Book · 2021
Immune: A Journey into the Mysterious System That Keeps You Alive
by Philipp Dettmer
Philipp Dettmer, the voice behind Kurzgesagt, explains why your body sets off a full-scale war every time you catch a cold.
What does Reddit think of Immune: A Journey into the Mysterious System That Keeps You Alive?
Immune's whole footprint here runs through one channel: Kurzgesagt. Every displayed comment either names the YouTube channel directly or assumes the reader already knows it, and the top one (↑673) leads with "of Kurzgesagt fame" before saying anything else about the book. That comment also does something the others don't, floating a specific claim about a possible link between rising allergy rates and reduced childhood exposure to parasites, and framing it as new to the commenter rather than settled science. The rest of the sample reads more like a fallback response to immune-system questions generally: someone explains a cytokine storm using a mole-infestation analogy (↑17), someone else reaches for the give-a-person-a-fish framing to explain why the body needs to produce its own antibodies (↑14) rather than borrow them. Dettmer's book gets credited as the readable version of that video catalogue (↑15), not a separate achievement. Thirteen mentions, one subreddit, one shared reference point behind all of them.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · The immune system explained through the Kurzgesagt YouTube lens
- · Cytokine storms and other overreactions explained by analogy
- · A possible allergy-parasite exposure link floated as new information
- · A companion book to an existing video catalogue, not a standalone entry
Common praise
- + The top comment specifically credits it with covering the latest research on allergies in an easily digested form.
- + Gets recommended as the readable companion to Kurzgesagt's existing video catalogue rather than a redundant retread.
- + A cytokine storm gets explained through a mole-infestation analogy in the same thread, suggesting the audience for this book already thinks in these terms.
Common criticism
- − Every displayed mention runs through the same single channel, Kurzgesagt, so there's no read on how it lands with someone unfamiliar with the videos.
- − Thirteen mentions across seven years in one subreddit is too thin to separate real reader reaction from people just plugging the channel.
- − None of the displayed comments compare it against a competing immunology book for general readers.
Who it's for
Already watch Kurzgesagt and want the version of those videos you can sit with longer than eight minutes? That's the exact audience this data shows recommending it. People asking r/AskScience about allergies, cytokine storms, or how antibodies actually work keep getting pointed here as the readable explainer, not the technical one. If you want a textbook, look elsewhere; the appeal here is Dettmer's channel voice on the page, and nobody in this sample pretends it's more academically rigorous than that.
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
Which Reddit comments matter for Immune: A Journey into the Mysterious System That Keeps You Alive?
The most relevant excerpts across the subreddits where this book is mentioned — opinionated, argued takes first, then top-upvoted mentions. Click through to read the full thread.
“I recently read Immune by Philip Dettmer (of Kurzgesagt fame), highly recommend, some of the latest info is there on this topic in easily digested form. One thing I found fascinating is the strong possibility of a link between increases in the rate and severity of allergies, and the fact that we g…
“Have you read Kurzgesagt's Book on the immune system?. I assume you've heard of it and his channel if your kiddo is super into the immune system, but I figured I'd mention it in the off chance you weren't a…
“There is a whole video of how Measles affects the body and immune system on a site called KURZGESAGT - I highly recommend it!! Link for the lazy: WARNING: This site is full of nerd-tastic videos on all sorts of topics. You may start watching at 1:08pm, get su…
“Kurzgesagt did a great Video about the immune system, be sure to check them out on YT. What kills the person is a cytokine storm in the body. It's like having moles in your backyard and after trying everything and nothing working to get rid of the moles, you get desperate and blast them away with a…
“Kurzgesagt did a great video and follow up book about the immune system if anyone's interested. I highly recommend it: The…
“There's a really good book by Philipp Dettmer called "Immune" that does a great job giving a lay person understanding of the immune system. I highly recommend.
“The simplest explanation is using the old adage: Give a person a fish, they will eat for a day. Teach them to fish, they will never go hungry. The antibodies are consumables, and they expire. If you give the body the means to *produce its own antibodies*, it will be ready when/if the threat appear…
“The classic "The Inner Life of a Cell" ( and narrated - ) is about that process that changes a WBC from "rolling along" to stoping and then changing form and all the molecular mechanisms that activate to do this. Kurzgesagt also has a video on…
“There is a book called Immune by Philip Dettmer (the guy that does the Kurzegat youtube channel (sp)) Its an awesome explanation into how the immune system works and explained in really easy to understand concepts. I ended up listening to it in Audiobook form and I recommend to a lot of people. It…
“Kurzgesagt has an entire book on the immune system, it’s like 300 pages. I’ve been reading it recently and it’s very good.
“I really recommend the book Immune by Philipp Dettmer of Kurzgesagt if you want to learn more about how this all works!
“I do love the level of information in these responses. [There is a great book by Kurzgesagt In a Nut Shell about immunity.](
“Several reasons: 1. We are NOT bad at fighting cancer. Kurzgesagt wrote a book about the immune system and made several videos about it. According to them, your body quietly kills a cancer cell every few minutes. Your cells have protection mechanisms against cancer cells but every so often one gets…
Convinced? Pick up Immune: A Journey into the Mysterious System That Keeps You Alive
What else does r/AskScience read?
Other books mentioned in the same sub, ranked. Shared-sub overlap with this title breaks ties.
Immune: A Journey into the Mysterious System That Keeps You Alive — frequently asked
Is Immune by Philipp Dettmer worth reading if I already watch Kurzgesagt?+
Yes, per the top comment in this data (↑673), which recommends it as covering the latest immunology research "in easily digested form" and specifically praises new material on allergies and parasite exposure. It's treated as an extension of the channel's voice, not a repeat of videos you've already seen.
Does Immune go deeper than the Kurzgesagt YouTube videos?+
According to the highest-upvoted comment here, yes, at least on allergies. The commenter (↑673) singles out "some of the latest info" on a possible immune-related cause of rising allergy rates as something they hadn't encountered on the channel itself. Other mentions in this sample don't make the same distinction, so treat this as one reader's specific claim, not a documented feature.
Is Immune a good introduction to how the immune system works?+
Reddit treats it that way. One comment (↑14) recommends it as giving "a lay person understanding of the immune system" and highly recommends it in the same breath, while several others reach for Kurzgesagt-style analogies, like explaining a cytokine storm through a mole infestation (↑17), that suggest the book's explanatory style already matches how this audience thinks.
Who is citing Immune on Reddit, actual readers or just Kurzgesagt fans?+
Every displayed mention comes from r/AskScience and references Kurzgesagt directly or assumes it, so it's hard to separate the two groups in this data. That's not a knock on the book, but it does mean the corpus can't say how it lands with someone who's never seen the channel.