In 2014 I wrote a book about the immune system. I had a go at telling the story not only of how the immune system works, but also of how it sometimes fails to work and what happens then, how it develops in our body, how it evolved in the first place, how people (eventually) discovered it, and what we’re still finding out about it. It’s actually a fun little book. It was a runner-up for the 2015 Bragg UNSW Press Prize for Science Writing.

An updated edition is coming out in the US around November 2018.

‘A terrific introduction to the complicated beast that keeps us alive.’ Dr Karl Kruszelnicki

‘This surprisingly ambitious, eminently accessible book brilliantly summarizes the essential features of the immune system for a lay audience. The quirky humour masks an underlying authority and competence. The work is right up to date, even incorporating recent Nobel Prize winning insights into the evolutionarily ancient innate immune system. It is a triumph of popular medical science.’ Sir Gustav Nossal

‘An accessible account of a complex and important topic.’ Prof Peter Doherty, Nobel Laureate

‘[F]riendly and engaging … accessible to anyone who’s curious about the mechanics of the human body.’ Thuy On, The Age