Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) 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 several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Thanks to Text Publishing and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’m perhaps going against the grain of most reviews by saying that I LIKED the historical aspects of this book. It helped put the mosquito’s impact on humanity in context. The tagline for the book is also “A HUMAN history of our Deadliest Predator” sooo...why am I writing this review 7 months after publication?

Because this book is huge! My main issue with it was that quite a lot of it felt like history repeating itself and I think it could have done with some editing.

This isn’t really a science book, if you’re looking for the entomological ins and outs of the mosquito you’ll be out of luck I'm afraid, this is about the negative affects this rather nasty bug has had on humanity throughout the ages. There’s a lot of interesting facts in here and I learnt some things that I wasn’t aware of as a History teacher but it all just felt a bit too bloated.

My main takeaway from this book was...don’t build your town next to a swamp.

This was a very in-depth, interesting and educational read. However, it was very heavy. at nearly 500 pages and with a lot of historical aspects this was not a book I could pick up and read from cover to cover, this was a slow-going book.


It was a good book..... but it was A LOT

Man's deadliest foe is not one of the large predators, instead it is a relatively small, common insect. The mosquito is the vector for fourteen different diseases including several that are fatal and over the centuries man has tried to protect himself from these. In this book the author takes a romp through the major turning points of human history and shows how they can be linked to the mosquito and its diseases. This is a widespread and brilliantly researched book which interprets first hand accounts and links them to the subject. It is completely fascinating and, whilst focused mainly on the US, shows how global history is always linked.

History of the impact of mosquito-borne disease on war

I received a copy of this book courtesy of the publisher.

“The Mosquito: A human history of our deadliest predator” by Timothy C. Winegard is a non-fiction history of the influence mosquitoes and the diseases that they carry have had on humanity. The book encompasses ancient and modern history, and explores the devastating impact of diseases such as malaria on pivotal historical moments. To make sure you don’t think it’s a book about something else (like I did), this is at heart a military history.

I was really excited to read this book, and I loved the opening. Winegard connects with the reader through the universal experience of being annoyed with a mosquito, and provides a play by play of just exactly how the mosquito’s bite is so irritating. Winegard is certainly very knowledgeable about history, especially military history, and provides a thorough overview of some of the most well-discussed parts of Western history.

Although Winegard’s enthusiasm doesn’t wane as the book progresses, mine certainly did. I was expecting a lot more social and scientific history, and was hoping to read how mosquitoes had shaped our culture and progress. Every time Winegard touched on an area of scientific significance like the decision not to drain the swamps outside Rome until a ridiculously late time and how the mystery of mosquito-borne disease was finally solved, he glossed over the detail. Perhaps it was a question of confidence in the subject-matter, but I really wanted to know how these brilliant scientific minds figured out mosquitoes were the vector for malaria! I reread over that part thinking I’d missed something, but no – it just wasn’t of as much significance to Winegard, who was far more interested in how casualties from disease influenced the outcome of particular wars.

There were also some questionable and likely controversial parts in the book. Probably the most striking was the suggestion that the reason (or at least part of the reason) that African people were sold into slavery was because of genetic blood disorders like sickle cell disease made them more robust against malaria and therefore better workers in the Americas. I think that this would likely not stand up to academic scrutiny, and seems to minimise the reality of racism, greed and racist greed. Margaret Kwateng puts it succinctly in her 2014 paper on race and sickle cell disease: “studies today that try and attribute disparities between the races to genetic differences may be similarly searching for a way to explain inequity in a way that does not selfimplicate”.

A well-written book with some interesting and some challenging ideas by an author whose interests are fundamentally different to mine.

A fascinating social history, The Mosquito by Timothy Wineguard takes the reader on an enthralling journey through time and examines the unexpectedly dramatic impact of this tiny but deadly creature. While the role of the mosquito as a carrier of disease is well known, I had not realised the significance of this in the shaping of wold history, but from ancient Greece and Rome, to Genghis Khan and his Mongol horde, through the American Revolution and the Second World War , outbreaks of mosquito borne diseases have shaped the outcome of numerous conflicts. I was also fascinated by the relationship between the humble mosquito and the slave trade and by extension in Colonialism and Imperialism , something that the author describes in great detail. The final section of the book deals with the future, and how science and technology could potentially be used to prevent the spread of disease by genetically modifying the mosquito since their ability to develop resistance to pesticides has already been proven.
This book is densely packed with information, which is well researched and clearly presented, There is a lot to take in, and it is definitely not a light read, but it is certainly an interesting and informative one.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Oh my goodness, who would have thought there was quite so much to know about the pesky mosquito. I suffer badly when bitten, hence my piqued interest. These really are fascinating creatures and unfortunately so deadly throughout history to have been the cause of death of billions of people since time began. The history of the mosquito and how their bites- from the female of the species- contributed to outcome of so many periods in history. This read was fascinating, not at all my usual genre but I’d highly recommend it!

DNF
Many apologies but I did not finish this. Whilst I was very interested in Malaria and the science behind it, there was way too much hostory for my liking and it got a little tedious.
I am afraid I cannot fully judge the book apart from saying tbe first few sections are incredibly interesting and the book is very well written. I will mark this as 3 star as I cannot judge it all.

This is a very long book, and not one that lends itself to reading on Kindle. While probably fascinating for social historians, it is less so for scientists, so it was not quite the book I was hoping for. I am sorry to say that reading it on a Kindle proved too daunting, so I gave up - perhaps it would be easier on paper, or perhaps it is, as I fear, just too long and detailed to keep the attention of all but the most dedicated student. I'm sure there is plenty of fascinating information within its pages, but it was a hard job finding the nuggets among the reams of material presented.