Sales and Market Bullets

• Dr. Joe began to write a book in his traditional debunking style: he had pieces about red M&Ms, hair dye, and intermittent fasting. Enter COVID-19. Since coronavirus has affected every aspect of our lives and forced us to engage with the world of science, learning terms such as viral particles, variants, antibodies, hydroxychloroquine, immune response, and aerosol transmission, Dr. Joe decided he must grapple with the pandemic. The bulk of the book either deals directly with COVID-19 or nods to it in investigating other everyday science that is now affected by our lives amidst a pandemic.
  


• Topics covered in the book include COVID-19, the disappearance of toilet paper from store shelves at the beginning of the pandemic, the Spanish Flu, vaccines, coronavirus aerosols, placenta, lice, hair dye, salt, vodka, omega-3, and plant-based protein.


• “The author’s entertaining writing style and clear, precise explanations make the book a joy to read, and his choice of subjects is so wide-ranging that there is really something for everyone here.” — Booklist on Is That a Fact?

Audience

• People interested in the science behind COVID-19 and pandemics


• Dr. Joe fans


• Fans of pop science, including Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Bill Nye, Mary Roach, and I Fucking Love Science


• Readers interested in health, diet, food trends, vaccines, and debunking science

Dr. Joe Schwarcz is director of McGill University’s Office for Science and Society, dedicated to demystifying science and separating sense from nonsense. He is a popular lecturer, both to students and to the larger public. He hosts The Dr. Joe Show on Montreal radio and is the author of 17 bestselling titles. Dr. Joe lives in Montreal, Quebec.

“Dr. Joe is at his best in this trip through history, science, and communicable disease, and in plain language helps us understand the dimensions of the COVID-19 pandemic.” — Hon. Kelvin K. Ogilvie, CM, Chemist and Canadian Senator (2009–2017)

“To all the people who feel that science is a dry and boring affair, this book will be an eye-opener. Joe Schwarcz has a great talent for turning science into amusing and entertaining, yet informative and easy-to-understand stories. It is, I think, impossible not to be fascinated by this terrific book.” — Edzard Ernst, Emeritus Professor of Complementary Medicine, University of Exeter

“Joe Schwarcz does it again with this fun, fast-paced, and evidence-informed exploration of the hot topics in science we’ve been bombarded with over the past few years! From the biology of vaccines (including the new mRNA variety) and immune boosting (spoiler: you can’t) to the history of epidemiology and toilet paper, Schwarcz gives us the fact-filled low-down. In a world filled with misinformation and twisted science, this is a must-read!” — Timothy Caulfield, Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy, bestselling author of Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything?

“It is full of interesting information solidly based in science. If you read it, you will learn. You will laugh. You will be smarter. You will do better in trivia contests.” — Science-Based Medicine