NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A gorgeously illustrated deep dive into the immune system that will
forever change how you think about your body from the creator of the popular science YouTube
channel Kurzgesagt—In a Nutshell Through wonderful analogies and a genius for clarifying
complex ideas Immune is a truly brilliant introduction to the human body’s vast system for
fighting infections and other threats.”—John Green #1 New York Times bestselling author of The
Fault in Our Stars 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 epic
war is being fought just below your skin. Millions are fighting and dying for you to be able
to complain as you head out the door. But most of us never really stop to ask: What even is our
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 readers
on a journey through the fortress of the human body and its defenses. 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 reading this your immune system has
probably identified and eradicated a cancer cell that started to grow in your body. Each
chapter delves into an element of the immune system including defenses like antibodies and
inflammation as well as threats like bacteria allergies and cancer as Dettmer reveals why
boosting your immune system is actually nonsense how parasites sneak their way past your
body’s defenses how viruses work and what goes on in your wounds when you cut yourself.
Enlivened by engaging full-color graphics and immersive descriptions Immune turns one of the
most intricate interconnected and confusing subjects—immunology—into a gripping adventure
through an astonishing alien landscape. Immune is a vital and remarkably fun crash course in
what is arguably and increasingly the most important system in the body.
