Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green: A Disease of the Past?

Tuberculosis. If you’d asked me a few weeks ago, I would’ve said it was a disease of the past – something from Victorian novels or history books. But after reading Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green, I know better. And honestly? I don’t think I’ll ever look at this disease (or global healthcare) the same way again.

This book is twofold – part gripping narrative about a young boy named Henry battling TB in Sierra Leone, and part deep dive into the history, science, and social implications of the disease. It’s both fascinating and infuriating, filled with moments that made me stop and reread, just to process the weight of what I’d learned.

What I Loved (and Learned!)

1. TB is one of the oldest recorded diseases. We’re talking millions of years old. There are references to it in ancient texts, from the Hebrew Bible to the writings of Hippocrates. And yet, despite having a cure since the 1950s, we’ve allowed 150 million people to die from it since then. That stat alone is probably the most memorable of the whole book.
   
2. TB isn’t just a disease – it’s a cycle. Poverty worsens TB, and TB worsens poverty. It weakens healthcare systems, exacerbates malnutrition, and even makes other illnesses (like HIV and diabetes) more deadly. It’s a perfect storm of inequality, and Green does an incredible job of laying it all out in a way that’s both clear and deeply human.
   
3. We’re on the brink of a TB superbug. 90% of people infected with TB never get sick because their bodies wall it off – but for those who do, treatment should be simple, right? Wrong. TB has evolved to evade antibiotics, and because we haven’t prioritised developing new treatments, we’re now facing strains that are completely resistant. A highly infectious and totally untreatable form of TB could be on the horizon.

Final Thoughts

John Green’s writing is as engaging and heartfelt as ever, balancing hard-hitting facts with deeply personal storytelling. Henry’s story puts a human face to the crisis, and by the end of the book, I felt equal parts heartbroken and motivated. This is a book that doesn’t just educate – it calls for action.

If you’ve ever thought of TB as a thing of the past, Everything is Tuberculosis will change that. And if you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend picking it up.

Have you read this one?