Everything Is Tuberculosis

Bookseller recommendation

“Wow - he's right, everything really IS tuberculosis. This insightful, sometimes funny, often heartbreaking book sheds light on an illness so interwoven in our collective history that we sometimes forget how much it's shaped our modern world. John Green brings a keen and unflinching social awareness to his assessment of tuberculosis and its influence on healthcare, communities, individuals, and culture. A few things that exist, at least in part, because of tuberculosis: Adirondack chairs, cowboy hats, Sherlock Holmes, and Colorado Springs. This book is narrated by the author and is one I'll revisit and recommend endlessly. ”

— Amber • Banned Wagon Books

Bookseller recommendation

“An incredibly important story given our political climate. This book highlights the triumph of humanity and the failures of humans.”

— Sarah • Parthenon Books

Bookseller recommendation

“Stetson hat, Adirondack chair, New Mexico. Yep. everything is really about Tuberculosis. John Green is amazing!”

— Sara • Roundabout Books

Bookseller recommendation

“An excellent journey through the history of TB, interwoven with the story of a young man, Henry, whose lived experience adds so much to the overall content of the book. John Green as narrator does an excellent job, and the writing style of the book is easy to follow and well paced. I think this book is easily accessible to all people, whether they are historians or not, and may spark a feeling to take action and dig deeper into the subject once they are finished.”

— Laura VZ • Fable Book Parlour

Bookseller recommendation

“John Green does it again. The prolific storyteller brings his unique writing abilities into the world of non-fiction. Tuberculosis is Green's passion project, and he will quickly make it your passion project as well.”

— Karlie • Novel Bay Booksellers

Bookseller recommendation

“Everything Is Tuberculosis is an emotional and compelling addition to the long list of remarkable work that John Green has accomplished. Brilliant.”

— Alyssa • Sidetrack Bookshop

Bookseller recommendation

“Probably the most important book you’ll read this year. The propulsive history of how and why we still let people die of a disease we know we how to cure, told in Green’s humane style. I don’t know if everything is TB but the history of TB is everything: science, superstition, racism, class, gender, colonialism, and capitalism. Deeply informative and strangely encouraging — that word will mean more to you when you listen — if you can stick through the tears. ”

— Perin • Brain Lair Books

Bookseller recommendation

“The mind of this man!!! The level of detail in facts, history and individual stories was achieved to perfection. I learned so much, and I’m shocked by how little I knew. The balance of information and storytelling is done in a way that is easily digestible and was transformative to my perspectives on the world. I am in awe of the light this book shines on so much injustice (which is only getting worse by the day) while also providing empathy, hope and a voice to the living and the deceased. This is absolutely required reading, and the type of book that a history class for any age would benefit from (and most of our politicians and lobbyists could use the education). So well done. ”

— Amy • Book Ends

Bookseller recommendation

“Everything is Tuberculosis is primarily an account of widespread and systemic healthcare inequity. It is also a call for disability justice, and for an end to both the stigmatization and romanticization of illness. Green goes into great detail about the strange turns in history which this disease has taken, but he is never dense nor is he flippant. He constantly reasserts the relevance of TB and centers the voices of patients, healthcare professionals, and--primarily--that of Henry, a young man and friend of Green's from Sierra Leone who lived with the disease. Green dedicates a significant portion of his book to engaging his reader in both the causes, the current effects, and the solutions for the scourge against humanity that is TB. Green, however, is not shy about the truth; TB is less a killer than injustice and inequality. This book is an emphatic call to education and to action.”

— Ellie • Page 1 Books

Bookseller recommendation

“This is the biography of a disease, and so much more: the compelling story of a young tuberculosis patient in Sierra Leone, an exploration of how culture and health intersect, a grappling with how colonialism and racism impact health care systems, and a collection of insights into the author’s own relationship to illness. Part biography, part memoir, but most of all a critical history lesson — this is a gorgeous and powerful book that firmly establishes John Green as one of today’s great nonfiction storytellers. Highly recommended even if (or perhaps ESPECIALLY if) you don’t think you care about tuberculosis.”

— Kara • Bonfire Bookstore

Bookseller recommendation

“As a lifelong John Green enjoyer, this book is no exception. If you enjoyed his Anthropocene Reviewed, this is of that same vein with a more detailed approach to a topic he is extremely interested in. It’s no secret Green cares about his writing and what he learns through that process, and this is no exception. With personal anecdotes, historical context, social history, and cultural commentary, Green provides a wonderful overview of such a particular topic. ”

— Sarah • Lemuria Books

Bookseller recommendation

“Confession: Until less than a decade ago, I thought TB was an illness of the past, an affliction that no longer debilitated or killed in any significant way. Wrong. It took having a friend with deep expertise in TB for me to learn that millions are impacted and/or killed by TB (even if in the US we’re sheltered from it). It took John Green‘s book for me to begin to grasp the magnitude and urgency of the situation. This is an exceptional book. This is an excellent audiobook via Libro.fm/AvidBookshop ”

— Janet • Avid Bookshop