Book 18 Parasite

 

Parasite by Mira Grant fulfilled the category “Book about a Man-Made Disaster” for the PopSugar 2022 Reading Challenge. In this story, genetically modified tapeworms become our primary source of health care. What could go wrong? 

I also read Radium Girls by Kate Moore for the prompt, a nonfiction that fits well.

Here was my problem. I read Parasite and loved it. Then I read for the duology prompt two books about zombies attacks during the Civil War. Spoiler, in Parasite, the tapeworms are turning people into zombie-like creatures. I wondered how many zombie books were too many for the blog? Three might be too much. I read Radium Girls, and though it was a tough, important topic, the writing and the narration paled compared to Parasite. 

Here are both, and I’ll find another duology. I hope.

As I mentioned, Parasite is about using tapeworms to deliver health care. Scientists genetically modified the worms to live with us for two years. They are harmless, according to SymboGen. The worms can deliver medication, help with weight control, and other medical issues. Fantastic, right? I know I hate taking meds day and night. With this system, you never need to take daily pills again.

What could go wrong? I already asked that.

Everything can go wrong. The author followed one person through the entire process of the system breaking down. The chapters/scenes are cut with old interviews, articles, blog posts, and personal essays to give a rounder picture of the story. It worked well, except in my humble opinion, the big reveal was obvious right from the start. I won’t spoil, but it’s right there, people. We all see it, but we ignore it until the end. 

One other issue I had with the story was the age of the character. She was in her twenties and medically fragile from a near-fatal car accident years ago. The tale sounds YA because a grown woman is treated like a child the entire time. It frustrated me that the novel unrolled that way. That and how many people knew the big secret but refused to speak about it. The characters who hold back information are annoying.

Let’s talk about Radium Girls for a few. This is an important historical issue. The topic of medical hazards in the workplace should be standard reading for anyone in a corporate job. These women suffered horribly because their companies had no regard for human rights, safety, or anything else but profit. I’ve always wondered why we have so much company loyalty in this country. The story is from the 1920s. In one hundred years, we’ve failed to do better for our employees in many places. But the radium use, knowing it was dangerous, knowing they taught women to ingest it, and then lying about it. I don’t have faith in these businessmen.

I had trouble with the narrator. She spoke in a flowery voice when telling the women’s back story. It created a flowery atmosphere, inappropriate for the book.. Not great for a book about the poisoning of thousands of people.

(I’m being super critical this week, bear with me)

I also didn’t like how it was organized. Two different companies with two sets of employees/victims were presented. I quickly became confused about who was who and where they were. I feel that if the author focused on one or two of the women’s stories, it would’ve been more impactful. Perhaps they could’ve had a series of essays explaining about the other women. I’m not trying to downplay anything about the horror wrought by this inexcusable abuse of power. But a focused human-interest angle might have sold me more on the book. Regardless, I would highly recommend reading the print version of Radium Girls.

I give Parasite by Mira Grant Four Genetically Modified Tapeworms.

I give Radium Girls by Kate Moore Four Winning Lawsuits to make those people pay.