On Aug. 6, 2019 Colorado Mesa University (CMU) professor Tim Winegard published a book he has been working on for four years. On Wednesday Aug. 14, The New York Times published their bestseller list. On it was “The Mosquito: A Human History of Our Deadliest Predator.”
“I had meetings all day for my department and for athletics, so I had my phone completely shut off. So about five o’clock, I finish all my meetings, I turn my phone back on, and the first email that popped up was from my editor at Penguin Books saying ‘Your first New York Times Bestseller’. That was the title of the email that I read. And I actually didn’t even read the email,” Winegard said.
“I just sat down where I was- which was on the backside of Lowell Heiny Hall- I just sat down on the curb and started to cry. And I called my dad immediately. And I told him, and he started crying and he passed the phone over to my mom. And she told me ‘your dad can’t talk on the phone right now he’s crying,’” Winegard said “And that’s kind of how it went. I just talked to them and called my wife. And I just sat there, and cried, and tried to- I don’t know- make sense of it all, I guess.”
“The Mosquito” is a book recalling the ways to which the most deadly creature on earth, verified by the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, has influenced and affected society. Throughout history, religion, medicine, and more, female mosquitos (males do not bite), have molded the world we know now.
Winegard incorporates history and narrative to piece together bits of history and to analyze the mosquito as a micro-history.
“It was an insane amount of research, given all of the literature there is about the mosquito across all academic fields,” Winegard said. “You have to have a lot of patience and perseverance, because like anything else, it doesn’t happen overnight, it takes a lot of hard work and a lot of time.”
No stranger to the research or writing process, “The Mosquito” is Winegard’s fifth published book. “Forget the other accolades,” Winegard said, “for me it’s when you get the first copy of the real book, and I can hold it in my hands, then that four years of research and writing becomes real.”
While all of Winegard’s books are academic in research, “The Mosquito” is unique in that it is written for the general masses; it is narrative-driven for the general audience to enjoy.
While Winegard does not know how many copies he has sold yet, his book is creating buzz all over the world. Reviews from is book have come from all over, including The New Yorker, USA Today, The Economist, Associated Press, The Los Angeles Times, and more.
“The Mosquito” will be offered in eight languages all around the world. For CMU students, the book is located at the campus bookstore and several local bookstores.
While Winegard is grateful for the interest and talk about his book, he has no plans to change. “This doesn’t change anything. I love my job, I love teaching, I love the students, I love the faculty, I love my colleagues, I love CMU’s campus, I love starting and coaching the hockey team, and I love what I do. It’s exciting and I’m proud, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t change anything. Just coaching, teaching, being a dad, being a husband… I love what I do,” Winegard said.
