, “stunning”, and “visionary”, The Angel and the Assassin offers us a radically reconceived picture of human health and promises to change everything we thought we knew about how to heal ourselves.

©2020 Donna Jackson Nakazawa (P)2020 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"A fascinating deep dive into the unsung heroes (and villains) inside our skulls.... Donna Jackson Nakazawa has a journalist’s eye for story, a scholar’s understanding of the research, and a patient’s appreciation for how high the stakes truly are." (Susannah Cahalan, New York Times best-selling author of Brain on Fire)

“In a stunning show of precision and heart, Jackson Nakazawa offers a captivating, page-turning story of scientific discoveries that overturn centuries of medical dogma and fundamentally reshape psychiatry, medicine, and the treatment of mental and physical illnesses. The Angel and the Assassin offers extraordinary promise and heralds hope in a time of skyrocketing rates of ‘microglial’ diseases - including depression, anxiety, Alzheimer’s, and addiction. It is paradigm-shifting reading for us all!” (Christina Bethell, PhD, MPH, director of the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative and professor at Johns Hopkins University)

“I can think of no topic more fascinating or exciting than microglia, the long-misunderstood brain cells whose power over brain health may hold the promise of cure for so many. The Angel and the Assassin is riveting, engaging, and visionary.” (Terry Wahls, MD, author of The Wahls Protocol)

Highly recommended!

What a genius book, using every day language plus medical language to bring the excitement and thrills to real science. Recommended for everyone. People who know and love anyone who’s had depression or neurologic symptoms may especially enjoy this. This might even change your life for the better while being entertained. Medical people need to be tolerant of the non-standard pronunciation by the narrator. Narrator is very good and the narration lens itself to comfortable listening at a faster playback.

Fantastic

Such a fascinating book! The author weaves together the latest science showing how microglia affect our brains with real life stories of people struggling with mental health issues and the treatments that helped them.

THE BEST most life changing book I have ever read!!

The narrator is superb. The writing is superb. The content is of such importance I feel like buying a book for everyone I know and asking them to read it!
The book provides data that offers so much hope for so many medical issues, especially mental health (the costs of which are 200+billion yearly. I believe I am quoting the author correctly) and a new way to understand why people suffer as they do. There are solutions on the horizon that will advance treatment in ways that will make current treatments seem so limited in outcomes. There is not anyone who will come away without new empathy and understanding of others after reading this book.

Engaging and hopeful

I found the information presented in an engaging and thoughtful manner allowing anyone to digest and stay focused as the information and processes were presented. I’ve already downloaded her all of Ms. Nakazawa’s works!

Fascinating, Intriguing, Grateful

I am incredibly grateful to Donna Jackson Nakazawa for writing this book. I also read Childhood Disrupted. Both books are beyond stellar. These books read like stories. I can feel her passion for her subject matter. And both books apply to my life. She truly cares about traumatic childhoods and brains that seem to be beyond repair. For people who have suffered greatly and feel like there’s no hope. If I could give these books 1000 stars I would. It truly brought understanding to my complicated world. Thank you so much for your beautiful writing and your dedication to mental health!

An amazingly worthwhile read

A very well written and very interesting read. I’ve learned so much about so much. It is helping me see myself and so many other people that I know in a new light. I can’t recommend it enough. It is totally worth every enjoyable minute.

Absolutely fascinating

Thoroughly engrossing book on microglial cells-immunity cells that are neurons. Implications for depression, Dementia, Parkinson’s and more. Solution oriented, with discussions on the latest research and newest techniques.

Informative and Well Explained

This book contains a wealth of information about a new frontier in neuroscience. The case studies really supported the meatier parts of the text.

A Magnus Opus for Microglia

As a neuroscientist, I found this book a refreshing and accurate narrative of the current state of microglial research. Nakazawa brings popular science into the 21st Century of immunology and the brain, exploring cutting-edge research and highlighting some of the most influential scientists in the field. Weaving together narrative and science for the everyday listener, Nakazawa creates a beautiful tapestry befitting of this once understudied cell type.

Unfortunately, the performance of this audiobook was incredibly disappointing. The pronunciation of “microglia” throughout the book is frustrating and very distracting. Of the dozens of microglia researchers I work with, not a single one pronounces it this way. Other key words that are integral to the story of this book such as “tau” are mispronounced as well and make certain chapters hard to follow. That being said, this may not be a huge deal to those outside of the neuro-immune/AD fields. I expect better from Random House Audio, now I’ll think twice before buying science audiobooks from them in the future.

Fascinating and interesting

Cons:
The first chapter is a little dull
There's a few too many people interest stories
The reader mispronounced many things

Pros:
Fantastic science
Short but engaging
Interesting treatment exploration
Medical, but not too complex