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Quick answer: If you read Everything Is Tuberculosis, read Mountains Beyond Mountains, The Emperor of All Maladies, The Great Influenza and Spillover. All are gripping narrative non-fiction about disease, medicine and the people who fight epidemics.
John Green's 2025 book follows the story of Henry, a young man he met in Sierra Leone in 2019 who was sick with tuberculosis, and traces the history of the disease and why it still kills so many people. It is warm, angry and clear. The books below offer similar stories of epidemics, public health and medicine.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mountains Beyond Mountains | Tracy Kidder | Adult | Paul Farmer |
| The Emperor of All Maladies | Siddhartha Mukherjee | Adult | biography of cancer |
| The Great Influenza | John M. Barry | Adult | 1918 pandemic |
| Spillover | David Quammen | Adult | animal diseases |
| Pale Rider | Laura Spinney | Adult | Spanish flu |
| The Hot Zone | Richard Preston | Adult | true outbreak story |
| The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks | Rebecca Skloot | Adult | medical ethics |
| An American Plague | Jim Murphy | Teen | yellow fever |
| Dopesick | Beth Macy | Adult | opioid crisis |
| The Ghost Map | Steven Johnson | Adult | cholera in London |
| Plagues and Peoples | William H. McNeill | Adult | disease in history |
| The Anthropocene Reviewed | John Green | Adult | essays |
| The Magic Mountain | Thomas Mann | Adult | sanatorium novel |
| Rats | Robert Sullivan | Adult | rats in New York |
| When Breath Becomes Air | Paul Kalanithi | Adult | a doctor's memoir |
1. Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
A doctor works to bring healthcare to the poor, including TB patients. Inspiring and clear.
Best for: Paul Farmer.
2. The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee
A history of cancer and the people who fought it. Ambitious and beautifully written.
Best for: biography of cancer.
3. The Great Influenza by John M. Barry
The story of the 1918 flu pandemic. Detailed and gripping.
Best for: 1918 pandemic.
4. Spillover by David Quammen
Quammen explores how diseases leap from animals to humans. Fascinating and clear.
Best for: animal diseases.
5. Pale Rider by Laura Spinney
A global history of the 1918 pandemic. Wide-ranging and humane.
Best for: Spanish flu.
6. The Hot Zone by Richard Preston
A true account of an Ebola-like virus near Washington. Terrifying and compelling.
Best for: true outbreak story.
7. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
The story of the woman whose cells changed science. Compelling and moving.
Best for: medical ethics.
8. An American Plague by Jim Murphy
The 1793 yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia. Clear and vivid.
Best for: yellow fever.
9. Dopesick by Beth Macy
The story of the opioid epidemic in Appalachia. Powerful and humane.
Best for: opioid crisis.
10. The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson
The story of the 1854 cholera outbreak and the map that traced it. Lively and smart.
Best for: cholera in London.
11. Plagues and Peoples by William H. McNeill
McNeill explains how disease shaped history. A classic of the field.
Best for: disease in history.
12. The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
Green reviews parts of the human world on a five-star scale. Thoughtful and warm.
Best for: essays.
13. The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann
A young man visits a tuberculosis sanatorium and stays for years. Long, slow and rich.
Best for: sanatorium novel.
14. Rats by Robert Sullivan
A year spent watching rats in a New York alley. Funny and odd.
Best for: rats in New York.
15. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
A neurosurgeon is diagnosed with terminal cancer and reflects on life. Beautiful and heartbreaking.
Best for: a doctor's memoir.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Everything Is Tuberculosis: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
How to Choose
For public health stories choose Mountains Beyond Mountains or Dopesick. For pandemics pick The Great Influenza, Pale Rider or Spillover. For medical history read The Emperor of All Maladies or The Ghost Map. For essays by Green try The Anthropocene Reviewed. For a novel about tuberculosis read The Magic Mountain. Everything Is Tuberculosis is both personal and scientific, so these picks suit readers who like facts with feeling. Green has long been an advocate for global health, and the book is part of his campaign to raise awareness about TB, a curable but still deadly disease. Many readers say it changed how they think about illness and inequality. Green is known for his YouTube channel and novels, and this is his first major work of non-fiction on a single topic. If you enjoy his voice, his podcast and videos give more context. Reading alongside a documentary on global health is also helpful.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Everything Is Tuberculosis about?
The history of tuberculosis and the story of one young patient, told by John Green.
Who wrote it?
John Green.
When was it published?
2025.
Is it fiction?
No, it is non-fiction.
Is tuberculosis still a problem?
Yes, it remains one of the world's deadliest infectious diseases.
Is the book hard to read?
No, it is clear and conversational.
Is it suitable for teens?
Yes, it is accessible to older teens.
What should I read next?
Try Mountains Beyond Mountains or The Anthropocene Reviewed.
Does the book have a hopeful message?
Yes, it argues that TB can be ended with the right resources.
Is Henry a real person?
Yes, Henry Reider is the real young man at the centre of the book.