4 ⭐️ Self-Defense: A Myth-Busting Guide to Immune Health by: Daniel M. Davis is Publishing September 25, 2025 with University of Chicago Press

This was very informative and I appreciated the notations of the studies mentioned. It makes you think and brings questions to mind. Honestly it was a good read that you feel walking away with a few to many take perspectives that you carry on with.

Thank you NetGalley and University of Chicago Press for the opportunity to read before publishing and shares my honest thoughts.

Discussions of boosting the immune system come up frequently and lots of claims are made. But what is the reality of this boosting? This is what Dr.Davis addresses in this book. I found the writing to be conversational and well-paced. The book isn’t a deep dive into immunology but goes into enough depth that readers will gain insight into “boosting” claims. Dr. Davis is very clear that there are rarely simple answers and sometimes more medical research is required, despite the desire for simple yes/no answers. Overall this is a great read that I thoroughly enjoyed. Thank you to Netgalley and University of Chicago Press for the advance reader copy.

Very informative and gives you something to g to think about with all this information we are fed about better health. I liked the perspective and it made me think.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: As someone recently diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, I have been in search of any immune related information. Self-Defense was the perfect book for my research. The author is humble, explores diversity in research (as a trans person felt really important) and felt very personable. I really appreciated that this wasn't a book written from ego. It was a book written to try to help dispel a lot of myths around immune health especially in the wake of capitalism and social media. I got a lot out of this book and highly recommend it.

I was excited to read this book because I have an autoimmune disorder and there is a lot of confusion about what is or is not good for people with autoimmune issues. I had no idea until recently that taking things to boost your immune system is actually bad for us. This book talks about that some. It has a lot of useful information backed by research. It did get a little too scientific for me a lot though and I skimmed through those parts. I guess if you’re interested in the scientific aspect of “why” things are bad for you or whatever, you may like it. But I just want someone to tell me good or bad and that’s it.