HLF Online-A Crown of Thorns: The Coronavirus and Us with Kalpana Swaminathan & Ishrat Syed

 

A Crown of Thorns is the clearest account yet of Covid-19. It weaves science and history into the human story—the long view on a pandemic that is consuming us. The authors distill their study of plagues and epidemics into a book packed with ideas that provoke and insights that illuminate. As Covid-19 sweeps the planet, we are bombarded with disinformation and panic-inducing statistics. But Covid-19 is not just about SARS-CoV-2. It is about the virus and us. We have coexisted with viruses from the dawn of evolution. What has changed? Is it this ‘new virus’? Or, has something changed in us? Have we disrupted something crucial in Nature? This book will endure new revelations about this virus and serve as a strong basis for future understanding. Surgeons Kalpana Swaminathan and Ishrat Syed write together as Kalpish Ratna. They explore the interface between science and the humanities. Their recent books are Synapse (2019), Fat: The Body, Food and Obesity (2018), The Secret Life of Zika Virus (2017), and Room 000: Narratives of the Bombay Plague (2015). Kalpana Swaminathan is also the creator of detective Lalli who has so far appeared in six novels, the most recent being Greenlight (2017). Her book of short stories, Venus Crossing, won the Crossword Fiction Award for 2009. Kinnera Murthy is one of the Directors of HLF. She has been a part of Team HLF since 2014. Professionally, she is an Independent Consultant and member of corporate and academic boards. She retired as Dean & Professor of Strategic Management from the Administrative Staff College of India in 2012.