The Hot Zone Reflection

The Hot Zone Reflection

The Hot Zone by Richard Preston is a true story about two diseases Ebola and Marburg that are on a killing rampage and to make matters worse they were incurable. Both of the viruses originated in monkeys. Initially, the scientists did not think the viruses could jump species until they did right in front of them. The Hot Zone was surprisingly a good book and that takes a lot for me to say because I am not very fond of reading. The author often compare to some of these diseases to AIDS and how it is a problem in our world because scientific research has no supplied a cure merely treatments. The first victim in the book was Charles Monet. He had been exposed to Marburg and it began to control his entire body. Preston brought to my attention the horrifying effects of this virus. Charles’ face was almost as if it was absent, he showed zero personality. Preston even brought me into the book through my sense of hearing when he talked about Monet’s random sounds of struggle as he attempted to form words and communicate. I found that The Hot Zone really has a reality check type affect on the reader. The book reminds the reader exactly how powerful just a little tiny virus can be and how easily one can be spread throughout a population. I came across a scary thought that many other readers of this book probably did and that is what if this happened, what if I was infected, etc. Anyone in their right mind would be terrified of a level four biological agent being released to any host the agent wanted. The scenes in the level four labs kept me on my toes when I read them. The guts it must have taken to only have three layers separating someone from a ruthless killing machine.
One reason I liked the book was because there was a lot of suspension through out the book. The author would make it seem that someone was going to die again from the disease but they would not. This type of method kept me guessing. I liked that because I do not like to know what is going to happen next. If I had any one to compare Preston to it would be a type of writer that writes thrillers and/or scary stories such as Stephen King. Another reason I would compare Preston to King is because they are different writers. They are not the typical writers that have a “happy ending” and the reader never knows what is coming next. Preston used a lot of imagery in this book which really added to it effects. Some of the images put in my head were rather gory but had to be so that I could realize exact how destructive these diseases are. Naturally as a human, I began to have emotions toward the people that were being tortured and dying from Marburg. The author erratic word choice tossed images in my head and put me next to Major Jaax as she operated on the sick monkeys after they had bled out. When Nancy Jaax first asked if she could participate in the level four researches, they told her “This work is not for a married female. You are either going to neglect your work or neglect your family.”(60) Nancy was stubborn enough not to consider her boss’s precautions and she went ahead and did it. I began to be bombarded with thoughts of “oh she is going to die” and “what is going to happen to her kids and husband.” Once again the author had me guessing that the hole in her glove was going to be her doom, I was wrong. The glove had held but in the process of reading that part of the book I could tell she was freaking out and I could feel the bullets of sweat running down her face as she removed each glove. The author really tied in how unbelievably determined people are to help others, risking their own lives. The true facts from The Hot Zone struck as a shocker to me and a reality check and I am sure it had that same effect on other readers. The Hot Zone really opened my eyes to how people often over look important things and push them to back of their minds only to be forgotten.