The Gene is the engrossing, insightful,
educational, suspenseful, thought-provoking, disturbing, unnerving, even chilling
history of genetics. Un-put-down-able. This
is a book I may read twice. You should read it at least once (at least IMHO).
This book is bursting with information about
the evolution of genetics from the seeds of Darwin and Mendel up to 2015, told in a clear,
understandable, exciting way. It reminded me why I almost majored in genetics. The
descriptions of dogged efforts to move one painstaking step forward over the
course of a decade(!) make me relieved I chose
a field with more immediate gratifications.
The book juxtaposes the spectacular
advances of science with social and moral issues such as eugenics. By coolly pointing out the ramifications of
each step along the way, he induces a sense of wonder but also foreboding. For instance, the
description of the American eugenics movement makes current US politics - with a sociopathic racist running for President with
the support of a disturbing proportion of the population - even more
terrifying. Of course, given the American eugenics sterilization schemes of the
1920s, Mukerjee might not be here to sound the alarm; his family had the wrong skin colour and a familial
history of schizophrenia. By the way, Mukerjee scrupulously omits explicit mention of this fact.
Mukerjee has a scintillating writing style.
His vivid descriptions of the people involved and the evocative settings where
major advances took place bring the book to life and made me marvel at his
command of the language. He considers why different words were chosen and the
implications of those choices. What a treat to find such scientific insight and
writing skill in one person. I must confess I had to consult a dictionary a few
times, and not just for scientific or medical terms. But when I found the word,
it was clear it wasn’t there to show off, but to deliver exactly the right
nuance of meaning.
There were several themes in this book that will keep me thinking for a while. You might see some of them turning up in future posts.
P. S. For past book reviews check here. If you like this book I think you'd like The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and Curiosity.
