I was able to review First, wear a face mask by Dr. Philip M. Tierno, Jr. for free from Netgalley and Rodale Books for providing me with an advanced ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I wish everyone would read this book. It gives you the information you need to protect your family. Hoping more people get to read this and can protect the people they love. Everything is explained so well.

As the pandemic has impacted so many aspects of our lives, including work and relationships, it's important to trust the doctors giving public health advice so that it ends quicker. Dr. Tierno goes into what is COVID-19 and how you can do your part including wearing a facemask.

I found this book very helpful and informative, but also very reassuring. There is so much information out there, and it's so hard to know what information to believe. This book helped me sort through all the chaotic information out there and feel empowered.

I wish I'd had this book BEFORE the pandemic, before I contracted COVID myself. This should be mandatory reading for everyone. It explains the concepts in an easy manner. It gives you the information you need to protect your family. Every teacher should have had access to this prior to the start of the school year. Hoping more people get to read this and can protect the people they love.

This is a quick read by a reputable microbiologist. I have followed the Covid news closely and was interested to see what new info I would get from this book. Well....

This book touches on Covid, but it is primarily about germs (how they work, why we need them, how they cause sickness) and ways that we can stay safe (wear flip-flops in hotels, change tampons frequently, wear long pants on public seating, etc). Throughout the book Dr Tierno stresses the importance of washing your hands and yes, wearing a mask.

If you are looking for a book on Covid (as I was), keep looking- for Covid info I'd give this book 3 stars. As a general book about germs and healthy behaviors, though, I give the book 4 stars, This isn't a bad book at all, it just wasn't the book I was hoping it would be.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion, which I've provided here. My thanks to #NetGalley, the author and publisher for this opportunity.

This was an okay look at germs and germ protection. It mentioned COVID-19 in the description, but this book isn’t really about that. In fact, the 1-2 hour read only refers to COVID for maybe 15-20 minutes, if that. It’s also odd how we’re going through all the information about germs to suddenly spending a chapter on TSS. Don’t get me wrong, this was useful info to have. But that chapter felt out of place in this book.

Overall, this book is going to leave you afraid to go anywhere and to touch anything. But it’s not going to give you much more than that. There are far better books to read, but they’ll also take far longer.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

I wish there was a magical way for this book to appear, perhaps drop out of the sky, the very second someone challenges the veracity of COVID-19, its infectiousness and its impact.

Dr. Tierno Jr. delivers an essential, plain spoken book for this insane year and bonkers set of circumstances we collectively find ourselves in.

First, Wear a Mask is a short bookby American microbiologist Dr. Philip M. Tierno, Jr. in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Much of the information contained within this book you will have already learned elsewhere by watching news coverage, reading articles or listening to alerts from public health agencies and officials. However, it might be handy to have it gathered in a small volume like this, with some other information for context and guidance.

Tierno explains what a coronavirus is and includes an interesting section on the history of germs where the reader learns that the earliest sign of life on Planet Earth was the germ a.k.a. microbe. These germs are necessary and amazing, and human beings, like other organisms, are covered in them. In fact, we are especially good hosts for germs because of our long life spans.

This reader also learned that there is a mathematical equation relating to “super-spreaders” called Ro, where Ro = number of contacts x shedding potential. If I were to write up a quiz about this book, that equation would be included - even though no member of the public outside of the health or statistics fields will likely ever need to use it.

There is a short section on how disease microbes spread in the chain of infection. And, as one would expect, strategies for avoiding infection, like handwashing and keeping things you touch throughout the day such as iPads, water bottles, glasses, doorknobs, phones and table tops clean and disinfected. There’s a helpful section on the use of disinfectants. And a section listing symptoms that mean it’s time for you to see a doctor.

Given the title, the book of course includes a short section about wearing masks called “Cover Your Face.” It has no advice about putting a mask on and off, handling, transporting or storing them, or how they should fit, or when to wear them. This is a shortcoming. But it does include brief advice for decontaminating them.

Some of the sections towards the back of the book, apparently included under the broader goal of “staying safe” sort of feel like filler for a short book. These include sections on tampon use and toxemia, avoiding food poisoning, doing laundry, caring for pets and potty training.

While First, Wear a Face Mask has some interesting and good information, it feels hastily compiled - which, no doubt it, was.

I read an advance, uncorrected proof of this book via the publisher and NetGalley. My review is unpaid and voluntary.

Great health and safety guide in the time of COVID-19 . Nicely broken down in small sections for easy reading. Everything is explained well.

This was a great resource guide on how to keep yourself and others safe. My biggest concern with this book is just how relevant some of the information may be by the publish date. Already some of the information provided is not accurate.