Non-Fiction Monday: Zombie Makers: true stories of nature's undead by Rebecca L. Johnson

48 p. Millbrook Press/ Lerner Publishing, September, 2012. 9780761386339. (Purchased.)


Well. This book isn't destined to sit on my library shelves for very long. Nope, nope, nope. The lure of zombies, the blood red cover, liberal splashes of puke green and necrotic black color throughout, the intriguingly named chapters like, "The Fungus Among Us," or "The Worms Crawl in, the Worms Crawl Out?" This is gross out science at its very best. I was very happy that I picked this one up before lunch as my stomach most decidedly flipped and flopped more than once.

The parasite/ host relationship is explored in five chapters that are heavily illustrated with full-color photos, informative text boxes containing scientific names and location of infections (there is one from the U.S.) as well as "Science Behind the Story" sections that explain which scientific teams around the world are studying the parasites and how they came to discover their subjects. 

The volume concludes with an Author's note, glossary, source notes, extensive bibliography and urls to websites and videos like this one and that one to link to two of the six websites.

Non-Fiction Monday is hosted by Sally's Bookshelf this week. Pop over there to see what other non-fiction is being reviewed around the blogosphere.