Have you ever truly looked at the world? Whatever the answer, the tale told here will be an eye-opener for you. Rather than issuing an umpteenth dire statement on the future of our planet-almost certainly doomed to have as little real impact as all the others-Viviane Amar has chosen to tell what might be called an "inside" story, the story of how our cells rise up in revolt against us. Stage after stage, the rebellion progresses, all the way to a chilling climax in which the fate of humanity hangs in the balance. Only the last-minute mediation of women averts the impending disaster and restores peace. Readers of this allegory are in for a bracing (re)discovery of life and the world around them. What science has to say becomes a source of wonder; even the ordinary turns out to imbue our lives with meaning; and we come away with a renewed sense of the density and richness of all things. This simple, yet bold little tale packs a tremendous punch. More importantly, it is likely to change a good many hearts and minds.