Some Light Reading- The Gene: An Intimate History

In a world that grows more and more interconnected by the minute, at a time when humans have acquired a nearly godlike ability to prolong life and manipulate the very code of living beings, an understanding of the history and implications of this new knowledge and these new abilities is essential to maneuvering successfully through the modern world.

That’s where this book comes in.

The Gene: An Intimate History looks at the history of one of the most revolutionary ideas known to man–the gene. It examines both how it was discovered and the broader implications it had both on society and on individuals throughout the stages of this discovery by describing historical events and movements surrounding our increasing understanding of genetics as well as the author’s family’s own personal experience with mental illness being passed down from generation to generation. In doing so, the book acknowledges the power of our understanding of genetic heritability and tries to inform the reader in such a way that groups using a skewed understanding of genetics to justify horrific policies and stances less likely to form again.

Written by Siddharta Mukherjee, the author of the bestseller The Emperor of All Maladies, this book is important not just to the public, but to scientists as well. It gives humanity to names and facts that without context can seem overly complicated and almost completely divorced from actual organisms. Historical figures who are given only a few slides in biology courses from high school to graduate school are brought to startlingly clear life with reference to historical records, journals, and letters as well as significant scientific works. Multiple sides are presented for every stage of our developing understanding of the gene, inheritance, and the genome, introducing the reader to views that now seem ridiculous as well as the reason the view we currently hold triumphed. By showing that the knowledge and abilities that we now take for granted or consider to appear as magic grew out of years of conflict, creates an appreciation for the growth of knowledge as well as exactly how much power it gives us.

Taking these things into consideration, this book is not only beneficial, but necessary reading for anyone living in the 21st Century.