This was such a gross but interesting read! I was curious about parasites since learning about them briefly in an intro to microbiology class and when I saw this title, I wanted to read more. It's a deep dive and very science-heavy but I felt like it's still accessible to most readers.

I started reading Life Lessons from a Parasite expecting an interesting read about different critters and the problems they cause in nature; while John Janovy included his experiences in parasitology as a keystone, I struggle to classify this book as a purely “science non-fiction” work. This book is much more of a memoir about a life in research (in what happens to be the field of parasitology), and reflections on the evolving culture and society in the world. This book definitely has more life lessons than parasites.

That said, I still personally enjoyed it, as someone with an ecology background. I understood the science, and didn’t feel bogged down by it. I felt moved by this senior academic’s reflections on his scientific discoveries and how they relate to his observations abut the world. Janovy’s storytelling paints a vivid mental image of his life and gives some deep insight into biology and society. I think he motivates his readers to connect biology with the human world, and realize things such as that we are more alike than different or that “adaptation, not denial, is the key to survival.”

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC.

As much as I get why the author wants to draw attention to the parallels between living parasites and infectious ideas, I feel like some chapters were stronger than others. The later half of the book made more sense to me, especially the iron wheel chapter, but by then, the same point got a little too repetitive. I also wanted to hear more about the science of parasitic relationships. It seemed many of the anecdotes about the natural world were cut off in order to fit in his point on communication today.

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10/10 would recommend! I enjoyed this book a lot and I think it is cause I wanted to pursue biology as a kid but who knows! A good read!

So I don't think I necessarily understood the author's different theories and conclusions, but I loved the discussion of parasites. This book was so gross and gory and disgusting, and it's so horrifying to think about how many parasites living creatures have. And I'm saying that like it's a bad thing, but it's good because it's part of nature and humans and other creatures, including parasites, are part of the same ecosystem. It's just really cool to read about how many parasites there are and how we live together. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

This book was incredibly interesting! I learned so much about parasites that I did not know previously, and I’m quite the well-rounded person in science. I appreciated Janovy Jr.’s perspective throughout this text. I don’t think anyone else could have written it. For someone less educated on parasites, I think this would be the perfect introductory text. I only didn’t rate it higher because I was hoping for some more concrete information on the various parasites, but that’s more due to my familiarity. Overall, very interesting and socially-conscious.

This was not an easy book to get into; however, rewarding once I did. As someone who's developed a deep interest in complex systems science, I find it fascinating how one can extrapolate the topic of parasitology.

Janovy blends hardboiled research with philosophical musings on what might seem like an obscure subject - parasites - and turns it into something profoundly human. He shows a kind of elegance in the way parasites live, adapt, and survive - a kind of elegance that mirrors the challenges we face in our own lives. It’s a book that makes you see the world just a little differently, with a bit more curiosity and respect for the complexities of life.

I would not just categorize Life Lessons from Parasites under social science and entomology; it is also a book about complex systems.

A professor of parasitology shows how your google search is not the same as a scientist's study of the subject. Interspersed with tales of intestinal parasites of tiny animals is a description of the way ideas spread like biological infective agents. Fascinating book, but not for the squeamish or non-thinker. I will look up other books by the author.

Life Lessons from a Parasite is an interesting monograph with observations on parasitology and some comparisons to human society written by Dr. John Janovy, Jr. Due out 20th Aug 2024 from Sourcebooks, it's 336 pages and will be available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

Parasitic existence, that is to say, living on/at the cost of, another organism is the most common method of life on planet Earth. Lice, tapeworms, flukes, and other parasites have existed virtually unchanged in the large scheme of things for millions of years. Some of them are annoying to us (lice), some are life-threatening (malaria), and some are truly horrifying (Guinea-worms).

The author, a respected parasitologist and parasite ecologist, sets the book up with a pretty good, mostly accessible, scientifically accurate crash course into parasite ecology and the biological niches they occupy. The book is well annotated throughout, and he does a good job of introducing the concepts and terminology with solid context to make it accessible to most readers. For non-bioscience-nerds, some effort will be required. He's good at making the necessary science understandable, but some effort will be required on the part of the reader.

He uses case studies to illustrate concepts... and then draws larger inferences and parallels to human society. This is where the book goes a bit off the rails, honestly. His science is unquestionably sound. He knows how maggots, flukes, and tapeworms work and can explain them, without the shadow of a doubt. Where he jumps into drawing comparisons between desensitization to dissecting mice or using them for research to wholesale mass deportation and genocide, is less successful (though, certainly, it's a concept which feels logical and intuitive - it's still scientifically sloppy).

The book is annotated throughout, and the bibliography and chapter notes are probably worth the price of the book and will provide readers with many hours of further reading.

Four stars. This is a guy with vast life experience, who unquestionably knows what he's talking about. He's clearly a gifted lecturer (he's retired now, apparently, so not actively teaching). The concepts involved in the material aren't all simple or easily understood... some are complex (college level biology). It would be a good choice for public library acquisition, home use, or possibly for gift giving to a science interested friend.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Thank you, NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS (non-fiction) | Sourcebooks for this ARC. As an Infection Prevention nurse, this was a fascinating, and at times, maybe a little gross at times, study of how tapeworms, lice, roundworms, maggots, and other parasites can show us about our world. This is a book about science, but also about politics, humanity, and life. It was interesting, kept me engaged throughout, and taught me new information. This book may not be for everyone, but it was fun and those who like reading about how you can learn about the world around you and apply it every day like events, you will enjoy this.

Unfortunately Life Lessons from a Parasite by John Janovy Jr. just did not work for me. The writing style failed to engage me and I think I was expecting more popular science and less personal observations than this one delivered.
I read an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

This was a really unique approach to looking at the biology of our existence. I really enjoyed this one and look forward to adding it to my bookshelf!

Hard DNF at 20%
The writing is extremely off putting, with repetition & bizarre metaphors about contemporary socio-cultural issues. To me, that's a weird linkage in itself, made worse by the tedious writing despite my science background.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. I must have misunderstood the blurb as I was hoping to learn some fun facts about various parasites that linked to life lessons. Maybe that was in the book but as someone with a non scientific background, the dissections and details lost me. I expect readers with a background in science and research will find this book a lot more relatable.

Well, honestly, Iḿ not sure what to think about this book. This isn`t what I expected, I was hoping for more popular science, and more insight into biology/parasitology. Instead, I got a lot of personal thoughts regarding topics such as racism, the pandemic, etc mixed with memoir. Yes, it is somehow implied by the title, but yet it felt like there is way too much on a personal note and not enough science. Also, the way the author transfers some biological occurrences into our modern society isn´t convincing at all.

There were parts of the book I really liked. The discussion of parasites was interesting and I thought that the chapters on an anti-desensitization plan and on profiting from parasites were excellent. I also liked the discussion on how science works and on oversimplification. On the other hand, I felt that the wording was not economical and used too many metaphors. I also felt that there was too much sermonizing, even though I largely agreed with what Dr. Janovy Jr. had to say. I was also not convinced that parasites teach the lessons claimed in the book. As this was a running theme through the book, it left me with a somewhat negative impression. Nonetheless the book was a worthwhile read. Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the advance reader copy.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Sourcebooks for an advance copy of this memoir about a life in science, a look at something that every living creature seems to deal with, or has occupying them, and how this tells us about the way the world is run, and why many think and do what they do.

The word parasite has a lot of different meanings today. Some might think one is referring to the Oscar winning movie that shows two families sharing the same space, with viewers unsure of who the parasite in the relationship is. Politicians use parasite to explain why they are cutting monies, services, libraries and more to people who don't really contribute to the society the politician wish to serve, as these people are too busy trying to survive. Taking from the politicians others in the making-money-off-of-hate-grifters like to use parasite to describe the other, the different, those who will still the good life away from you, and send money to keep fighting for a world that never really existed. As Dr. John Janovy Jr writes, all living things have parasites, from the top of the head to deep in the guts. Understanding the role of parasites, and what they contribute to the life cycle of everyone could make for better understanding for us all. Life Lessons from a Parasite:What Tapeworms, Flukes, Lice, and Roundworms Can Teach Us About Humanity's Most Difficult Problems is part memoir, part cultural study and a lot of science about these misunderstood creatures, and what parasites can tell us about ourselves.

The book begins with a little bit about parasites that we all might be familiar with, hair lice. Janovy describes that most living organisms, at least most that have been studied all have parasites living on them, some important, some benign, some harmful to others. Janovy discusses his youth and the interest he took in the outdoors and hunting instilled from his father and grandparent that lead to a career in biology that lasted over sixty years, and quite a few books. The book looks at parasites, from one's inside of fish in the author's home state of Oklahoma, to robins, toads, and of course humans. Janovy also looks at the life of people involved in the study of parasites, those who made great discoveries, or those who spent their lives trying to solve mysteries that remain enigmas to this day.

Janovy also looks at how understanding parasites can explain much about what is happening in the world today. From actions humans take to the study of viruses, and coming up with solutions for many problems. The book is very interesting and well written, though some themes seem to be repeated a bit. The writing is an mix of the personal, a lot of these studies were worked on by Janovy, along with a lot about his time teaching, learning or studying. The technical writing is kept to a minimum, which makes it easy for people of all sorts of scientific literacy to read and learn. A little warning, their is a lot of animal eviscerations, as this is a study on parasites, so queasy stomachs should be warned.

A book I would recommend to people interested in working in the sciences. There is a lot of discussion about studies, watching, learning, being disappointed by a hypothesis not working out, which would be helpful to those interested in science. Also for a look at parasites around us, this book will explain quite a lot.

Something about this book made me download it, even though it's not the style of book I would get. In this book, Janovy, one of the world's experts on parasites such as tapeworms, flukes, and lice, tells us what humans can learn from the action of a parasite. I think it's a unique concept and a great self help book. By comparing human qualities to the motifs of a parasite, we can glean some useful life lessons.

I can't even get past the introduction, that's how bored I am with this writing style. To quote Ms. Grande " thank you, next"

This was interesting as a premise however I found the contents became quite repetitive, and I was unsure what the general structure was supposed to be, so it felt quite eclectic.