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171 reviews for:
Woolly: The True Story of the Quest to Revive One of History's Most Iconic Extinct Creatures
Ben Mezrich
3.35 AVERAGE
171 reviews for:
Woolly: The True Story of the Quest to Revive One of History's Most Iconic Extinct Creatures
Ben Mezrich
3.35 AVERAGE
YES. That is literally what I have written first in my notes for today's book review. Woolly: The True Story of the Quest to Revive One of History's Most Iconic Extinct Creatures by Ben Mezrich is the perfect mixture of technical science and literary narrative. This book tells the story of Dr. George Church and the Revivalists (a group under his tutelage) who are trying to do what has been thought impossible: Bring back the woolly mammoth from extinction. (I have to wonder if the author received a financial backing from this group because if he didn't then he certainly deserves one. He's a major fanboy.) Mezrich covers not only their attempts at this breakthrough in science but also their competition from Seoul which owns the market on DNA cloning. The company in Seoul believes it is possible to find a complete DNA strand while Church's group thinks that the DNA will be too degraded. They're working from pieces of DNA and splicing together traits unique to woolly mammoths with the hope that a viable fetus can be carried by an Asian elephant. A scientific group dedicated to the reversal of extinction of local flora and fauna in Siberia has begun work on Pleistocene Park which is most likely going to be a functioning reality but will take several years. This is where the woolly mammoths (who wouldn't be technically true mammoths) will reside. The controversy and hubris of scientists (especially geneticists who write DNA/RNA) is extensively discussed and is fascinating to me (and I'd imagine to most laymen). However, this isn't only about the woolly mammoth. It's also an in-depth biography of George Church and how he came to be one of the leading figures in genetics. Total 10/10.
There are two types of readers nowadays: those who will want to read works that confront and address the current pandemic, and those who want something - anything - that will take their minds off it. I must be the first type of reader, and if you're the second, stay well away from this short, chilling novella. Perhaps the most shocking thing about it is that it was actually published six years ago, but sounds all too plausibly like what could happen right NOW, if the world doesn't get its act together to combat Covid-19.
For something only 94 pages long, it provides a full course meal of a story, and it didn't seem to me that it skimped at all in characterization or plotting -it seemed the perfect length, and can easily be read in one sitting. And the horrific ending is well nigh perfect. There are a few minor plot gaps (how does Grady get into and out of his Neoprene protective gear to get in and out of the theatre so quickly? for one), but those are easy to let go. Mezrich's two most popular works were made into the respected movies 'The Social Network' and '21', and should the movie industry ever revive, a movie based on this would make an excellent addition to those films. Highly recommended - IF you are a Reader #1.
PS Kudos to whoever did the gorgeous and apropos cover.
For something only 94 pages long, it provides a full course meal of a story, and it didn't seem to me that it skimped at all in characterization or plotting -it seemed the perfect length, and can easily be read in one sitting. And the horrific ending is well nigh perfect. There are a few minor plot gaps (how does Grady get into and out of his Neoprene protective gear to get in and out of the theatre so quickly? for one), but those are easy to let go. Mezrich's two most popular works were made into the respected movies 'The Social Network' and '21', and should the movie industry ever revive, a movie based on this would make an excellent addition to those films. Highly recommended - IF you are a Reader #1.
PS Kudos to whoever did the gorgeous and apropos cover.
As a fan of the woolly mammoth, I was very excited the see this book available for pre-order. I'm sorry to report that it ended up being somewhat disappointing because it's less about the woolly mammoth than it is about the current state of genetic engineering. A fascinating topic which I'm glad I read about, I was looking forward to the mammoths, y'know?
At first I was puzzled and thought I'd picked up a fiction work, but even though parts of it take place in the future, this book really does report on the scientific developments vis-a-vis the attempted de-extinction of the Woolly Mammoth. It's pretty interesting, even if the creative non-fiction is a bit more creative than I'm used to. The rationale for reviving the mammoth, however, doesn't really hold water; it is argued that the re-introduction of the mammoth to the far north will assist with keeping the permafrost in place (a pretty convincing case is presented) - but surely if large herd animals will achieve this, then it would be more practical to focus on the existing ones.
I should have known by the subtitle, which included the words "the true story," that this book was not going to be good.
Ben Mezrich is obviously not interested in the facts before him. He is much more interested in making this story "sexy," blatantly ignoring ethical concerns, skipping over scientific facts that bore him, and adding blatantly made-up stories to his "true" work of fiction. I read this book because I wanted to read an in-depth account of the current debate about bringing back woolly mammoths, but instead what I got was a size-fourteen font about how a man named George Church is throwing away ethics to do whatever he pleases. I'm not sure what audience Mezrich was expecting, but I'm lucky I know a little about this topic, or I'd have been lost--and I certainly learned nothing new.
One positive of this book is that Mezrich did point out one possible, positive environmental factor for bringing back mammoths, but to quote Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park, which Mezrich is so repetitive about pointing out came after George Church's work, effectively accusing him of pre-plagiarising his book, everyone is "so worried about whether or not they could they never stopped to think about whether or not they should."
In the beginning of this book, Mezrich posited that it was man who killed off all of the mammoths (debatable, but I'll let that slide). Man is now bringing back the woolly mammoth, atoning for past sins--just to watch the rapidly-heating environment kill the woolly mammoths again. We cannot let science teach us to cover up our sins with more "science." An in-depth ethical debate would have done worlds of good--but, to be fair, Mezrich has not written scientific nonfiction. He's written fiction under the guise of nonfiction, a la James Patterson's Tutankhamen novel. Unfortunately, for fiction, this book is fairly bland. But hey! At least I have two pages work of woolly mammoth's DNA at my fingertips.
Ben Mezrich is obviously not interested in the facts before him. He is much more interested in making this story "sexy," blatantly ignoring ethical concerns, skipping over scientific facts that bore him, and adding blatantly made-up stories to his "true" work of fiction. I read this book because I wanted to read an in-depth account of the current debate about bringing back woolly mammoths, but instead what I got was a size-fourteen font about how a man named George Church is throwing away ethics to do whatever he pleases. I'm not sure what audience Mezrich was expecting, but I'm lucky I know a little about this topic, or I'd have been lost--and I certainly learned nothing new.
One positive of this book is that Mezrich did point out one possible, positive environmental factor for bringing back mammoths, but to quote Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park, which Mezrich is so repetitive about pointing out came after George Church's work, effectively accusing him of pre-plagiarising his book, everyone is "so worried about whether or not they could they never stopped to think about whether or not they should."
In the beginning of this book, Mezrich posited that it was man who killed off all of the mammoths (debatable, but I'll let that slide). Man is now bringing back the woolly mammoth, atoning for past sins--just to watch the rapidly-heating environment kill the woolly mammoths again. We cannot let science teach us to cover up our sins with more "science." An in-depth ethical debate would have done worlds of good--but, to be fair, Mezrich has not written scientific nonfiction. He's written fiction under the guise of nonfiction, a la James Patterson's Tutankhamen novel. Unfortunately, for fiction, this book is fairly bland. But hey! At least I have two pages work of woolly mammoth's DNA at my fingertips.
This book is a mess. It's clickbait and bad science and terrible writing and what seems to be an utter lack of editing.
Pretty cool if you think about it -- scientists are pretty close to making some animals un-extinct. Good introduction to CRISPR and other biological advancements.
I think the topic is interesting, I really enjoyed the science and learning about all the people in Boston who are at the cutting edge of their field. The hopefulness and just the vision of "nothing is impossible" and "it's only science fiction until we take the fiction out" is just really promising. Global warming, destruction of ecosystems and the mass extictions that have been directly caused by us can be fixed if we push the boundaries is a great lesson.
The big downside to this book is the couple of chapters that were fictional, where there is major eluding to woolly mammoths being alive and roaming the tundra. That's just not true and we aren't there yet.
Also I would have really enjoyed spending more time learning more about Pleistocene Park, I don't think enough time was spent really delving into what they are doing in Russia and how far they still need to go.
The big downside to this book is the couple of chapters that were fictional, where there is major eluding to woolly mammoths being alive and roaming the tundra. That's just not true and we aren't there yet.
Also I would have really enjoyed spending more time learning more about Pleistocene Park, I don't think enough time was spent really delving into what they are doing in Russia and how far they still need to go.
Absolutely fascinating look into the process of bringing Woolly Mammoths back to life. The storytelling kept me engaged in the places that could have otherwise been dry bits only for the hardcore science geeks. And speaking of science I was impressed with the way the author made the technical parts of genetics accessible to a layman like me. I really enjoyed this book and now I search out stories about Woolly Mammoths and I can't wait to see one for myself one day!
Mezrich does admit in the first pages that he uses "dramatic narration" and recreates conversations, so I thought okay, it's a short book, not much of an investment. He goes too far with his recreations, such as when the post-doc crosses the border from Canada to the United States, with too much drama adding nothing to the information he wants to impart, and too much with his drama, such as when he imagines possible future scenes ("four years from today")
Some of that information is faulty. I don't fault the scientists or their work but I classify this book as nonfiction-ish rather than nonfiction because I put little credence in the author's reporting. He said "Bill and Melissa Gates Foundation" and I wondered if it was a slip of the tongue (that the producer didn't catch), so I checked the ebook version. Bill and Melissa Gates. Later on, he refers to ticks as insects.
Whatever. Seven hours of grubbing in the garden with it and I'm done.
Some of that information is faulty. I don't fault the scientists or their work but I classify this book as nonfiction-ish rather than nonfiction because I put little credence in the author's reporting. He said "Bill and Melissa Gates Foundation" and I wondered if it was a slip of the tongue (that the producer didn't catch), so I checked the ebook version. Bill and Melissa Gates. Later on, he refers to ticks as insects.
Whatever. Seven hours of grubbing in the garden with it and I'm done.