This book was okay.

The first half of this book tells the history of inflammation in the context of research. It goes from super basic discovery of cells to specific food based inflammation studies. I already knew 90% of this, so it was a chore to read and I had to stop and come back multiple times over the course of a few months. The second half was more interesting to me. It has a main theme of inflammation origin via food, but also briefly discusses exercise and general stress. In this portion of the book, the author spent half the time calling out western culture for being The Worst Ever in terms of diet, and spent the other half talking very briefly about diets of various cultures and how they are superior. I do agree with her, however, at some points it felt very fear mongering ish to me. I wish there was more discussion on other origins of inflammation because the book did make it seem like food is the only one and by healing your eating you will heal yourself, but there are other factors and those weren’t talked about enough.

This whole book read like a science textbook. On one hand I think the writing is fairly accessible to the average person, but on the other, this book didn’t necessarily offer any succinct advice on how to avoid and heal inflammation. The advice it does offer is very general and things most people know: eat less animal fats and products, don’t eat processed foods, whole foods are king. I spent months trying to get through this book and while the first half was SUPER in depth the second half fell flat and I wished it was longer.

I think this would be a great book for someone with minimal science knowledge who wants to start a food health journey or just learn more about the history of inflammation research and how food contributes to it.

This book was way more than I even expected! I went in thinking to learn a bit about how we are experiencing more inflammation as a population than before and a bit about why. But instead, the author offers an in-depth full exploration of everything related to inflammation and the immune system! It oscillates between sharing the whole history of immunology and the studies that brought us to our current understanding to case studies of patients today experiencing unusual symptoms and what it takes to understand the symptomology. This book explores so much related to inflammation from cancer to obesity to molecules in food we don't even think about. It's super informative and engaging. You don't want to stop learning or put the book down. I highly recommend for anyone interested in learning more about how our bodies work and how food influences how our bodies work!

A Silent Fire: The Story of Inflammation, Diet & Disease by Shilpa Ravella is a brilliant exploration of chronic (often hidden) inflammation and the havoc it can wreak in “a modern plague of illnesses” that are the most common causes of death today. Inflammation, “an intricate force meant to protect us paradoxically turns against us, leading to collateral tissue damage, autoimmune diseases, allergies, and more.” Ravella is an esteemed transplant gastroenterologist who comes to this work with a keen understanding of the immune system, the importance and power of diet, the gut microbiome, and their interactions. Deeply researched, A Silent Fire is a rich text that warrants multiple readings. Ravella details both historical and cutting-edge discoveries about inflammation in prose so gorgeous and insightful that I highlighted sections on nearly every page. A Silent Fire has changed the way I think of food and health and has empowered me to make better decisions for my long-term health. Highly recommended and potentially life changing!

An accessible book about inflammation, its role in various diseases and condition, current treatments, and ongoing research. Inflammation has been in the news a lot recently as the cause of just about every health condition; Ravella explains what inflammation actually is and does, and while the writing does sometimes get bogged down by repetitive material or, in a few cases, too granular analyses, it's fine for general audiences.

This is extremely accessible and explains inflammation in a way that is not only informative but entertaining. Even though it is a book about health, it feels like you are being told a story. Rich, borderline epic.