Blight; Fungi and the Coming Pandemic by Emily Monosson freaked me the eff out and has a lot of amazing information I didn't know I WANTED TO KNOW! I was truly thankful to have gotten to read this before most people! I would like to purchase this one for my physical library!

Summary: fungi are everywhere. Some can be harmless, helpful, or dangerous. Let’s learn all about this!

I enjoyed this book. Very informative. I never knew there was so much complexity to a fungus.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was right up my alley!!! I adored this book, and learned so much about fungal diseases, but the coolest part was that the author described many different impacts- so not just to human health, but also to animal species, plants and forests, and our food system, for example.

I had no clue that fungal diseases were what basically killed all the American chestnut trees, or the Gros Michel banana, or what is currently risking staple crops like monocultured wheat. If you liked reading about impacts to the food system in this book, then I highly recommend Eating to Extinction: The World's Rarest Foods and Why We Need to Save Them by Dan Saladino because he also talks about the impacts of fungal diseases and monoculture in general on our food supply. Vice versa, if you liked Saladino's book then you would enjoy this too!

Fungal diseases in the animal world were also so well explained, and I have a newfound love and appreciation for salamanders (shout out to my home state NC being the most concentrated salamander diversity hotspot in the world) because I have a very strong fear of their future, as they have not yet been hit with fungal outbreaks like the worlds' frog populations have, but it is sadly only a matter of time. This comes with a newfound appreciation for customs policies regarding importing plant and animal matter to protect against fungal diseases, for example.

Overall an extremely cool book, and the author's voice was fun and easy to read. If you like to read about diseases, animals, plants, or our food system then definitely check this out!

I was hoping/thinking it would address more of fungal infections in humans but it was more about in trees, plants, and other animals. Still, this is incredibly enlightening and has far-reaching implications. It's also very well written and accessible even for non-scientists; the author is a highly skilled science communicator for laypersons.

A really fascinating read! As a public health scientist, I am a bit of book hoarder of "looming public health threat" type books, so I've read plenty about viruses, bacteria, and even prions -- but I think this must be the first I've read on fungi! Monosson explores several interesting examples of ongoing fungal epidemics and does a really fantastic job of inserting little snippets of the technical science in a very accessible way. My only complaint is that I wish it had focused a little less on different types of trees (more on animals + humans), but still a really enjoyable and informative read. Would recommend!

Thanks to W. W. Norton & Company for the ARC!

Blight: Fungi and the coming Pandemic by Emily Monosson - 5/5

This fungi book caught my off guard. I was looking for something educational, stunning illustrations and something that would be entertaining for my children. This book was that 100 percent. The book is descriptive while not losing sight of that we are all here to see. There are so many fungi in the world that it just makes you stop and take a moment to take it all in. We found this book something hard to put down, constantly going back to a page and looking it over once again. Discussing what just one fungus could do for the world.

Thank you NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company for the eARC.

The author does justice for mycologists who see the world through fungi eyes. This book is very descriptive, not too technical, and a real page-turner for those who study fungi. It is a book that once started, was hard to put down. There is so much the world doesn't know about fungi, that they have their own kingdom that could literally save the planet or obliterate certain species. I would highly recommend this book.