The Company I Keep: My Microbial Memoir (Series 1)
By Goodness A. Kukoyi
What if you were never alone, not even in your own body?
From the moment we are born, we enter a world already alive with life, and that life enters us. Unseen, unspoken, but undeniably powerful, trillions of microbes begin shaping our biology, our behavior, and even our sense of self. The Company I Keep is not a textbook. It's a science-infused narrative memoir, a poetic, accessible journey into the hidden microbial universe within each of us.
In Series 1, titled My Microbial Memoir, Goodness A. Kukoyi guides readers through the extraordinary story of how the human body becomes home to an entire ecosystem, from the earliest moments of birth through the formation of the gut, skin, lung, mouth, and vaginal microbiomes. Through vivid storytelling, real science, and personal reflection, she invites us to rethink what it means to be alive, human, and whole.
Discover:
How vaginal and cesarean births shape your first microbes
Why breast milk is designed not just for babies, but for bacteria
How every part of your body holds its own microbial "city"
Why your immune system listens to your gut flora more than your thoughts
The concept of microbial memory, dysbiosis, and the importance of early colonizers
What it means to be a holobiont, a shared biological unit of human and microbe
Each chapter blends scientific insight with poetic voice, making complex biology beautifully understandable even for non-scientists, teens, or first-time readers of popular science.
This first series in the trilogy sets the tone for a much-needed narrative shift, from seeing microbes as enemies to recognizing them as intimate companions. Whether you're a student, a teacher, a health enthusiast, or simply someone who enjoys soul-stirring nonfiction, this is the microbiome book you didn't know you were waiting for.
You'll never look at your body, or yourself, the same way again.
They were here before us. They may remain after. But for now, they live with us, shaping who we become.
The Company I Keep is a three-part series:
Book 1: My Microbial Memoir (Origins and Ecosystems)
Book 2: Microbial Superpowers (Digestion, Mood, Immunity & More)
Book 3: When They Go Rogue (Disruptions, Dysbiosis, and Restoration)
