The Bad Bugs Bookclub
Posted on December 18, 2024 by Jo Verran
Jo Verran takes us behind the scenes of their latest publication 'How to set up and run a Bad Bugs Bookclub group' published in Access Microbiology.
My name is Joanna Verran, and I am a Professor of Microbiology at Manchester Metropolitan University. Actually, I am retired, so am ‘Emeritus’ (if that should be Emerita, I apologise, I prefer the ‘masculine’ term!). However, as with many retired academics, I am still involved with the world of microbiology, through mentoring, supervision, society memberships and representation – and the Bad Bugs Bookclub!
My laboratory research was focused on the attachment of microorganisms to inert surfaces, particularly the properties of the surfaces that might facilitate, retard or (idealistically) prevent attachment and subsequent contamination or biofilm formation. This research was very interdisciplinary: I worked with engineers, chemists, computer scientists, physicists as well as with other microbiologists. I loved these interactions, the different languages of the various disciplines, and the conversations that involved explanations of different approaches and understanding and perspectives of the phenomena we were working with.
This cross-disciplinary interest also extended into my teaching. I encouraged my students to think about how they might communicate their science to different audiences, particularly using art, or design, or other subjects from the humanities: this also helped in their own understanding. In part, this was the work for which I received my National Teaching Fellowship. Public engagement was a natural successor to this work, and from art I digressed into literature. Could you use fiction to engage scientists and non-scientists in discussion about microbiology? Might this approach enable a more informal and less didactic approach to ‘science communication’? Could the bookclub members learn about infectious disease epidemiology through reading and talking about fiction?
The answer is yes in every case! In 2009, I hosted my first meeting of the Bad Bugs Bookclub, and in 2024 we are celebrating our 15-year anniversary, with more than 100 books under our belt. We meet six times a year (usually January, March, May, July, September, November/December [around World AIDS Day/World Antimicrobial Awareness Week]), for 90 minutes, from 6.30pm, UK time. Of course, the COVID pandemic had a big impact on the bookclub, forcing our meetings online (1). But this turned out to convey fantastic advantages: more members (maximum of around 15 for good discussion with everyone being able to take part); international members, and others from around the UK; members actively seeking out the bookclub for diverse reasons; more non-scientist members who are interested in reading; stable, loyal and committed membership (but still open to new members); occasional author participation; and actually a lot of support and comfort during the difficult days of lockdown. The Manchester members do get together face-to-face on occasion as well.
It was a gradual, but fairly early, realisation for me that the Bookclub was not just providing a science communication service for non-scientists. The scientists who read the books got far more out of the literary aspects through the discussions than anyone had anticipated. Everyone was reading the books more deeply and critically – particularly regarding the microbiology, but also with respect to the narrative itself. We have been able to extrapolate much of our reading to current topics in infectious disease, particularly for example with AMR, polio vaccines, and the changing epidemiology and changing perspective of the literature around HIV/AIDS. Finally, and importantly, we have developed a great sense of camaraderie. The bookclub model is also transferable to other groups (such as schools) and events (literature and science festivals).
I wanted to tell people about the bookclub and its activities. Originally, the University hosted a website which advertised the next meeting and posted reading guides (questions to provoke discussion) and meeting reports (description of the discussions for specific books). The reading guides first provide questions about the novel – enjoyment of the plot, interest in the characters etc.: others focus on the microbiology. Is it credible? Factual? Does the pathogen continue to have a role in public health? Finally, the group is asked about the potential of the novel in science literacy and understanding of science. Of course, the questions can be updated or modified according to prevalent epidemiologies. However, changes in university strategy marked the end of the website. I thought about developing my own website, but then thought more about what the website would be for… was it merely to evidence the activity? To disseminate the activity? To get new members? To encourage others to set up satellite bookclubs? On further consideration, I reckoned that my intended audience was actually other microbiologists (or perhaps biologists? Or scientists?) who would be interested in the bookclub organisation and the content we unearthed in our reading and discussion, and who were looking for relevant reading material (so other bookclubs might also be interested). So, instead I wrote a paper for Access Microbiology ‘How to set up and run a Bad Bugs Bookclub’, which included reading guides for the first 100 books.
In this blog, I haven’t written about the enjoyment and enthusiasm evident in our discussions during meetings. I haven’t mentioned the differences of opinion that stimulate discussion, or the evidence of members doing additional research to report back to the group (for example on real-life characters in works of fiction). Certainly, feedback indicates that we all enjoy these meetings, particularly when authors join us. We find plenty to talk about even for less good novels (‘good, bad, bad bugs bookclub books’ said one member), and are enthralled when we find an exceptional writer or story (we read from all genres, so have plenty to go on!). I haven’t mentioned my favourite books or favourite meetings. I don’t know where to put the meeting reports. There is too much to say!
I don’t know how long the bookclub will continue. Will we run out of books? Will we tire of stories of apocalypse/influenza/plague, or will new books continue to inspire us? Like any good plot, the end can only be guessed at!
1. Verran J (2021) Using fiction to engage audiences with infectious disease: the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on participation in the Bad Bugs Bookclub. FEMS Microbiol Lett 368 (14) fnab072, https://doi.org/10.1093/femsle/fnab072