Back of the Book Bonus! Peeps: Scott Westerfeld

AFTERWORD: HOW TO AVOID PARASITES

"Sing "Happy Birthday"

Many microscopic parasites (and other germs) exsist in the air and on everyday surfaces. They get on your hands, and when you touch your mouth, eyes, or food, they take the opportunity to slip into your body. So wash you hands often, and when you do:

• a) Use warm water


• b) Use soap


• c) Sing "Happy Birthday" at a normal tempo.

Dont stop washing until you are done with the entire song. And by the way, quite rubbing your eyes so much!

If You Eat Meat, Cook It Good

A major vector of parasites is predation: one animal eating another. That's because when you eat an animal, you're exposing yourself to every parasite adapted to living inside that animal, and every parasite adapted to all the things it eats.

Meat-bourne parasites include hookworms, tapeworms, blood flukes, and more. There are zillions of them. YOur humble author is a vegatarian (for non-parasite-related reasons), but you don't have to go that far. It doesnt hurt you to eat a few worms every once in w while, as long as they're thoroughly cooked. So don't eat rare meat, and memorize this simple rhyme:

If your burger oozes red,

Send it back; them worms ain't dead."

-Peeps by Scott Westerfeld

I really enjoyed this book. Although I'm not sure if a lot of other people will. It may freak other readers out with its graphic boilogical detail. So if your really into biology (and dont have a sensative stomach) this would be a great book for you.

Whats really interesting about this book is that every other chapter is about a parasite (Toxoplasma, trematodes, plasmodium to name a few). It must have taken a lot of reasearch to come up with all of those different parasites.

It also has a sequal! called The Last Days. YAY! I havent gotten it yet (im hopsing that one of bookmooch, or paperback swap comes up) but if not soon Ill have to go to the book store and buy it, either way...

I would really like to hear what everyone else thought of it too if youve read it or are going to read it, I want to see how many people accual like the whole boilogy concept (I know I did!)

-Sarah