Thomas Levenson

Author

“A Pox on Fools was born on a December afternoon in a mediocre coffee shop near London’s Angel Tube stop. President-elect Trump had just nominated anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of health and human services, and Neil Belton, my editor at my U.K. publisher, Head of Zeus, told me I had no choice: I had to write a clear—and, if necessary, angry—historical account of the anti-vaccine movement. We were about to fight those battles again, he said. He was right.”

Eric Lupfer

Principal Agent, Calligraph

“When Tom came to me with the premise for A Pox on Fools, I was sold immediately. The book is so necessary, not only because of what it says about today but also because of the historical perspective it provides—specifically the nuance and evolution of how and why vaccines have saved so many lives, as well as why resistance to them has existed since their earliest days.”

Molly Turpin

Executive Editor, Random House

“It felt important that the book kept its critical eye on the anti-vax movement, while also situating it within the history of the development of vaccines, and worked hard to include the context of the science without letting the history of vaccines take over. Tonally, we all wanted to be sure to balance critique with empathy, keeping Tom’s sharp eye trained on the anti-vax leaders.”

Ben Denzer

Cover Designer

“I thought this cover should probably use some sort of historic image related to vaccines, so I gathered images and typefaces. I wanted there to be some tension. Many of the images I was using revolved around a vaccine needle, so I played with different ways the needle could interact with the graphic elements, maybe breaking apart the type or pushing against the frame.”