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A review by mrdietz
The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee
3.0
A three-star rating feels too low, but a four-star rating feels too high. Of course, that's not to say that The Gene isn't meticulously researched, impressively composed, and engagingly written. There are plenty of moments within these pages that made me stop and think about my place in my ancestry. How have the past generations of my family guided my genetic code to this moment? Mukherjee deserves credit for authoring such a complete portrait of an entire field of science.
At the same time, I found the book to be long and dense. Mukherjee has framed his historical perspective on genetics around struggles in his own family, but these mostly fall away save for at the conclusion of the books major sections. This book is primarily concerned with the history of genetics and the explanation of how genetics works. For a reader who hasn't taken a biology class since college, I found the majority of the first half accessible. I remembered conversations about Crick and Watson and Gregor Mendel. The back half was fascinating, particularly when discussing the future paths genetics might take in the coming decades, but most of the science began to creep past my level for understanding.
Another reason for my lesser rating is mostly because I have a hard time imagining someone else enjoying this on my recommendation. I'm not sure there is a person in my life, which is probably a shame, who would genuinely enjoy reading this work. To be sure, Mukherjee has done tremendous work here. But I can't imagine many folks would relish this work who didn't already have a vested interest in science for science's sake. The text is about as straightforward as they come as far as detailing the history of a scientific field.
I learned quite a bit, and I'm glad I read The Gene, though I would be cautious before recommending it to anyone who is not ready for the entire story of a very necessary science.
At the same time, I found the book to be long and dense. Mukherjee has framed his historical perspective on genetics around struggles in his own family, but these mostly fall away save for at the conclusion of the books major sections. This book is primarily concerned with the history of genetics and the explanation of how genetics works. For a reader who hasn't taken a biology class since college, I found the majority of the first half accessible. I remembered conversations about Crick and Watson and Gregor Mendel. The back half was fascinating, particularly when discussing the future paths genetics might take in the coming decades, but most of the science began to creep past my level for understanding.
Another reason for my lesser rating is mostly because I have a hard time imagining someone else enjoying this on my recommendation. I'm not sure there is a person in my life, which is probably a shame, who would genuinely enjoy reading this work. To be sure, Mukherjee has done tremendous work here. But I can't imagine many folks would relish this work who didn't already have a vested interest in science for science's sake. The text is about as straightforward as they come as far as detailing the history of a scientific field.
I learned quite a bit, and I'm glad I read The Gene, though I would be cautious before recommending it to anyone who is not ready for the entire story of a very necessary science.