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Publication date: December 15, 2022
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
ISBN-13: 978-1639886616
Retail Price: $20.99 Trade Paperback
Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir, Medical
Page Count: 268
Distribution: Ingram
Daniels chronicles his journey as an infectious disease epidemiologist in this deeply engrossing, insightful book. As a young boy growing in a single-parent household in Buffalo, NY, Daniels was very sure he wanted to pursue medicine. Detailing the challenges of growing up as a Black child in one of the poorest and most dangerous neighborhoods, Daniels ponders on how his bright and smart friend Marty’s life went downhill after his father’s brutal murder; and how many of other friends from the same neighborhood got killed or went on to pursue a criminal life. But determined to succeed, he threw himself into his studies, went to Ivy League, and became an infectious disease epidemiologist. Over the course of the book, Daniels details his career journey, bringing readers into his experience at Cornell University and the University of California, his time in Xi’an, China, as an exchange student, his visits to several other countries, his fellowship in the foodborne disease branch of CDC, the relentless demands of his profession, and the life-and-death decisions he as a medical professional had to make. In addition, he reviews the causes, incidence, and prevention of serious foodborne diseases, outbreak investigations, respiratory virus pandemic responses and preparedness, and the importance of basic safety measures. The book also delves into two major pandemics (HIV and coronavirus) and ways in which, we as a society, can prepare better for the next pandemic. Throughout, Daniels weighs in on such topics as how life is full of obstacles and challenges and how hard work and determination are the key to realizing one’s dreams. This deeply profound memoir not only builds awareness about creating food safety policies and procedures and their enforcement but also reveals how much can be achieved through determination, will, tenacity, and perseverance.
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