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Except this is MMR and how many parents were scared or ignorant or didn’t want the MMR for their babies for all sorts of reasons. You can feel the tension and the heartbreak, the madness and the pain as Bry and Elizabeth battle a dilemma, to vaccinate their girls or not. And in pursuing their own individual wars precious things are lost. The only way forward in the end is to have the courage to dip the paintbrush in the water, to swirl the bristles and clear the the murky brown to decide which bright, bold colour to paint the beginnings of a new picture.
A genuine rollercoaster that asks big moral questions with beautifully drawn characters.' Sharon Horgan, co-creator of CATASTROPHE It is hard to imagine a more timely novel. A fascinating exploration of all sides of a particularly knotty, politicized issue.' Jodi PicoultJohan Anderberg is a Swedish journalist and writer who has been a regular contributor to a number of Swedish and international media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal . His upcoming book The Herd , which chronicles the Swedish strategy to battle COVID-19, will be published in Sweden by Albert Bonniers Förlag in the spring of 2021, and in the US, the UK, and Australia and New Zealand by Scribe in 2022. Wow! What an incredible book, and so timely. I was riveted! Really beautifully written, compassionately told and incredibly thought provoking. A truly immersive telling of both sides of a story. ― Susan Lewis
The book is told through both parties viewpoints in 2019 with sections designated to a trial held at the end of that year. and in my opinion is one of those books which is best read without too much forewarning. A very tense and extremely well done end court case with a finale that will as the blurb suggests create a lot of discussion in book groups Even though there are opinions in the book it is pretty much 50/50 so if you are wary its going to be anti or pro vax then don’t be, it genuinely seeks to offer both sides of the arguement, morally and otherwise based around the story told, I liked it was so impartial and the author chose not to add her feelings/views into the story ( as quite a few tend to on various topics nowadays ) bravo to her on that front The characters were strong and well executed and the research meticulous. The balance the author gives to both sides of the story is just perfect. The court case wrapped up with a great twist I didn’t see coming. I found the book very depressing & thought the the author's view of how other characters would behave toward the two mothers was overly influenced by how people reacted during the pandemic. As the story was set prior to Covid, I don't think people's reactions would have been so strong & vitriolic. I think that kind of behaviour & opinions was something only witnessed as the pandemic went on.To be crystal clear, however-- it does shut down the faux-scientific claims of anti-vaxxers over the course of the novel, but it is not unsympathetic to those parents who refuse vaccines out of ignorance and fear for their children. As the author states in the foreword, these parents are just trying their best to get it right for their child. The foreword also brings up the timeliness of the novel given COVID, though it was being written before that and is not about any of the issues unique to COVID and its vaccines.
Scattered throughout the main narrative are little snippet chapters where another point of view comes in-- a doctor, a journalist, a mother, an internet troll --all with differing opinions, and I found these short, hard-hitting chapters really effective. Here, the author does a number of things well. Arguments are made and challenged, the callousness of the internet and media is captured, and she explores why some parents try desperately to find reasons for their child's illness or depression or ADHD. I got well and truly into this story. Focusing around the main two characters (mothers /friends) and could definitely see both sides. This is a brilliant book for a buddy read that will encourage discussion. Thanks to all the lovely readers who read along with me. Two friends - Bry and Elizabeth - both have young daughters who are good friends. Elizabeth's daughter can't be vaccinated due to fits in early childhood so her mother relies on the concept of 'herd immunity' to keep her safe. Bry has never told her friend that her daughter ISN'T vaccinated because Bry's adult brother has severe autism and Bry's mother had spent all her parental life drumming into Bry that Matty, her brother, was damaged by the MMR vaccine. It is hard to imagine a more timely novel. A fascinating exploration of all sides of a particularly knotty, politicized issu
I love a book that not only grips me and makes me think but also educates me. The Herd reminded me a little of Jodi Picoult’s Small Great Things, because the research was meticulous and unbiased, the topic of whether to vaccinate was fair and balanced and above all I felt I was learning so much whilst reading the book. On the other hand however, the author has produced a book that is pretty sympathetic to the anti-vaxx movement and reeks of privilege. In terms of the narrative, the book doesn't take a strong stance either way and I understand why that might be the preferred way to write this. After all, taking a strong stance, either way, would have created some real fallout However, I also think this was a bit of a cop-out considering how divisive the topic is. Emily Edwards has taken a relevant topic and written a book that sits on the fence. I just don't really see the point in it. It doesn't even add much to the conversation. Instead, The Herd just regurgitates the different arguments and does nothing with them. In the end, this book starts slowly and has a weak ending. There was a lot of pressure on the stuff in the middle to hold it together. I remember being rather appalled when the Nurse told me how many injections my new baby would need in just one appointment. I questioned that, but not the vaccination itself. How ironic the author had the idea for this book just prior to the pandemic !! I want to start by indicating that this novel is based on a very contentious issue of vaccination and herd immunity. But it does so in a way that does not preach for either side. It highlights the pain that may be experienced by those making their choice on either side of the debate. I found myself not wanting to put this book down, I was so engrossed in what would happen. It moved me in many ways and highlights the highs and lows of friendship. Life can be extremely difficult sometimes, but enduring friendship can be a salve for the pain.
Through the characters' friendships and past experiences we learn how others' opinions can colour our own, how we can and hear only what we want to see and hear, and in doing so how muddied and murky the vibrant kaleidoscope of life's rainbow colours can be stained a murky brown, affecting our decision making to the extreme. Emily Edwards has effectively and compassionately raised awareness for not just one side of this 'debate', but both which I will always say is an extremely hard concept to master. Her writing is simple yet intellectual which fit perfectly for me as this was the first novel I had ever read around this topic. I am yet to be a parent so I can only imagine what lengths a parent would go to to lessen that overwhelming sense to protect their child. As the story unfolded I found myself empathising with both Bry and Elizabeth because at the end of the day, they both wanted to do the same thing which was to do what they saw as the best way to give their child the protection all parents want to give. So yes I am glad I gave the book a go and listened to advice to try it and it did turn out to be a worthy amd interesting read History Makers: Female Writers Dominate the 2023 William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award ShortlistThe book did make me try to see both sides of the argument whilst retaining a clear sense of what's scientifically proven and what's not. Neither woman is likeable. At different times we side with each of them. I did feel a bit of sympathy for the husbands - one more than the other - but on the whole, this is a tale about privileged middle-class people and their lifestyle choices and the impact of those choices on others. What's often positioned as "My child, my choice" is quite clearly ignoring that not every child or parent has the right to exercise that choice.
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