While vaccination rates have soared and cases of preventable infections have plummeted, an increasingly vocal cross section of Americans have questioned the safety and necessity of vaccines. In Vaccine nation, Elena Conis explores this complicated history and its consequences for personal and public health.

"This clearly written and profusely illustrated book explains the science behind all the machines, gadgets, systems, and processes we take for granted. The perfect book for techies--young or old, male or female--who read Popular Science and Wired or watch "How It Works" and "How It's Made." National Geographic answers all the questions about how things work--the science, technology, biology, chemistry, physics, and mechanics--in an indispensible...