Feeling a sore throat? The last thing you want to discuss is the fight your immune system gives to defeat the small intruder causing you to feel under the weather. But imagine for a moment the battle inside you- vicious macrophages extending their cell membranes, engulfing and bombarding the invaders with corrupting chemicals, neutrophils sacrificing themselves for the better good of their military formation by bursting open and creating a giant invader trap with their chemical-covered DNA, T-cells rushing to collect as much evidence possible about the invader to construct a winning plan with B-cells, that will destroy the enemy. This isn’t a scene from a sci-fi movie; it’s the incredible reality of your immune system. 

Philipp Dettmer is the mastermind behind the beloved YouTube channel Kurzgesagt-In a Nutshell. In his book, he has done something incredible: he breaks down in as much detail as possible the events that occur whenever you feel sick without overwhelming the reader. The book starts with a brief introduction to the immune system (the types of immunity, its evolutionary history, and its purpose). It continues with a description of the events that occur upon infection and concludes with an explanation of autoimmune cancer and the COVID-19 pandemic.