Blight: Fungi and the Coming Pandemic

This is a warning to the world about the potentially deadly threat that fungi can pose to the environment and humanity. While many fungi are harmless and some helpful, and some are killers, collectively fungi are the most devastating agents of disease on earth. The author Emily Monosson explains how globalization — trade, travel, and climate change — exacerbate the infectious potential of fungi. From threatening entire animal and plant species, threatening food production and crops, infecting people and inflicting chronic drug-resistant illnesses, fungal threat is part and parcel of the global system of our times. The book goes on to explain the threats but also brings hope — prevention isn’t impossible. Monosson interviews the scientists on the front lines researching ways to save lives and society. All the same, the book serves as a wake-up call that points to the delicate interconnectedness of our world.