Matt Richtel

National Bestseller “One of those rare nonfiction books that transcends the genre. ... Extraordinary.” —Douglas Preston, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost City of the Monkey God A grand tour of the human immune system and the secrets of health, by the Pulitzer Prize–winning New York Times journalist A terminal cancer patient rises from the grave. A medical marvel defies HIV. Two women with autoimmunity discover their own bodies have turned against them. Matt Richtel's An Elegant Defense uniquely entwines these intimate stories with science’s centuries-long quest to unlock the mysteries of sickness and health, and illuminates the immune system as never before. The immune system is our body’s essential defense network, a guardian vigilantly fighting illness, healing wounds, maintaining order and balance, and keeping us alive. Its legion of microscopic foot soldiers—from T cells to “natural killers”—patrols our body, linked by a nearly instantaneous communications grid. It has been honed by evolution over millennia to face an almost infinite array of threats. For all its astonishing complexity, however, the immune system can be easily compromised by fatigue, stress, toxins, advanced age, and poor nutrition—hallmarks of modern life—and even by excessive hygiene. Paradoxically, it is a fragile wonder weapon that can turn on our own bodies with startling results, leading today to epidemic levels of autoimmune disorders. Richtel effortlessly guides readers on a scientific detective tale winding from the Black Plague to twentieth-century breakthroughs in vaccination and antibiotics, to the cutting-edge laboratories that are revolutionizing immunology—perhaps the most extraordinary and consequential medical story of our time. The foundation that Richtel builds makes accessible revelations about cancer immunotherapy, the microbiome, and autoimmune treatments that are changing millions of lives. An Elegant Defense also captures in vivid detail how these powerful therapies, along with our behavior and environment, interact with the immune system, often for the good but always on a razor’s edge that can throw this remarkable system out of balance. Drawing on his groundbreaking reporting for the New York Times and based on extensive new interviews with dozens of world-renowned scientists, Matt Richtel has produced a landmark book, equally an investigation into the deepest riddles of survival and a profoundly human tale that is movingly brought to life through the eyes of his four main characters, each of whom illuminates an essential facet of our “elegant defense.”

The Extraordinary New Science of the Immune System: A Tale in Four Lives

An Elegant Defense

From Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Matt Richtel, a brilliant, narrative-driven exploration of technology’s vast influence on the human mind and society, dramatically-told through the lens of a tragic “texting-while-driving” car crash that claimed the lives of two rocket scientists in 2006. In this ambitious, compelling, and beautifully written book, Matt Richtel, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for the New York Times, examines the impact of technology on our lives through the story of Utah college student Reggie Shaw, who killed two scientists while texting and driving. Richtel follows Reggie through the tragedy, the police investigation, his prosecution, and ultimately, his redemption. In the wake of his experience, Reggie has become a leading advocate against “distracted driving.” Richtel interweaves Reggie’s story with cutting-edge scientific findings regarding human attention and the impact of technology on our brains, proposing solid, practical, and actionable solutions to help manage this crisis individually and as a society. A propulsive read filled with fascinating, accessible detail, riveting narrative tension, and emotional depth, A Deadly Wandering explores one of the biggest questions of our time—what is all of our technology doing to us?—and provides unsettling and important answers and information we all need.

A Tale of Tragedy and Redemption in the Age of Attention

A Deadly Wandering

“MICHAEL CRICHTON meets STEPHEN KING at their finest … with the creepiest opening I’ve ever read.” — Lisa Gardner * “Joins the ranks of classic paranoid thrillers about human achievement run amok, with STEPHEN KING’s The Stand and Michael Crichton’s Terminal Man.” — Joseph Finder * “A heart-stopping thriller. … a must-read for MICHAEL CRICHTON fans.” — Dallas Morning News * “Similar in atmosphere and style to MICHAEL CRICHTON and STEPHEN KING. ... A race-against-the-clock thriller.” — Booklist FLIGHT 194 LANDED. SOMETHING LETHAL AWAITS OUTSIDE. THIS IS DEAD ON ARRIVAL. An airplane touches down at a desolate airport in a remote Colorado ski town. Shortly after landing, Dr. Lyle Martin, a world-class infectious disease specialist, is brusquely awakened to shocking news: Everyone not on the plane appears to be dead. The world has gone dark. While they were in the air, a lethal new kind of virus surfaced, threatening mankind's survival, and now Martin—one of the most sought-after virologists on the planet until his career took a precipitous slide—is at the center of the investigation. Moving at lightning pace from the snowbound Rockies to the secret campus of Google X, where unlimited budgets may be producing wonders beyond our capacity to control, Dead on Arrival is a brilliantly imaginative, intricately plotted thriller that draws on Matt Richtel's years of science and technology reporting for the New York Times, and establishes him as one of the premier thriller writers working today.

A Novel

Dead On Arrival

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times journalist and author of A Deadly Wandering comes a pulse-pounding technological thriller—as ingenious as the works of Michael Crichton and as urgent and irresistible as an episode of 24—in which one man has three days to prevent annihilation: the outbreak of World War III. Computer genius Jeremy Stillwater has designed a machine that can predict global conflicts and ultimately head them off. But he’s a stubborn guy, very sure of his own genius, and has wound up making enemies, and even seen his brilliant invention discredited. There’s nowhere for him to turn when the most remarkable thing happens: his computer beeps with warning that the outbreak of World War III is imminent, three days and counting. Alone, armed with nothing but his own ingenuity, he embarks on quest to find the mysterious and powerful nemesis determined to destroy mankind. But enemies lurk in the shadows waiting to strike. Could they have figured out how to use Jeremy, and his invention, for their own evil ends? Before he can save billions of lives, Jeremy has to figure out how to save his own. . . .

The Doomsday Equation

"Remarkable. This profound volume informs and inspires." —PW, STARRED review From the Pulitzer Prize–winning New York Times science reporter acclaimed for “bring[ing] scientific concepts to life” (Bill Gates), a pathbreaking new investigation into the mysteries of human creativity How does creativity work? Where does inspiration come from? What are the secrets of our most revered creators? How can we maximize our creative potential? THIS IS THE STORY OF HOW WE CREATE. Creativity defines the human experience. It sparks achievement and innovation in art, science, technology, business, sports, and virtually every activity. It has fueled human progress on a global level, but it equally is the source of profound personal satisfaction for individual creators. And yet the origins of creative inspiration and the methods by which great creators tap into it have long been a source of mystery, spoken of in esoteric terms, our rational understanding shrouded in complex jargon. Until now. Inspired is a book about the science of creativity, distilling an explosion of exciting new research from across the world. Through narrative storytelling, Richtel marries these findings with timeless insight from some of the world’s great creators as he deconstructs the authentic nature of creativity, its biological and evolutionary origins, its deep connection to religion and spirituality, the way it bubbles in each of us, urgent and essential, waiting to be tapped. Many of the questions Richtel addresses are practical: What are the traits of successful creators? Under which conditions does creativity thrive? How can we move past creative blocks? The ultimate message of Inspired is that creativity is more accessible than many might imagine, as necessary, beautiful, and fulfilling as any essential part of human nature.

Understanding Creativity: A Journey Through Art, Science, and the Soul

Inspired

Dead on Arrival

"The protagonist, Nat Idle, narrowly survives an explosion in an Internet café after receiving a note warning him to leave immediately. The handwriting on the note belongs to his deceased girlfriend, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, whom he has obsessively been mourning"--Provided by the publisher.

a thriller about love and other addictions

Hooked

A Ciência do Sistema Imunitário

Starke Abwehr - Unser Immunsystem

Nat Idle, a San Francisco writer with a medical degree, narrowly survives an explosion in an Internet caf after a stranger hands him a note warning him to exit immediately. The handwriting on the note belongs to his deceased girlfriend, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist whom he has obsessively been mourning. So begins HOOKED, a pop thriller for the Internet Age, written with the force of an adrenaline rush and the pace of an intimate email dispatch you can't stop reading.

Atrapado

Ein Krebspatient im Endstadium springt dem Tod von der Schippe, ein HIV-Patient gilt als medizinisches Wunder, und zwei Frauen müssen damit leben, dass sich ihr eigener Körper gegen sie wendet. Unser Immunsystem ist unser körpereigenes Verteidigungssystem, der Schlüssel zur unserer Gesundheit – und Entscheider über Leben und Tod. Matt Richtel, Bestsellerautor und Pulitzer-Preis-Träger, nimmt uns mit auf eine spannende Reise in die Welt der Wissenschaft und ihrer neuesten Erkenntnisse: Wieso erkranken weltweit immer mehr Menschen an Autoimmunerkrankungen? Worin liegt der bahnbrechende Erfolg der Immuntherapie? Was ist das Mikrobiom? Und was passiert, wenn die körpereigene Abwehr nicht mehr funktioniert? Vom Glück, gesund zu sein und vom Kampf gegen tödliche Krankheiten – Matt Richtel schreibt über unser Immunsystem so spannend wie über einen Kriminalfall. »Eine spannende Reise in die Welt der Wissenschaft!« Buch aktuell

Starke Abwehr - Unser Immunsystem. Ein medizinisches Wunder und seine Grenzen.

"Journalist Nat Idle is nearly gunned down in Golden Gate Park. He quickly learns it was no random attack. Suddenly, in pursuit of the truth, he's running for his life through the shadows of Silicon Valley, a human lab animal caught in a deadly maze of neurotechnology and institutional paranoia. And his survival rests entirely in the hands of his eighty-five-year-old grandmother, Lane, who's suffering from dementia and can't remember the secret at the heart of the world-changing conspiracy."--Page 4 of cover.

Devil's plaything

It's Watergate. On servers. On the eve of the presidential election, a conspiracy threatens to alter the outcome of the vote—and the future of American politics. At the heart of the plot is a powerful computer program, aimed at rooting out hypocrisy among politicians to expose their truths . . . and ours. Left to unravel the conspiracy is a bitter, hotheaded former journalist, but he's just not sure he cares enough to get to the bottom of it.

A Short Story

Floodgate

Nat Idle, a San Francisco writer with a medical degree, narrowly survives an explosion in an Internet cafe after a stranger hands him a note warning him to exit immediately. The handwriting on the note belongs to his deceased girlfriend, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist whom he has obsessively been mourning. So begins Hooked, a pop thriller for the Internet Age, written with the force of an adrenaline rush and the pace of an intimate email dispatch you can't stop reading. Each chapter of this novel will keep readers hooked as Nat Idle searches for the love of his life in the midst of manipulation and conspiracy.

A Thriller About Love and Other Addictions

Get three exhilarating and cutting-edge thrillers by Matt Richtel in one e-book, including: Devil's Plaything, Floodgate, and The Cloud. Devil's Plaything—a phenomenal "neuro-tech" thriller about a dark and insidious plot to reengineer the human brain. Devil's Plaything is smart, fast, and terrifyingly plausible—a page-turner of the first order. Floodgate—On the eve of the presidential election, a conspiracy threatens to alter the outcome of the vote—and the future of American politics. At the heart of the plot is a powerful computer program, aimed at rooting out hypocrisy among politicians to expose their truths . . . and ours. The Cloud—When the next generation of technology seeps into the brains of the next generation of people, former medical student turned journalist Nat Idle must investigate and stop the invasion. A deftly told tale, the scariest part of The Cloud is how close to reality it could be.

Devil's Plaything, Floodgate, and The Cloud

Matt Richtel Thriller Collection

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, wait . . . it’s a runaway booger! From Lee Wildish, acclaimed children’s book illustrator of the New York Times bestselling How to Babysit a Grandpa, How to Babysit a Grandma, and How to Catch Santa, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Matt Richtel comes a hilarious new picture book about a topsy-turvy day with an unlikely and disgusting turn of events. Like such silly favorites as Walter the Farting Dog, Runaway Booger will spark giggles and demands to read it again.

Runaway Booger

The Cloud is an exhilarating, cutting-edge thriller from Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times technology and science reporter Matt Richtel. When the next generation of technology seeps into the brains of the next generation of people, former medical student turned journalist Nat Idle must investigate and stop the invasion. In the tradition of Lisa Gardner, Steve Berry, and Joseph Finder, Richtel has delivered a whip-smart page-turner that melds cutting-edge science with a technological mystery and a shocking finale. A deftly told tale, the scariest part of The Cloud is how close to reality it could be. The Cloud, the second in the Nat Idle series, includes a bonus short story, "Floodgate."

The Cloud

Barely escaping with his life when he receives a warning note telling him to flee an Internet café that subsequently explodes, San Francisco writer Nat Idle recognizes the note's handwriting as belonging to his believed-dead girlfriend, a realization that enmeshes him in a web of manipulation and conspiracy. Reprint.

A Thriller about Love and Other Addictions

“Smart, captivating, sophisticated; I can’t say enough about this deftly told story.” —Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of The Emperor’s Tomb “A brilliant thriller that defies genre and scope; a twisted blend of Michael Crichton and Alfred Hitchcock.” —James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author of Altar of Eden A Pulitzer Prize winner for Journalism in 2010, New York Times science reporter Matt Richtel delivers a phenomenal “neuro-tech” thriller about a dark and insidious plot to reengineer the human brain. Devil’s Plaything is smart, fast, and terrifyingly plausible—a page-turner of the first order from the critically acclaimed author of Hooked, whom author David Liss (The Devil’s Company) calls, “The absolute master of crafting amazing fiction around cutting edge science.”

Matt Richtel

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