The Gene: An Intimate History

Gründlich recherchiert, super geschrieben. Dr. Mukherjee ist ein begnadeter Erzähler, ebenso wie sein vorheriges Werk "The Emperor of all Maladies" ist auch "The Gene" absolut empfehlenswert. Auch für nicht-medizinisch / biochemisch vorgebildete Leser ist dieses Buch leicht verständlich und spannend geschrieben. Bezieht sich auf die englische Ausgabe (die ich auf Grund des feinen Erzählstils nur empfehlen kann, eine deutsche Übersetzung kann da nicht mithalten).

A very interesting introduction to the science behind genetics and genomics that reads like a thriller. Not a dry and uninteresting text book, but the sort of book you can't put down until the last page. Comprehensive and well written, with plenty of references to the original research documents quoted if you want to go deeper into the subject.

I finished reading ‘The Gene’ by Siddhartha Mukherjee last month. It has been a fascinating voyage in the world of biology- genetics to be precise. As I wrote before too, it has been written with great erudition and is richly laced with metaphor and similes to make it comprehensible even for a non-biologist. It staggers my mind to think how must an ocean of research material have been mined for it, grasped, and then put to masterly use by the doctor-writer. Only a man of SM’s calibre who gave us a wonderful book on cancer ‘The emperor of all maladies’ before, could have done it. The gene book tells us in gripping detail the whole story of the gene right from early meanderings before the Christian era by the Greek Philosophers like Pythagoras (530 BC), Anaxagoras (400 BC), Aristotle (350 BC) and many others to unravel the mystery of inheritance. (Incidentally, Anaxagoras thought that the essence of heredity was carried by the male sperm, while the female only “shaped’ male semen in the womb to produce the foetus! And Aristotle argued that hereditary information is transmitted in the form of messages.) Nothing is in fact left out by the author in this long journey of man’s search for answers to the intriguing gene puzzle: Mendel’s experiments on pea to unravel the mystery of inheritance of characters, Darwin’s great voyage, how Watson and Crick cracked the DNA code, the human genome, how the new findings have helped mankind in understanding and curing genetic disorders by gene therapy, gene edting and gene surgery and the future scenario in regard to genomics and humankind. A lot has been done but a lot more still needs to be discovered. So many tricky genetic ailments such as Haemophilia, sickle cell anaemia etc which have afflicted mankind causing huge suffering, are now being cured thanks to new insights into the subtle working of the gene. Many more are on the threshold of being tamed and treated through gene therapy. The quest is on. Needless to say, the coming decades will see man (or a geneticist) playing God with gene editing and cloning technologies in his kitty. It will be for the humankind though to see and decide where to draw the line. What makes the book so outstanding is the interesting manner and the arresting narrative with which the whole story of the gene is laid bare before the mesmerized reader with fascinating details about the personal lives of Mendel, Darwin and all other luminaries who have been involved in their scientific endeavours in unravelling the mystery of the gene right from the beginning till date, their obsessions, devotion, dedication, foibles, failures, jealousies, the politics and so on. Having been a zoologist myself – though not a great one! – I could strike an instant chord with the book and had it fill many gaping voids in my understanding of the gene. Subhash Sharma, Palampur, Kangra HP

10% absolutely fascinating 90% above my head. Well worth the effort.

As someone who has had to study genetics in considerable detail, both for school and work, as well as for personal interest, I can confirm that most books on this subject are dry. Sahara dry. Reading most of them is a chore, and paying attention as the chapters unfold is difficult. Most "mass market" books on the subject, whether anchored on some person or event, or simply a historical view, tend to be light on science and heavy on narrative. So, when a book comes along that changes those models, is actually interesting to read and informative, it's worth blowing the trumpets. Consider the trumpets being blown at high volume! The Gene is well researched: despite having studied this field for decades (although it's not my specialty) there's details here I didn't know (or possibly remember). From the start of Medellian genetic experiments through to current gene-editing technologies such as CRISPR, this book cover it accurately, with no sensationalism, and in a way that make it both easy to read and easy to understand for those without a science or medical background. And while it's packed with content, it never feels as though you are being force-fed technical details. Because I stay current with the literature, I didn't come across too much radical or different, but after having read literally dozens of genetics books over the years, I can say this is the best I've ever picked up. Part text book, part narrative, part history, and part science, The Gene does a wonderful job of leading you through the history of genetics, what has gone right or wrong, and what the future holds (potentially). The writing style is engaging and interesting, and never once did I want to take a break to give myself a rest from reading through. Sure, there are other books that are more detailed, and some that are more radical, but none combine the readability and science as well as The Gene. Whether you are just interested or this is your passion, here's a book for all to enjoy.