Super Short Summary

Richard Preston’s The Demon in the Freezer explores the history of bioweapons, focusing primarily on smallpox. The book begins with the 2001 anthrax attacks and the fear that smallpox might have been used instead. It then delves into the global effort to eradicate smallpox led by D.A. Henderson, the storage of the virus in U.S. and Russian labs, and the ethical debate over keeping or destroying these virus stocks, highlighting the enduring threat of modified smallpox. The book contains descriptions of bioweapons and epidemic diseases, which may be distressing.