Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection

Discuss the way Green chooses to depict Henry and his family members throughout the book. How does Green present Henry beyond the experience of his disease? How does he complicate parental love through Henry’s parents?

How might you compare the global tuberculosis crisis, as Green describes it, to the global COVID-19 pandemic? Respond by discussing the impact of the pandemic on your country or state. Did your local healthcare system employ a treatment program based on control or care?

Green shows how the human response to tuberculosis drove changes in culture. Identify other instances where a community’s culture was reshaped in response to natural phenomena. What insight does this provide regarding the nature of culture and the forces that influence it?

Green argues that the global tuberculosis crisis isn’t caused by the illness itself but by human choice. Do you agree with his assertion that choice or the failure to choose can drive crises? Support your answer either by citing historical examples or by discussing philosophical perspectives on human agency.

Green suggests that romanticization is a subtle way to reduce someone else’s experiences. In the past, have you ever unconsciously reduced someone else’s experiences by trying to romanticize something they went through? How did that person respond to this reduction, and what did you do about it afterward?

The book examines historical biases toward race, gender, and class. Do you think intersectionality can be applied in any study of history? Test the limits of this approach by exploring a historical event through an intersectional lens.

Chapter 2 offers interesting facts about tuberculosis, though Green is quick to point out that this is not the approach he wants the book to take. What does this suggest about Green’s drive to spread awareness in an accessible but ethical way?

At the end of the book, Green suggests how other fields of expertise can offer solutions that contribute to the virtuous cycle, like the TB Hunters App. Choose a field of study or industry you are interested in and explore how it might offer solutions in an entirely different field.