Life can be deadly — I found myself slipping into this kind of ambient paranoia while reading Emily Monosson’s unsettling new book.

No background knowledge of fungi is required on the reader’s part. Although this is an expert’s account, grounded in exhaustive interviews with researchers at the forefront of mycology, the language is clear and plain. It’s an urgent message meant for a wide audience, and the tone is by turns alarming and reassuring.

Updates the science and the current efforts to circumvent these diseases. Ms. Monosson’s writing is sober, well-organized and coherent, and the subject is fascinating. But what is unique about Blight is its timing..

Monosson commendably serves as a medical Paul Revere by persuasively warning us that dangerous fungi are already causing havoc among plants, animals, and humans, and more are on the way.

Sobering.

Monosson keeps the discussions of fungi biology accessible, and the battery of case studies of fungal outbreaks underscores the urgency of the threat. This wake-up call should not go unheeded..

...fascinating.