The Mosquito

A Human History of Our Deadliest Predator

By: Timothy C. Winegard

Narrated by: Mark Deakins

**The instant New York Times bestseller.**

*An international bestseller.*

Finalist for the Lane Anderson Award

Finalist for the RBC Taylor Award

“Hugely impressive, a major work.”—NPR

A pioneering and groundbreaking work of narrative nonfiction that offers a dramatic new perspective on the history of humankind, showing how through millennia, the mosquito has been the single most powerful force in determining humanity’s fate

Why was gin and tonic the cocktail of choice for British colonists in India and Africa? What does Starbucks have to thank for its global domination? What has protected the lives of popes for millennia? Why did Scotland surrender its sovereignty to England? What was George Washington's secret weapon during the American Revolution?

The answer to all these questions, and many more, is the mosquito.

Across our planet since the dawn of humankind, this nefarious pest, roughly the size and weight of a grape seed, has been at the frontlines of history as the grim reaper, the harvester of human populations, and the ultimate agent of historical change. As the mosquito transformed the landscapes of civilization, humans were unwittingly required to respond to its piercing impact and universal projection of power.

The mosquito has determined the fates of empires and nations, razed and crippled economies, and decided the outcome of pivotal wars, killing nearly half of humanity along the way. She (only females bite) has dispatched an estimated 52 billion people from a total of 108 billion throughout our relatively brief existence. As the greatest purveyor of extermination we have ever known, she has played a greater role in shaping our human story than any other living thing with which we share our global village.

Imagine for a moment a world without deadly mosquitoes, or any mosquitoes, for that matter? Our history and the world we know, or think we know, would be completely unrecognizable.

Driven by surprising insights and fast-paced storytelling, The Mosquito is the extraordinary untold story of the mosquito’s reign through human history and her indelible impact on our modern world order.

©2019 Timothy C. Winegard (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2020 RBC TAYLOR PRIZE

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2020 LANE ANDERSON AWARD

An instant New York Times bestseller

“Timothy C. Winegard's The Mosquito is as wildly entertaining as any epic narrative out there. It's also all true . . . Winegard masterfully weaves historical facts and science to offer a shocking, informative narrative that shows how who we are today is directly linked to the mosquito.”—NPR

“Winegard’s reminder of their enormous potential for destruction is a timely one for all of us…we modern folk are also guilty of believing that our hopes and our technology will somehow make us exempt from the workings of the natural world. The entire time that humanity has been in existence, the mosquito has been proof that we are not.”—The New Yorker

“Thrilling . . . a lively history of mosquitoes. Mr. Winegard convincingly argues that the insect has shaped human life as well as delivering death… Mr. Winegard is an engaging guide, especially when he combines analysis with anecdote.”—The Economist

Better take note

I had no idea how deadly mosquitoes were and, apparently, still are. CRISPR their asses!

Great book!!!

Very well done!!! It was a great history lesson!!! I had to take malaria medication in Massawa, Eritrea and now I know why.

long on stories

This book brings mosquitos to the front of historical considerations. He gives ample evidence to support this argument. I wish he would have spent more time on the adaptive evolution of people in Africa who had to live with yellow fever and malaria for thousands of years. After a while the stories seem to repeat themselves with themes of war, loss of life, more war and more loss of life. But after a number of those stories one begins to experience a deeper respect for the mosquito born illnesses which we never quite rid ourselves of.

A book for the times we now inhabit

Though this book is frequently a grim and depressing read, it illuminates a side of history few have a clue about. We are just a part of the natural world and remain at its mercy. Amazing how the lowly annoying mosquito has affected every aspect of our lives and history back to the dawn of time.

meh

it was okay, with a number of good points. however, too much is probably attributed to the actual mosquito than other events associated with historic epic of history. perhaps the biggest gripe is a great deal of repetition in terms of points and counterpoints.

Ok... we get it!

Didn’t read the book reviews or “back cover”, but this books title is misleading. I know this book is supposed to be able the influences the mosquito had and has on human civilizations, but this is more of a world history that includes mosquito facts than it is a book about mosquitoes. Why do I say this? Just look at the chapter headings. (Should have been a sign)

Each chapter is designated to a period in time surrounding a specific culture or leader. Technically there is nothing wrong with this, but each chapter ends up being a series or random facts about famous world leaders and how their wars were won with mosquitoes. Seriously, there are at least 2 chapters about the mosquitoes in the swamps around Rome, with the mosquito playing the same role. Both chapters could have been combined into a chapter about that region of the Earth and mosquitoes in it.

Seriously, why did I need to know about King Author’s horse? Why did I need to know about origins of Han’s name and his offspring? Why did I need to hear about Columbus motives for sailing and the motives of the Spanish court to supply the funds? Nearly 75% of each chapter is a history lesson containing relatively well known history trivia, none of which relates to mosquitoes.

To be clear, all of these eras and geographical regions are relevant. There is information in each chapter that is good, but this book could be at least half as long if it were told through the lens of the mosquito rather than the lens of world leaders and their desire for conquest.

How about 1 chapter, JUST ONE, on how mosquitoes foiled the plans of famous world leaders by sickening their armies. Then 1 on how marshes acted in favor of a city by defending it. Then 1 on unintended consequences of introducing mosquitoes and their diseases to new worlds. The 1 on medical break throughs related to mosquitoes. The 1 on the biology of mosquitoes. Then 1 on the diseases carried by mosquitoes.

Notice how this list contains different concepts related to the mosquito that impacts more than just the geopolitical arm of human history. That would be interesting. Therefore if you want to skip this book, just pick up a world history textbook and insert “and they were weakened by the disease carried by mosquitoes” after reading about EVERY civilization that lost a war. LITERALLY ALL OF THEM!!!!

Great narrator

Great story of history and interesting. Can highly recommend. And the narrator is excellent. Will read again.

A lot of history with mosquitoes causing illness and death throughout

Much of the book was a survey of world history with mosquitoes named as the cause of many illnesses and deaths. I did not find that part of the book very interesting. I liked the later part of the book that discussed the research on how to eradicate mosquitoes and mosquito-borne diseases.

Needs editing

Some good material but way too much repetition. 'The mosquito did X. When the mosquto did X, Y happened. Previous clause unnecessarily repeated. Needs basic editing and shortening.

Fascinating!

This was a well written, eye opening history lesson! To think of the mosquito as a danger greater than Godzilla is mind boggling!! I’m not one to listen or read science stuff, but the title and summary caught my attention.