AH-CHOO! The Uncommon Life of Your Common Cold

This story of the common cold starts with a mere sneeze—which narrator Emily Durante can do in several languages. Author Jennifer Ackerman begins at the source of all colds, the 200 or so nasal viruses that cause them. Ackerman then surveys the literature, looking for the cures that work and those that don’t. We won’t spoil the surprise. In an effort to keep the report both simple and accurate, the author’s vocabulary swings from slang like “snot” to sophisticated terms like “single-nucleotide polymorphism.” Durante brings a lot of fun to a book about illness with her chatty voice. When faced with some poetry in the epilogue, she shows another aspect of her versatility. J.A.H. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2010]