Virology: Essays for the Living, the Dead, and the Small Things in Between

"As Osmundson dives into the intricacies of science and medicine, he also takes time to consider the emotional toll of gauging health risks...In a world full of viruses—and especially in light of the most recent pandemic—we will always face the risk of infection, he says...He thus challenges readers to 'reframe the very notion of risk, of fear' since 'the more we all minimize risk, the less there is to fear'...Though perhaps eschewing this fear is easier said than done since, as he writes, 'there are 250 million viruses in every 0.001 liters of ocean water, and so 7,393,387,354, more than 7 billion viruses, in 1 single fluid ounce, a mouthful'...As a queer person, Osmundson candidly shares the moments he has calculated the risk of contracting HIV while having sex...At the same time, Osmundson points out that being queer provides him and others with a 'legacy and a history of care even in the face of systemic oppression'...Despite the ubiquity of viruses and their variety, Osmundson illustrates that humans and viruses evolve together."

"Microbiologist Osmundson probes the relationship between humans and viruses in this superb essay collection...In 'On War,' Osmundson questions the use of martial rhetoric to describe outbreaks: 'Wars are won through mass death."

"NYU microbiology professor Osmundson is a literary essayist—his models and polestars are writers like Joan Didion, Susan Sontag, and Eula Biss, though he also thoughtfully critiques their work—as well as a cleareyed science writer...His ability to explicate queer theory and epidemiology allows him to make thoughtful connections between the pandemic and the AIDS crisis of the 1980s...Then as now, he observes, racist responses to outbreaks led to scapegoating, demonization, and needless death; then as now, relationships are redefined by medications and shifting definitions of wellness...The author writes in various modes, from literary criticism to polemic (Andrew Sullivan comes in for particular scorn) to diarist, the last of which is a potent reminder of the uncertainty and fear that came with the arrival of Covid-19...Throughout, Osmundson exposes how a virus reveals societies' connections and bigotries...A welcome, well-informed, queer-positive study of the blind spots a pandemic reveals."