�This is the book to read if you want to understand the response to COVID-19. Powerful, beautifully written and reflective. Richard Horton at his best.�Devi Sridhar, Professor of Global Public Health, University of Edinburgh�The Editor of The Lancet pulls no punches. The pandemic has shattered our belief in Western exceptionalism and exposed the harsh underbelly of global inequality. A must-read.�Anthony Costello, Professor of Global Health and Sustainable Development, University College London Praise for the first edition:"Devastating� An incredibly powerful read."�Piers Morgan, Good Morning Britain"Vital and up to the minute."�Nature "A polemic of the first order."�The Guardian "a well-reasoned roar of rage at the failure of many western governments to follow the emerging scientific evidence about the pandemic potential of the novel coronavirus." �The Financial Times "uncompromisingly scathing." �Revolutionary Socialism in the 21st Century "Blistering but forensically detailed." �Medical Republic Selected as one of the Best Science Books of 2020 by the Financial Times