Two new books on understanding coronavirus to hit the stands in May

Amid rumours, misinformation, social media fluff, and battling against the deadly coronavirus, there remain certain unanswered questions about the fast-spreading infection which has brought the entire world to a standstill.

To help readers across the global understand about the highly contagious COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently discuss the way forward in the fight against the invisible enemy, two new books on the contagion will hit the stands in May.

How Contagion Works: Science, Awareness and Community in Times of Global Crisis by Italian physicist Paolo Giordano and Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs by epidemiologist Michael Osterholm and author Mark Olshaker, will be released next month, announced publishing house Hachette.

Related news: Five lesser-known apps that will keep you going this lockdown

While How Contagion works, a slim read, is a mix of authors moving account of putting up under lockdown Italy, decoding math behind the contagion and interconnected lives in the times of globalization, the Deadliest Enemy is an attempt to explore the “resources and programs” to keep people safe from infectious diseases.

According to the publishers, it was Giordano’s article Contagion by numbers — explaining how contagion works and why people should limit their exposure to the outside world — which contributed to a shift in the public discourse around the virus in Italy.

The article has also been included in the book, which in essence is Giordano’s real-time account of the coronavirus crisis. Italy is one of the worst-hit countries as it has recorded more than 15,000 coronavirus deaths.

Related news: Eat, sleep, entertain, repeat: 10 free subscriptions for children this lockdown

Giordano’s first novel, The Solitude of Prime Numbers, was translated into more than 40 languages worldwide and won the Premio Strega, the most prestigious Italian literary award.

Deadliest Enemy, as per the publishers, is a “high scientific drama, a chronicle of medical mystery and discovery, a reality check and a practical plan of action”.

“The authors show how we could wake up to a reality in which many antibiotics no longer cure, bio-terror is a certainty, and the threat of a disastrous influenza or coronavirus pandemic looms ever larger. Only by understanding the challenges we face can we prevent the unthinkable from becoming the inevitable,” it added.

(With inputs from agencies)