Silent Enemies: Author’s Note – What I Know Now

Silence doesn’t just hide danger; it allows it to grow. In this powerful Author’s Note and behind-the-scenes interview, Dr Darin Detwiler reveals how Silent Enemies came to life, why its message matters now more than ever, and the bold shifts the food industry must make to prevent the next avoidable tragedy.

This Author’s Note is not a summary. It is not an epilogue. 

It is a reckoning. 

After four chapters of Silent Enemies, drawn from the deepest depths of submarines and the rawest edges of personal loss, I offer these closing thoughts – not only about the stories I have told, but about what they reveal when taken together. 

The most dangerous failures in food safety do not begin with pathogens – they begin with silence.”

These events span decades and disciplines: Cold War patrols, foodborne outbreaks, factory floor inspections, hospital rooms and legislative hearings. Some are memories I would give anything to forget. Others, I fear the world will keep forgetting – at our collective peril. 

But together, they point to a single, unmistakable truth: 

The most dangerous failures in food safety do not begin with pathogens – they begin with silence. 

Read the full Authors note and watch the interview with the author here: Silent Enemies: Author’s Note – What I Know Now