Nicholas Christakis is a leading authority on contagions, both biological and ideological. His new book, Apollo’s Arrow: The Profound and Enduring Impact of Coronavirus on the Way We Live, offers a riveting account of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic as it swept through American society in 2020, and of how the recovery will unfold in the coming years. Drawing on momentous (yet dimly remembered) historical epidemics, contemporary analyses, and cutting-edge research from a range of scientific disciplines, he explores what it means to live in a time of plague — an experience that is paradoxically uncommon to the vast majority of humans who are alive, yet deeply fundamental to our species. Unleashing new divisions in our society as well as opportunities for cooperation, this 21st-century pandemic has upended our lives in ways that will test, but not vanquish, our already frayed collective culture.

Nicholas A. Christakis, Sterling Professor of Social and Natural Science, Yale University, and Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions, Princeton University.

Co-sponsored with the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University. Click here to register.