A Silent Fire

As gripping as a mystery story and as useful as a self-help book, A Silent Fire may change the way you eat as well as opening your eyes to the hidden connections between microbes and medicine, the food we eat and the air we breathe * Bee Wilson, author of First Bite and The Way We Eat Now *Controlling Inflammation is the key to good health and this beautifully written and researched book is the best way to understand itCompelling, thoughtful and rigorously researched … Ravella fuses scientific history with something more in the line of a self-help guide … if your new year’s resolution involves a promise to take care of yourself, this book might just help it stick too * The Times *A beautiful and authoritative deep dive into one of the most important scientific frontiers of our time. Big new ideas in health and medicine are explained brilliantly, using case studies, history and cutting-edge research. Every page is fascinating * Daniel M. Davis, author of The Beautiful Cure and The Secret Body *A must read … Shilpa Ravella, a gastroenterologist with a writer’s gift for translating complex science into clean, beautiful prose, is the perfect person to tell this gripping taleRavella’s fascinating exploration of the body food, and history will sweep you up … A book that could not only reshape readers’ understanding of their own systems and choices but possibly medicine itselfA spellbinding tale … unveils how the two-edged sword of inflammation shapes the past, present, and future of our healthAn enlightening dive into the medical science at the root of the modern epidemic of chronic diseases and what it all means for healthy eatingAccessible and engaging, [winds] together a wonderful historical perspective with cutting-edge scienceA fascinating primer on the crucial role of inflammation in our bodies … Ravella’s writing style keeps even the most dense page engaging. She breathes life into biological functions … [this] book is perfect for those looking to delve deeper into the history and intricate workings of immunology, diet and disease * New Scientist *

Shilpa Ravella is a transplant gastroenterologist with expertise in nutrition and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center. Her writing has appeared in The Atlantic, New York Magazine, Slate, Discover, and USA Today, among other publications, and she has appeared as an expert on ABC’s Good Morning America and in print media outlets including Forbes, Cosmopolitan, Food and Wine, Glamour, and Women’s Health. Her TED-Ed lesson, ‘How the Food You Eat Affects Your Gut,’ has garnered over five million views.