"This is a layman's guide to human genetics. It provides a fascinating and thoroughly delightful way to learn about the field all the way from classic mendelian genetics to epigenetics to transposons and genomics. This is a remarkable collection of stories about the discovery and elucidation of some rare or not so rare genetic disorders."
Victor A. McKusick, University Professor ... Read moreof Medical Genetics at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, author of Mendelian Inheritance in Man, and recipient of the National Medal of Science "This is an enjoyable and fascinating tour through modern genetics. Tucked among the interesting anecdotes about the settlement of early America and the madness of King George are easy to follow explanations of single-gene disorders, the recently identified phenomenon of imprinting, and new research into how genes are born and evolve over time. Readers will come away not only with a better understanding of biology but some curious tales to tell their friends."
Carol Ezzell Webb, Freelance writer and editor "One of the joys of Chiu's catalog of genetic oddities is that you can flip through it and imagine yourself endowed with abilities conferred by one of these tiny molecules: the ACE gene, which increases endurance, and the Schwartzenegger gene, which boosts muscle mass, would make you into a heck of an athlete, for example. Another joy is that, in reading, you learn that these are not really oddities at all, but changes in common cellular machinery shared by us all.... Chiu tells these tales not as a genetic Ripley's Believe It or Not, but as cleverly drawn illustrations of how the body works, highlighting ways in which our greater understanding of things that at first seem just weird lead to paths to the greater good, including roads that may lead to the better treatment of disease."
Josh Fischman, Senior Writer, US News & World Report The book certainly does not come under an "educational" banner. However, it can be stronlgy recommended to anyone, of any age, who is looking for an authoritative yet entertaining account of modern genetics.
Bernard Dixon. Biologist.
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