I have to echo the majority of other Goodreads reviews I spent at least a half hour reading after finishing this book by saying that the concept is so so so cool, but the execution and plot choices didn't deliver for me as a reader. I was fueled to purchase this novel with no prior knowledge for three main reasons: 1) The enchanting cover, 2) the intriguing dust jacket description, and 3) the fact it was an author's debut novel. I'm all about supporting debuts from my own hopeful standpoint of being published soon, so I sincerely don't regret this read. In fact, I have to applaud so many parts of this debut work while ultimately feeling let down by the final execution because if this is just the beginning of  Medina's contribution to the world of fantasy writing, we're in for a treat (PSA: It's by no means easy to write a book).
What I can applaud about this novel: The worldbuilding. So cool. In fact, maybe the story's coolest element. I have to harp on the confusion I experienced trying to follow the plot (juggling multiple POVs is a feat, but I don't think the choice to juggle multiple POVs with third-person narration and significant time jumps in the middle of chapters worked optimally here). Due to this confusion, I felt myself most drawn into a desire to experience and understand more of the world of the dead gods, how they're worshipped, how they're arguably defiled (ie. Anchor as a product) etc. There's so much fodder for this element of the story to make however far Azul's storyline stretches more intriguing.
Which brings me to characters: I just could not connect with them despite really really wanting to. I wanted to sink my teeth into what I thought would be an explosive romance between Azul and the emissary of the Lord Death, because come on. The fundamental tension between their very beings was ripe soil, but I didn't feel like the fruit grew. Concerning the rest of the cast of characters, I just couldn't keep up, and therefore spent most of my mental reading energy trying to keep them straight rather than becoming invested in who they were.
I genuinely think there are many moving parts to this book that work so well, but because they don't all work together nearly-seamlessly for me as a reader, I won't be continuing to read the rest of this series as it continues.

Unsurprisingly, I learned so much from this succinct, emotional, comprehensive, and factual collection of information about a disease and its effects I really had to prior knowledge of. I think I am one of many readers who probably (hopefully) had several moments while reading where it became clear to them that, although unjust, the lack of more widespread knowledge on this disease and its effects is so deeply rooted in issues concerning colonialism, racism, poverty, and lack of resources that are available to the rich but overlooked as a priority for the poor. I think Green's way of outlining and organizing information about tuberculosis as a tangible scientific thing combines perfectly with its intangible aspects (aka, how it deeply impacts every aspect of humans like Henry's lives). Framing all of the overlapping information and history through the testimony of Henry is a fantastic writing device as well as testament to Green's deep personal investment in tuberculosis as something that interests him while not directly targeting him. I was moved by the consistent descriptions of Henry's tenacity, vigor, moments of decline, family matters, and eventual recovery. His is a story that I understand to have impacted Green in a lifelong by the way he writes about him as well as how he utilizes his story as a means for hope and shedding light on how the disease exists and devastates in areas like Sierra Leone.
I also really appreciated how Green wrote about OCD from his own perspective and related this particular type of mental illness to understandings of TB in a delicate, educated way. Reading the specific ways Green uses this book and narrative to shape the concepts of stigmatization and romanticization for both TB and OCD felt like he'd peeked into my own mind and first hand experiences as a woman who's lived with diagnosed OCD since she was 6 years old. Green's well-conducted research and well-expressed findings and conclusions based on all that research make his writing sensational, in the novels of his I've greatly enjoyed as well as this nonfiction gem. 


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Some of my favorite quotes from Everything is Tuberculosis:

"Nothing is so privileged as thinking history belongs to the past."

"Stigma is a way of saying, “You deserved to have this happen,” but implied within the stigma is also, “And I don’t deserve it, so I don’t need to worry about it happening to me."

"People who are treated as less than fully human by the social order are more susceptible to tuberculosis but it’s not because of their moral codes or choices or genetics, it’s because they are treated as less than fully human by the social order."