Listen free for 30 days
Listen with offer
-
Immune
- A Journey into the Mysterious System That Keeps You Alive
- Narrated by: Steve Taylor
- Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
99p for the first 3 months
Immune
Buy Now for £12.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
![A Planet of Viruses [Third Edition] cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51trQIyFJfL._SL240_.jpg)
Summary
A deep dive into the immune system that will forever change how you think about your body - how it works and why it is both your greatest ally and most dangerous enemy - from the creator of the popular science YouTube channel Kurzgesagt - In a Nutshell.
You wake up and feel a tickle in your throat. Your head hurts. You're mildly annoyed as you get the kids ready for school and dress for work yourself. Meanwhile, an utterly epic war is being fought, just below your skin. Millions are fighting and dying for you to be able to complain as you drink your cup of tea and head out the door.
So what, exactly, is your immune system?
Second only to the human brain in its complexity, it is one of the oldest and most critical facets of life on Earth. Without it, you would die within days. In Immune, Philipp Dettmer, the brains behind the most popular science channel on YouTube, takes listeners on a journey through the fortress of the human body and its defences. There is a constant battle of staggering scale raging within us, full of stories of invasion, strategy, defeat and noble self-sacrifice. In fact, in the time you've been listening to this, your immune system has probably identified and eradicated a cancer cell that started to grow in your body.
Each chapter delves deeply into an element of the immune system, including defences like antibodies and inflammation as well as threats like viruses, bacteria, allergies and cancer, as Dettmer reveals why boosting your immune system is actually nonsense, how parasites sneak their way past your body's defences, how viruses - including the coronavirus - work and what goes on in your wounds when you cut yourself.
Enlivened by immersive descriptions, Immune turns one of the most intricate, interconnected and confusing subjects - immunology - into a gripping adventure through an astonishing alien landscape.
Challenging what you know and think about your own body and how it defends you against all sorts of maladies and how it might also eventually be your own downfall, Immune is a vital and remarkably fun crash course in what is arguably, and increasingly, the most important system in the body.
Critic reviews
"A truly brilliant introduction to the human body's vast system for fighting infections and other threats." (John Green, number one New York Times best-selling author of The Fault in Our Stars)
"Reads as if it's a riveting sci-fi novel...a delightful treat for the curious." (Tim Urban, creator of Wait but Why)
More from the same
What listeners say about Immune
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance2 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- CX
- 22-04-22
Interesting and occasionally funny
The book was informative and well structured, moving along at an appropriate pace. The amount of information never felt overwhelming. It's a personal preference but I found the narration to be irritating for long periods of time - too monotone and robotic, it felt at odds with the text at times. I probably won't listen to this again and would be unlikely to listen to another audiobook with this narration, but it made me interested in the topic and I did finish the book so 4/5 seems right to me.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 17-12-21
Just brilliant!
Wonderfully written, beautifully read, I really enjoyed this title!! You don't have to be a scientist to follow the clever anecdotes and truly visualise the descriptions. Well done!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Grace Hall
- 02-05-22
Worth hanging to be WOWED
For me I struggled initially with the narrator tone, but speeded it up and found that easier for me to digest. I’m glad I hung in there because I found the topic fascinating and often exclaimed “WOW”… and amused by the explanation, although “In a Nutshell” and “for Real’ are peppered through the narrative ….Mmh did eventually make me smile when I heard them !
In a Nutshell very interesting subject For Real 😜
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Wild Bunny
- 20-12-21
Absolutely brilliant
I am just a layperson but this book got recommended by Brianne Barker on the YouTube channel This Week in Virology, of which I am a massive fan.
The book is very easy to listen and written with humour, which kinda of breaks the cycles of brain overwhelm that I was experiencing at certain episodes in the book.
I am not promising that I have a comprehensive understanding of the immune system now but I have definitely got a massive respect now for what my cold-ravaged body is doing right now - and has done throughout my 48 years so far - to keep me alive.
It's answered a bunch of questions that I had about things like tattoos and fat storage and inflammation. Brilliant.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 22-12-21
This book is fantastic!
Explained the immune system in an easy to understand and memorable way. I especially enjoyed the part on bacterial infections comping it to a war between your body and the bacteria and your body cells as civilians. I will be reading this book again.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Charlie Duck
- 08-03-22
Very Accessible and Fascinating
This book is so well written! I knew virtually nothing about the subject, before listening to this and now I learnt so much, with a lot being practically useful in how I look after my health. It never once becomes dry; in fact, many passages are downright exciting! Highly Recommended
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 04-08-23
Very good and simple yo understand
It took me a while to finish but its very good and informative even for those that have zero knowledge for this subject.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- ND
- 06-03-24
Incredibly informative
The book delivers vast amounts of information in a mostly clear, concise format. It was delivered with a good amount of humour, I really enjoyed & did learn a lot.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nikola
- 19-12-21
A wonder of storytelling
While immunology is a topic a studied professionally, I turn to Kurtzgesagt when looking at an example of how complex subjects can be explained and talked about with ease. A majoroty of scientists are infamously bad at teaching the areas they research and are in desperate need of help to bridge the gap. This was a wonderful journey and review of our immune system and I would gladly listen to more.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- RAUL
- 20-02-22
This book takes you to a new level of correctly understanding the immune system
The author manages to mediate a full story of the conplexity and adaptability of the fantastic immune system at a level perfect for a popular science audience.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!