“The book starts small and personal and expands to trace some of the most pressing questions about race and the institutions that purport to save lives in the United States, all of it held together by Hernandez’s complicated love for her once-vibrant aunt.”
— Jezebel
“A trenchant work of investigative journalism … weaving in cultural and political analysis, extensive research, and personal history”
— BuzzFeed
"An expansive account of poverty, race, and who we consider worthy of help."
— Bitch Media
“With The Kissing Bug, Daisy Hernandez takes her place alongside great science writers like Rebecca Skloot and Mary Roach, immersing herself in the deeply personal subject of a deadly insect-borne disease that haunted her own family.”
— Amy Stuart, author of The Drunken Botanist
“Authoritative and gripping at the same time, The Kissing Bug is a deft mix of family archeology, parasite detective story and American reckoning. A much-needed addition to the canon.”
— Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD, author of When We Do Harm: A Doctor Confronts Medical Error
“An engaging, eye-opening read for anyone looking to learn more about the human suffering caused by the collision of a tropical parasite and years of neglect by the United States’ medical system.”
— Kris Newby, author of Bitten: The Secret History of Lyme Disease and Biological Weapons
— Kirkus Reviews
“A compelling indictment of our failing health care system and the people falling through its ever-widening cracks.”
— Discover
“Hernández strikes a difficult balance between medical mystery, memoir and hard-hitting analysis.”