All the things I knew about tuberculosis I could have fit on an index card. How naive I was. It's a horror story, made doubly frightening because it's real.

The author did a commendable job putting things down in a way that allowed the average person to make sense of science and facts. She dressed up this lesson with wit and humor, making it not only an enlightening read but a pleasurable one.

It left me spouting facts to coworkers, side eyeing that guy with a cough, and ordering a copy to be sent to a friend with similar tastes in reads.

Definitely a great addition to my nonfiction library.

Tuberculosis is my thing. Seriously. It's a topic that my brain latched onto, despite the fact that I am not a scientist, not all that great at science in general, and have zero personal connections with the disease. I just love to read about it. So when I came across this book on Netgalley, I immediately had to request it. And, being the nerd I am, I loved it. Not that I'm biased or anything...

What I enjoyed most about Lougheed's book is that she comes from the science-first approach - she eventually came around to the more social/personal impacts of the disease, whereas I, being a dummy, approached TB from social and personal perspectives first, with science coming second. Catching Breath helped fill in some of the, uh, admittedly massive gaps in my knowledge of how M. tuberculosis works. Catching Breath is a fascinating read, but unless you have an intense interest in how tuberculosis works on a cellular level, this might not be the book for you. Worked for me, though! It’s a fun book to read, too, as Lougheed has a very British sense of humor that can make some pretty intense topics bearable. She also highlights the lack of attention TB receives in general, as it’s considered by many to be a disease of the past. Something we cured a long time ago.

Ahahahaha, no. Just…no.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, the research and science are excellent and multilayered. You can easily discern the love the author has for tuberculosis and how to contain it. On the other hand, some of her attempts at humor and lightening the mood seemed out of place to me. A reader who is not familiar with pop culture may find some of her sentences confusing – such as:

“Basically, in some settings, the machines are just sitting there like big ugly espresso machines that no one really knows how to use. Even if someone does get the urge to brew some coffee, George Clooney has used the last cassette and not put in a new order”.

I would be totally immersed in the science aspect and she would throw something like that in there from time to time. It seemed as if she was attempting to lighten the serious subject up with these humorous asides, but it just didn’t work for me.

There are a lot of facts and statistics about TB, which are staggering when you stop to consider how many people have been, and are, suffering from this disease. Certainly TB doesn’t get the airtime of, let’s say, AIDS or cancer – but its presence is still felt daily in places like Africa or India. I hadn’t realized how prevalent it still is, or how stricken these countries are.

The writer goes deep into the origin of TB and the different ways scientists are trying to defeat it. It’s a canny bacteria, though, and has the ability to mutate or take advantage of other sicknesses in the body. After reading CATCHING BREATH, I know more about TB than I ever have; from the obvious to the minutiae, the author gives us everything she’s got. I definitely appreciate her effort but the writing style was at times too dry, too broadly humorous or too rambling. Maybe a bit of editing would do the trick? In any case, don’t avoid this book if you are a fan of diseases – just be prepared for a little strangeness. You will be educated, amazed, and humbled by this tenacious germ.

Great story on a deadly disease told in plain language and with humor

I've read several good books on tuberculosis including The Remedy, Experiment 11, and Discovering Tuberculosis. Catching Breath is at least as good as, if not better than, the others. The scope of this book is broader than that of the others, and includes history, diagnosis, treatment and public health. I particularly liked Kathryn Lougheed’s good sense of humor especially considering the grim nature of the subject material. She uses plain wording and analogies, and keeps jargon to a minimum. She also is very clear about what is speculation vs what is established. I strongly recommend this book as a starting point for learning more about tuberculosis or as a great recap to put all the pieces together.

Catching Breath: The Making and Unmaking of Tuberculosis by Kathryn Lougheed is a book that I was able to get from NetGalley and thank you so much! I enjoyed this fascinating book greatly. The writing was full of great info and written with a fun witty style that kept the would-be boring info light, refreshing, and constantly a joy to read. It had lots of history on the dreaded disease of how it was transferred and by who and what. Animals could transfer the disease and the author discusses time periods and what, who, when, and the where. Mummies, animals, different body parts that might be effected not just lungs, and so much more is discussed in this book. There is a wealth of info here. Medical history always interest me for I am a nurse and a history nerd. With the way this author writes, I smiled plenty of times at her clever style and absorbed her tremendous knowledge she generously gave out. What a wonderful book! Thanks again NetGalley and publisher for letting me read this awesome book.

Thank you Net Galley for the free ARC.

Very thorough history and state of the art of Tuberculosis. From the supposed beginnings to the current drug resistant fight of a disease that has killed more than any other. Can get tedious at times if you are not a die hard scientist.