Ah-Choo!: The Uncommon Life of Your Common Cold by Jennifer Ackerman

I read the hardback edition of Ah-Choo!: The Uncommon Life of Your Common Cold by Jennifer Ackerman. At first, I must admit that I was a bit leery about reading this nonfiction book as I'm a bit of a germaphobe. In fact, I thought I'd be too creeped out by some of the information provided by the author about the common cold that I almost didn't read this book at all.

However, I must admit that I found this book fascinating and intriguing. I couldn't put it down! I enjoyed the writing and how the book was organized, which made for the seamless understanding of how the cold virus works and the science/research to date about the common cold virus itself. There is also information provided within this Ah-Choo! on what works and doesn't work in helping to ease cold symptoms, plus recipes, and more.

Below is a three minute video I discovered on YouTube of the author, Jennifer Ackerman, discussing products that don't work to aid in healing a cold and things that do help.

Below is the publisher's summary for Ah-Choo!: The Uncommon Life of Your Common Cold by Jennifer Ackerman from Amazon:

Some colds are like mice, timid and annoying; others like dragons, accompanied by body aches and deep misery. In AH-CHOO!, Jennifer Ackerman explains what, exactly, a cold is, how it works, and whether it's really possible to "fight one off." Scientists call this the Golden Age of the Common Cold because Americans suffer up to a billion colds each year, resulting in 40 million days of missed work and school and 100 million doctor visits.

They've also learned over the past decade much more about what cold viruses are, what they do to the human body, and how symptoms can be addressed. In this ode to the odious cold, Ackerman sifts through the chatter about treatments-what works, what doesn't, and what can't hurt. She dispels myths, such as susceptibility to colds reflects a weakened immune system. And she tracks current research, including work at the University of Virginia at Charlottesville, a world-renowned center of cold research studies, where the search for a cure continues.

I am giving Ah-Choo!: The Uncommon Life of Your Common Cold by Jennifer Ackerman a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!