John Janovy Jr

As a professional biologist and faculty member, I wrote constantly--papers, grant proposals, etc. But the habit of writing every day probably started when my high school girl friend went away to a different university than I did, so I wrote to her every day. But my serious attempt to become a published book author started in the 1970s when the academic politics at my institution became so vicious, I decided to write the Great American Novel, make millions of dollars, and throw my office keys into the football stadium. That didn't happen, of course, but my first book was eventually published, to wide acclaim, and that settle it: I would write every day, and not just scientific papers.

My latest book, LIFE LESSONS FROM A PARASITE: WHAT TAPEWORMS, FLUKE, LICE, AND ROUNDWORMS CAN TEACH US ABOUT HUMANITY'S MOST DIFFICULT PROBLEMS, published by Sourcebooks (a terrific company!), is about infectivity, including infective ideas, memes, concepts, and of course political rhetoric that can act just like some parasite, infecting a person's brain and altering their behavior.