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The inside flap of this book warns: “‘Ah-Choo!’ contains thought-provoking and hilarious insights into the history and biology of the common cold, including bizarre historic remedies. Reading may include … long periods of being able to talk about anything else.” Fortunately, my bf is nerdy in a sciency way and doesn’t mind my reading random and sometimes gross facts about colds.

This lively book addresses a variety of topics regarding the common cold, quoting throughout from Charles Lamb’s writings on colds. Ackerman quotes numbers (colds are responsible for 189 million missed days of school and 1.5 million trips to the emergency room), relates her adventures participating in research studies which inoculate subjects with viruses, and discusses common misconceptions regarding colds and their transmission. Historic studies of colds and illness are cited, as well as plenty of modern studies of varying grossness, such as the one which instructed volunteers to play poker with materials that had been slathered in contaminants, or the one which measured nasal emissions by weighing bags of sodden tissues. No one should really be surprised to find that the doctor’s office, jungle gym, elevators, banks, the office, and day-care centers are full of germs. The book goes on to discuss symptoms, popular home remedies, pills, syrups, and preventative measures.

While this is not exactly dinner-table reading, it is certainly full of fascinating tidbits, and is highly recommended for the ailing person curled up on the sofa with a box of tissues and a bowl of chicken soup. It might be even more entertaining in the hands of said ailing person’s spouse, children, or siblings, who will gleefully inform the patient of the mechanics of their illness. ( )

This is a highly readable introduction to the science behind the common cold: what sorts of viruses cause a cold, how they are transmitted, and what methods work (or don't) for relieving symptoms. There is a visit to a cold-remedy study in which the author voluntarily gets infected with a cold virus, and there is discussion of the Common Cold Unit, which used to be based out near Stonehenge and Porton Down. The book even includes recipes for chicken soup, which some studies have shown can actually be helpful when convalescing from a cold, if only because the soup provides hydration and the steam can help relieve inflamed nasal passages. Some of the science or studies may be a bit out of date, given that this book was published in 2010, but the overall explanation of how the viruses work is still relevant. ( )

A light, but very educational, treatise on the common cold. Nothing terribly revelatory to me, but might be very informative for those ill-informed. I do think this should be required reading for the ignorant (for lack of a better word) masses, so therefore I am going to forgo my first inkling - to give a Cliffs Notes version of the information therein - and instead urge you to read this book, just so that you'll, y'know, know more - and know better.

Ackerman goes through all the different studies that have been done on the common cold. How and where you catch one, what can factor into whether you catch one, what are the best ways to avoid catching one and research on all the cold medicines and folk remedies that claim to fight one off. There are a lot of interesting facts here about what a cold actually does to your body, what causes the different symptoms, why it is impossible to create a vaccine and many others. (Did you know that you swallow about a quart of mucus a day? And that’s when you’re healthy. I’m not sure I wanted to know that but now I do.) It is very informative. There are a few words like turbinates and cytokines that I’m not sure exactly what they mean but the general idea is always clear enough. It goes through a lot of the commonly used medicines and supplements and tells you what research and science says about them. It also gives you some pointers on what to do for various symptoms. If you are interested in the science of the cold definitely read this. And if you can find nothing that helps you this book could be useful but if you have something that you swear works don’t read this. Sometimes the science does not support theory and you don’t want to lose any placebo effect that might be at work. ( )