Our Bodies, Our Planet

Marcus Hall is Professor of Environmental History at the University of Zurich. His books include Earth Repair (2005), Restoration and History (2009) and Mosquitopia (with Dan Tamïr, 2021).

Most of us are instinctively repulsed by these little freeloaders, but Hall highlights the collateral effects they have on our lifestyles and imaginations . . . Instead of viewing these intimate creatures simply as pathogens that produce disease, [Hall] concludes that many parasites can be re-envisioned as cooperators and symbionts. Humans and their army of parasites march together down life’s path, often to the benefit of each other. - Geographical, Book of the MonthThe thought of parasites usually evokes a powerful reaction of repugnance. Yet Hall puts a positive spin on this group of biological freeloaders that comprises more than half of all species of life on Earth. Acknowledging that many parasites are pathogens (causing disease in humans, wildlife, plants, and crops), he points out that numerous others function as collaborators or benefactors to their hosts in relationships known as mutualism. - BooklistMarcus Hall takes readers on an illuminating historical tour of the human microbiome, arguing that we should consider extending the conservationist agenda to the many parasites that call us home. The most thought-provoking book I’ve read in ages. - J. R. McNeill, author of The Webs of Humankind and Something New Under the SunThis book will change everything you thought you knew about parasites. Hall takes us on an exhilarating journey, upending preconceptions and accepted wisdom, and encouraging us to embrace our inner parasites. - Nicole Boivin, Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology and Honorary Professor, School of Social Science, The University of QueenslandMarcus Hall’s book broadens our view of world health by its laser focus on parasites as a collective protagonist. And more so this book highlights the historical ecology of parasites as a category of the study of affliction. An excellent and challenging book. - James C. McCann, Professor Emeritus of History, Boston University