The Surprising Effectiveness of Philipp Dettmer's "Immune: A Journey into the Mysterious System That Keeps You Alive"

Leo

     Philipp Dettmer is not a well-known author, but he is the CEO of the science-based YouTube channel "Kurzgesagt - In a Nutshell." Amassing nearly 20 million subscribers and over 20 billion total views, his channel's success is often tied to the simplicity of its content. However, in late 2021, he published a book titled "Immune." This book takes a deep look into the immune system, which is an organization of body cells that keeps everyone protected from disease.

    One of the main contributing aspects that make this book so intriguing is the compact use of illustrations. They don't clog up the book, but they're placed in certain spots where the reader may need clarification or if a certain section is a little complex. The smart placement of these images take a solid amount of space, but still manages to put a lot of information in just a little over 300 pages. The book covers a range of topics, from the Complement System of proteins to phagocytes that fight on the front line all the way to lymph nodes, where B Cells release superweapons to turn the tides of an invasion. These are all vividly shown through the book's text and images.

    Not only do the images provide great representations to most topics, but the word choice is a key factor as well. If the reader has ever watched a Kurzgesagt video, they will be familiar with the tone of voice in the book. This brings a sense of familiarity with the reader, so it feels like they're talking with someone they know. This sense of familiarity is also brought upon by illustrations that match the animations on their YouTube channel. The book also contains some comedic relief, such as their description of neutrophils being "a chimp on cocaine wielding a machine gun." The constant sense of informality lets the reader get more comfortable learning alongside Dettmer. The simplicity that's decorated around the book also helps the reader understand things whether they know it or not.

    The text and images are two extremely important factors that make the book easier to read than other nonfiction books, but another aspect that is sometimes not even noticed is the abundance of footnotes. The footnotes are like further reading, where Dettmer either explains a concept, clarifies a concept, or even expands on a concept. These footnotes follow the balance between simplicity and complexity just like the rest of the book while also helping the reader understand old concepts or new ones.

    Many other aspects of the book apply similar rules to the previous 3 points and contributing to making the book feel unique. The comedic relief applied through the book makes it very intriguing to those looking to expand their knowledge while also having a good time. However, Dettmer admits that he is not an immunologist, but rather, merely someone with an interest in immunology. Like Wikipedia, Immune is not a credible source, but he provides reliable information in his book sources, found here. Dettmer's book is a great source of general information while he also makes it easy to read. The effectiveness of Philipp Dettmer's Immune is the reason it's one of the best nonfiction books for people looking for quick, easy to read information about the mysterious system that keeps you alive.