Viruses don’t discriminate, society does.

That’s the argument made by Northwestern University journalism professor Steven Thrasher in his new book “The Viral Underclass: The Human Toll When Inequality and Disease Collide.”

Thrasher has long been interested in viruses and their influence in shaping U.S. history.

“The lesson I think that’s the most valuable from viruses is that they prove to us again and again that we are connected,” said Thrasher.  “We can pretend like we’re not, but the viruses will betray that. They show that when we breathe, when we touch each other, when we are near each other, we’re sharing our genetic material. And so be able to deal with that effectively we have to work with one another in an interdependent way and put aside the idea that everyone’s on their own independent journey.”