A penetrating and scientifically substantiated look by Nicholas A. Christakis at the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic and how it will change our lives. The Arrow of Apollo is a captivating study of the impact of the recent pandemic that swept through our society and how recovery will unfold in the coming years. Drawing on data from world-historic epidemics (which, however, have remained faint in our memory), from contemporary analyses, and from pioneering research across a wide range of sciences, the popular author, physician, sociologist, and public health expert Nicholas A. Christakis explores what it means to live in an epidemic era – an experience that is paradoxically unusual for the overwhelming majority of people living today, yet fundamental to our species. Creating new divisions in our society, but also opportunities for cooperation, this 21st-century pandemic has upended our lives in ways that will test, but not defeat, our already worn collective culture. Presenting new, challenging arguments and vivid examples from medicine, history, sociology, epidemiology, and genetics, The Arrow of Apollo captures what happens when the great power of a deadly microbe meets the long-standing reality of our evolved social nature.