Due to a passing in the family a few years ago and my subsequent health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for years after the bereavement. Thank you for the opportunity.

Wow, what a book. Now I need to state that with many things, vaccinations included, I am pro choice.... as long as it is a choice made from true facts and figures. Yes... each time a new vaccine comes out I head to scientific journals and peer reviewed documents to get a true feel and understanding of what it's all about. I don't just turn to social media and join one of the knee jerk pro or anti parties found there.

So I found this book fascinating. Not just on the history of it all, but the impact it still has on society today. I just wish it held more "local" data and facts. Here in Australia we do, and have done in the past, things a little differently. Though if I was to attempt such a book (firstly I'd suck at it in comparison) I'm sure I'd get people from other countries complaining about local content too.

Seriously though, an eye opening, well thought out, and interesting read. Definitely something I would highly recommend to both pro and anti vaxxers as a, mostly, unbiased look into the topic of vaccinations It may just help them ensure they truly are making the right choice for themselves, their families, their society, and their culture.

I have a love hate relationship with the vaccine movement. I believe that we are due for an overhaul where we are better informed about vaccines but I also believe that delayed vaccine schedules and informed consent are important. This book was super enlightening and I enjoyed reading it.

Anti/VAX: Reframing the Vaccination Controversy from Bernice L Hausman is an attempt to get beyond the animosity and name-calling that largely defines the current vaccination controversy. Hausman largely succeeds and even where there might be something questionable it is not a negative but rather, for lack of a better term, the nature of the debate.

First, to be honest and upfront, I am a supporter of vaccinating and, unfortunately, have sometimes made the types of comments that shut down discussion rather than open it up. So that is where I am coming to this book from.

I don't think it serves any purpose to either restate the arguments usually put forth for or against vaccinations, we are all familiar with the limited range of the popular public debate. I am also not going to try to mention every nuance of Hausman's findings or ideas. The debate is too heated and I think a wrong comment from a reviewer can make someone decide not to read this book, and I think this book offers a lot to consider for everyone with an opinion about vaccinations.

What I will say is that, while some medical/scientific information is shared, it is not for the purpose of "proving" any particular position but rather to illustrate what can be, I think, agreed upon by most people. So there is mention of positives and negatives, concerns and established fact, with the goal of establishing the ground upon which most concerns are centered.

Hausman looks at the long history of antiVAX sentiment and explains what has been behind a great deal of it. With more diseases having effective vaccines that also means more vaccines are recommended for everyone. In principle, I think the vast majority of people, regardless of their concerns, would like to have effective means to eliminate dangerous diseases. The concerns largely boil down to a couple overarching issues, even if they tend to be presented as purely safety. One is, clearly, how safe are these vaccines? The other is basically a distrust of Big Pharma/Big Government/Giant Medical bureaucracies. The extreme of the second position are the conspiracy theorists who see conspiracies everywhere, but that is not the largest portion of the antivaxxers, even those who are coming from a position of distrust.

Understanding that most antivaxxers might change their opinion if their concerns are answered with respect and transparency makes it imperative for those of us who believe the vaccines to be safe to stop being so antagonistic. Just as the conspiracy theorists represent an extreme on the antivaxxer side there is an extreme on the proVAX side that will blindly accept whatever they are told is safe. Neither the conspiracy theorists nor the blindly submissive will be moved by this book, they are not looking to actually resolve the debate but to prove a larger worldview. Most people, like myself, who are proVAX have a certain amount of concern for anything that is put into our bodies. I have read studies and research, on both sides, and have been convinced that the safety is well within the safety limits of medicine we all take all the time. The anti research I've seen has cherry-picked facts and glossed over the details to raise alarm. Likewise, pro research sometimes does the same, but, from what I've seen, to a lesser extent. As for the distrust issue, that is probably bigger than the actual concern over the safety of a particular component of a vaccine that is well within the safe range. Because it is the distrust of the big companies and government that causes people to disregard the research that comes out of them. So that is a ready-made excuse to dismiss whatever doesn't support one's position. That feeling of distrust is only strengthened when confronted with animosity and name-calling. Thus the need for everyone to step back, try to understand where the other side is truly coming from (as well as look closely at ourselves and understand what we really want: to find a safe way to eradicate diseases or simply promote distrust/blind acceptance), and then figure out ways to have our questions and concerns addressed.

I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in the topic, which should be everyone who lives near other human beings. I will add that those on the extreme of either side will not be swayed here, you'll feel Hausman has either been too easy on the antivaxxers or too gullible like the provaxxers. But the vast majority of people who are looking for a solution and not just a fight can learn something about both your own position and the position of those who disagree.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

I’m in the healthcare field and was very interested in reading this book. I figured it would be very easy to understand things from both sides and could refer people to it: both people who don’t understand why people vaccinate and why people wouldn’t vaccinate. However, the way the book is written is not very friendly to someone who is not in healthcare. I even had trouble understanding and keeping my attention in some of it.

Anti/Vax: Reframing the Vaccination Controversy by Bernice L. Hausman is an attempt to make sense of the wild debate around vaccinations. Ms. Hausman is very honest about her attempts to present both sides with honest examination of the issues and she tries her best to stay neutral. She presents a lot of information, both scientific and anecdotal. No vaccine is 100% safe, just like nothing in medicine is 100% safe or effective. Even over the counter medicines has side effects and warnings. Vaccination concerns have been around as long as there have been vaccinations. “Anti-vaxxers” are nothing new, they are just more visible now due to social media and the speed at which information is shared. Ms. Hausman presents a brief history of vaccination concerns since the 1980s. In the 1980s, there were 7 vaccines for: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella and polio. By the end of the 1990s, it had ballooned to 16 different diseases including hepatitis B and varicella (chicken pox). She also explores the current feelings toward vaccinations are not just are they safe but the implications of government overreach in our personal lives and choices.
Anti/Vax is a wealth of information which is beneficial for bother pro-vaxxers and anti-vaxxers to read. It presents the good and bad side of vaccines and the various reasons why there are skeptics. I have learned it is okay to be skeptical of the vaccines; however, we need to do our due diligence in seeking information before making our decisions to vaccinate ourselves and our children. There is so much information available that we cannot and should not blindly follow a doctor’s recommendations as well we cannot completely dismiss those recommendations. My only issue with Ms. Hausman’s books is sometimes she takes away too long to link information she is presenting to the topic at hand and she often repeats herself to assure the reader she is not taking sides. However, I highly recommend reading Anti/Vax. It may help clarify the vaccination debate and help you in your decisions about your overall health, not just vaccinations.

Anti/Vax
is available in hardcover and eBook

In Anti/Vax, Hausman presents an insightful and non-judgemental analysis of the reasons some parents choose not to vaccinate, or to selectively vaccinate, their children. She argues that, by forcefully arguing the facts about the dangers of remaining unvaccinated and the relative safety of vaccination, many scientists and media outposts are only further charging a controversial issue. Though all these facts may be true, and vaccination may provide greater health from a communitarian point of view, the alarmist retelling of these facts dows not take into account the non-vaccinating parents' points of view, which are often lumped together into a straw-horse arguments about the effects of thimersal or the MMR vaccine on autism, which have been largely debunked. Instead, many parents approach vaccination from a variety of viewpoints and educational levels and may have concerns based on previous negative reactions such as allergy, philosophical concerns about the medicalization of society, social concerns about whether pharmaceutical and other companies can be trusted to accurately rely the risks in studies that they fund, etc. The book also highlights that only a very small portion of parents in society, well below that of concern for herd immunity and not rising, complete restrict vaccination, while other parents only select certain shots, such as the chickenpox or HPV vaccine, to avoid, or give all shots but do so on a delayed schedule over concerns about giving small infants multiple shots at a time. While Hausmann does not herself argue that any of these viewpoints are "correct", she argues that the issue can be best addressed by making th issue not one of science but of shared humanity.

Thank you for the advanced reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

This book was well researched but I found it difficult to get through.

I have to admit I have a lot of passion about Vaccination vs not Vaccination. Everyone has an opinion from Doctors to the CDC to parents who believe they have lost a child to a vaccination gone wrong.
One child had the vaccination done as the doctor recommend and the next child I spread them out a little more. The only difference between the two one was less fussy.
All 4 children are vaccinated because I believe the protect the unprotected.
Anti\Vax by Bernice Hausman give readers a very contemporary insightful review on the world of Vaccinations that surround everyone in the world. The author dives into the views held by many who use religious, personal and medical reason why they do not vaccinate their children.
The Book reads more like a text book that might bore readers who are looking to have their point justified.
The author tries hard to pull the truth and avoid media that twist the story to fit their agenda.
Thank you to Netgalley ad the publisher ILR Press for the advance copy of Bernice Hasuman Anti\Vax

This was a well researched and balanced book that I feel comfortable recommending to everyone. I am 100% pro-vaccination and vaccinate my own children (ages 4 and 2) but I don't like a lot of the hostility towards the anti vax parents. Mocking them and calling them stupid only further isolates them and validates some of their fears. It's not just their fear of autism but a distrust of pharmaceutical companies and different view of risk, amongst other things. I like how the author isn't exploring the efficacy of vaccination, but focusing on the people involved in this debate and why we all feel the way we do.

Love that someone finally came to the front with a civilized and educated look at the vax debate. Nothing is all good and nothing is all bad. I think Hausman really shows the reader this grey area that exists and raises important questions for both sides to consider.

nti/vax: Reframing the Vaccination Controversy
BY BERNICE L. HAUSMAN.
ILR Press
Cornell University Press 2019, 296 pp.
Published April 15th 2019

The topic of vaccination has long been a contentious issue, sparking heated debate between opponents and proponents for vaccination. Hausman has dedicated nearly thirty years studying medical controversies, and close to a decade researching on the vaccination controversy. This topic of vaccination and medicalisation has personal resonance for her as she openly shares throughout her book.

The immunization dilemma is a very relevant topic of public discourse, not only from a medical perspective but also from a social and personal responsibility angle. Hausman dedicates a couple of chapters in her book discussing the views of authors of pro-vaccination books, that gave general readers the impression that vaccine skeptic parents are easily manipulated and are posing a major risk to the mainstream community. Hausman poses the question whether people who refuse to vaccinate are denying science and the value of modern medicine. Hausman surmises in these chapters whom people can trust. How much to trust is at the crux of the vaccination controversy.

Hausman does not deny that medicines and vaccinations can benefit society, however, she encourages the reader to pause and evaluate if all medicines and vaccinations are necessary when promoted by the pharmaceutical companies, recommended by the government and prescribed by their local general practitioner. This is then further compounded by the distortion of reporting by the media regarding vaccinations and pharmaceuticals in general. Hausman points out that there are questions surrounding the issues of over diagnosing and over treatment based on corrupt and greedy motives of the responsible parties.

Anti/vax is a well thought out book that provides a fair stance on vaccination, carefully presenting both sides of the narrative. That goes beyond just scientific or medical evidence by examining and discussing the social and cultural components of the controversy.

Anti/vax is an intelligently written book but in certain sections of the book, it can appear for some general readers too academic as if it’s thesis dissertation. In particular, it may not be suitable or appealing for the average less educated reader, for instance the average housewife. Although, the topic of vaccine skepticism is interesting and very relevant in today’s society, the book at times lacks the ability to keep the general reader’s attention, once again due to the heaviness of the academic data. However, Hausman provides a thorough and well researched discourse on the vaccine controversy, particularly on vaccine skepticism.

Hausman concludes that although medicine has its value and place in modern society, it has also shown to have its limitations to diminish twenty-first century sickness and disease due to resistance of various drugs and antibiotics.

Hausman’s book Anti/vax can contribute to creating a better dialogue and more understanding interaction between the two opposing parties, even if they still personally stand firm in their respective beliefs for or against vaccination. Possibly helping to ease the stigma of vaccine skeptic parents, as being irresponsible just because they have chosen not to vaccinate their child.

Anti/vax is a much needed book to help individuals and society to understand the deeper reasons behind a vaccine skeptic’s refusal to conform to pharmaceutical expectations.

I think Hausman did a great job with explaining the subtle differences in arguments for the pro/anti-vax movements. It's well researched and humanly explained.