Pleased to Meet Me book cover art

PLEASED TO MEET ME

GENES, GERMS, and the CURIOUS FORCES
THAT MAKE US WHO WE ARE

From a witty new voice in popular science comes a clever,
life-changing look at what makes you you.

Shortlisted for the Indiana Authors Awards!

Published by National Geographic Books

Contact the author for interviews, podcasts, or speaking engagements

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“From microbes that make you intoxicated, to the genetic demons hiding within your DNA–Sullivan takes you on a whirlwind journey through human biology, explaining the reasons you look and feel the way you do along the way. Deftly weaving cutting-edge science with popular culture, Pleased to Meet Me, is an accessible and fast paced book that’s sure to leave you wanting more.”

—Sharon Moalem MD, PhD, New York Times bestselling author of Survival of the Sickest: A Medical Maverick Discovers Why We Need Disease

“In equal parts approachable and mind-blowing, Sullivan gives us a whistle-stop tour of the myriad factors that make you who you are. Although it’s easy to believe that we choose our own paths in life, a good deal is navigated by invisibly small forces inside and outside of us.”

—David Eagleman, PhD, New York Times bestselling author, host of PBS series The Brain

“Bill Sullivan’s Pleased to Meet Me is a delightful tour of human diversity. With wit and charm, Sullivan explores why humans vary so dramatically in their chosen foods, past-times, romantic partners, virtues, and vices—and how a unique combination of genes and environment shapes each of our planet’s seven billion inhabitants in subtly and sometimes starkly different ways. Pleased to Meet Me is a rare treat: a book that’s fun to read from cover to cover, while leaving you wiser and better-informed about who you really are.”

—Adam Alter, New York Times bestselling author of Drunk Tank Pink and Irresistible

“Pleased to Meet Me is one of those rare books that makes you see the world in a new way that’s simultaneously fascinating and horrifying. Fascinating because science is learning more and more about how genetics, environmental factors, and microbes affect our behavior–and horrifying because of the implications of this neurological cabal. We like to think we’re totally in control of how we think and act, but Sullivan makes a strong case that our beloved ‘agency’ is not what we think it is.”

—Matt Simon, science journalist at WIRED and author of Plight of the Living Dead: What Real-Life Zombies Reveal About Our World--And Ourselves

“Bill Sullivan is a sympathetic guide who understands your dislike of exercise and most things healthy. This wide-ranging tome puts a new light on human pursuits, including eating, drinking, thinking, sex, free will, even politics and religion, all presented with topical humor and wit.”

—Scott Anderson, co-author of The Psychobiotic Revolution

“Fascinating and compelling, Pleased to Meet Me is in parts as close to philosophy as science books get. Infused with the author’s warm and witty character, the book exposes us as the biological machines we really are. It left me marveling at the insights into our nature, and full of compassion for the quirks of circumstance that define each of us.”

—Alanna Collen, PhD, author of 10% Human: How Your Body's Microbes Hold the Key to Health and Happiness

“Filled with surprising facts, witty anecdotes, and engaging explorations of the biological forces that make us who we are, Pleased to Meet Me is a must-read for anyone interested in an intelligent approach to self-discovery. Sullivan translates cutting-edge science into practical insights about the ways that genes, germs, and environment shape our health, happiness, and relationships. This book will change the way you see yourself — and will provide newfound empathy for others.”

—Ty Tashiro, PhD, author of AWKWARD: The Science of Why We’re Socially Awkward and Why That’s Awesome

“I highly recommend Pleased To Meet Me for everyone with an interest in human behavior. It accomplishes the rare feat of presenting large amounts of scientific information in a manner that makes it both fascinating and fun to read. Sullivan explains how genes influence everything from how food tastes to our moods, love lives, political preferences and beliefs. And since genes can be programmed while one is still in the womb, he shows how parents’ lifestyles influence genetic expression in their children. Not only will readers’ knowledge of body and brain be greatly enhanced by this book, but they are likely to become more tolerant and compassionate as well.”

—James E. Alcock, author of Belief: What It Means to Believe and Why Our Convictions Are So Compelling

“Sullivan artfully reports on how our genes interact with our surroundings to shape our unique personalities and the persons we’ve become. Pleased to Meet Me is a beautiful melding of science and the human experience!”

—Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, FASTMH, FAAP, author of Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel's Autism: My Journey as a Vaccine Scientist, Pediatrician, and Autism Dad

PLEASED TO MEET ME shortlisted for the Indiana Authors Awards!

Read all about it!


Bill discusses Pleased to Meet Me with Dr. Michio Kaku on Science Fantastic

Bill discusses the genes and other curious forces that may influence our political leanings on FOX & FRIENDS.

Review of Pleased to Meet Me in the NEW YORK POST

Photo by Eric Schoch

BILL SULLIVAN is a professor of pharmacology and microbiology at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, where he studies infectious disease and genetics. An award-winning researcher, teacher, and science communicator, Sullivan has been featured in a wide variety of outlets, including CNN, Fox & Friends, National GeographicScientific American, COSMOS magazine, Science Fantastic with Dr. Michio Kaku, The Naked Scientists, and The Scientist.

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