The Book of Blood

This award–winning YA book takes readers on a fascinating tour through the world of blood—from ancient history to modern science.

HP Newquist’s thrilling volume explores the dark and often fascinating tales about blood—with an occasional side trip to explore the stranger aspects about blood and our relationship to it. Though common among living beings, this substance is anything but ordinary.

People have always feared and respected blood. It spills out at both birth and death, indicating events of the utmost significance. Ancient civilizations couldn’t perform religious rituals without this sacred substance. Doctors up through the nineteenth century attempted to cure mysterious illnesses by draining their patients’ blood. Scientists only recently began to understand how its microscopic components nourish the entire body, why simple transfusions don’t always work, and that bloodletting likely killed people who otherwise would have lived.

Back before people understood what blood really was, they had to weave their own explanations. From vampire legends to medieval medical practices and Mayan sacrificial rites, this comprehensive investigation into blood’s past and present will surely enthrall. And if this account is a little blood-curdling, well, that’s half the fun!

Winner of the Magnolia Award