Dr. Peter Hotez discusses how an antivaccine movement became a dangerous political campaign promoted by elected officials and amplified by news media causing thousands of American deaths.During the height of the COVID19 pandemic one renowned scientist in his famous bowtie appeared daily on major news networks such as MSNBC NPR the BBC and others. Dr. Peter J. Hotez often went without sleep working around the clock to develop a nonprofit COVID19 vaccine and to keep the public informed. During that time he was one of the most trusted voices on the pandemic and was even nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his selfless work. He also became one of the main targets of antiscience rhetoric that gained traction through conservative news media. In this eyewitness story of how the antivaccine movement grew into a dangerous and prominent antiscience element in American politics Hotez describes the devastating impacts it has had on Americans health and lives. As a scientist who has endured antagonism from antivaxxers and been at the forefront of both essential scientific discovery and advocacy Hotez is uniquely qualified to tell this story. By weaving his personal experiences together with information on how the antivaccine movement became a tool of farright political figures around the world Hotez opens readers eyes to the dangers of antiscience. He explains how antiscience became a major societal and lethal force in the first years of the pandemic more than 200000 unvaccinated Americans needlessly died despite the widespread availability of COVID19 vaccines. Even as he paints a picture of the world under a shadow of aggressive ignorance Hotez demonstrates his innate optimism offering solutions for how to combat science denial and save lives in the process.