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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
This book has the potential to be so good, but is lost in the finer workings of genes. I think the authors best part of the book is when he speaks about people who suffer from the different afflictions. Unfortunately, he does not stick to this long and slips right back to DNA and genes. I feel like I could do some experiments on salamanders or chickens by the field guide he proved.
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
slow-paced
An interesting look at variations in human genetics. Scientific without being boring (for those with a passing interest in genetics). Very well written (though my copy does contain a couple printing mishaps). Book is published by Penguin; grammar and spelling is done in traditional English, which may not appeal to some individuals.
4.5
Fascinating -yet probably not the best book to read while pregnant.
Fascinating -yet probably not the best book to read while pregnant.
Every once in a while I read a science book. This had been on my wish list since May 2014 and I am SO glad I finally got to it. It maybe some pretty involved subject matter but it’s the opposite of dry. It’s understandable, fun, even often funny, and the (awesome) personality of the author shines through, which is so rare in nonfiction. If this guy was my teacher I would have loved biology class. You should also know that his subjects are treated with nothing less than total kindness and respect. I loved every word of it. 10/10.
Know thyself, pathologically, what a fragile bubble you are, and exposed to a thousand calamities. If you understand these things, you are man, and a genus very distinct from all the others.
We term sleep a death and yet it is waking that kills us.
Beauty, Stendhal says, is only the promise of happiness. Perhaps. But it is equally the recollection of sorrow.
We term sleep a death and yet it is waking that kills us.
Beauty, Stendhal says, is only the promise of happiness. Perhaps. But it is equally the recollection of sorrow.
This book is as much philosophy and reflections on the nature of life as it is a medical account. It's beautifully written.
Fascinating book (very science heavy) that examines things that go wrong with the human genome, often with the intent of learning how normal development occurs. Leroi discusses a huge range of genetic abnormalities in a very humane way while also providing fascinating historical accounts, at times both uplifting and depressing. Illustrations and pictures throughout were both illuminating and heartbreaking, but always serve to illustrate his material. Considering the astronomical number of ways things can go awry during development (each individual sports 300 new mutations on average, after all), it's astounding that most people function normally.
If I could give it six stars I would. I love this book so much I've read it three times.