Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters (P.S.),   ISBN:9780060894085

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This book may by now be sort of out of date but for folks like me who went to school before DNA was common knowledge it's a good read. My problem was with the author's analogies and metaphors. Clearly he's always preached to a captive audience. They are beyond quirky. He's English but that is no excuse. Any way the information about how genes work and mutate is good to know and here it is all in one place.

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A look at the human species through its genome is the promise that the author makes. Ridley lives up to his pledge, offering a view of all aspects of the human being from disease to sexuality. However, Ridley forgets that our fate is not confined to either our genome nor our stars. We are more than our base pairs.

I suggest that the reader balance the perspective by investigating "The Triple Helix". If this is used in a classroom, the movie "GATTACA" will provide an interesting counterbalance.

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Ridley knows that the best way to both excite and soothe his readers about genetics - a field constantly riddled with controversy - is to endow them with some in-depth knowledge. And he has a wonderful aptitude for breaking it down for us. Furthermore, to translate what is understood, which comes more from studying a fruit fly than any other animal in the kingdom, into relevance at the level of human beings is a feat fit for kings.
Ridley can also be expert at highlighting the most impressive aspects of genetic discovery. This talent is critical, because he refuses to devote the entire book to the various diseases that result from one gene mutation or another found on the chromosome in question. Ridley stands firmly behind his motto that "genes do not cause diseases," leaving wide open the potential for the topics he does end up choosing to be rather plain.
He strongly supports the notion that much of our definition as humans arises from our genetic make-up. He believes that most of our language ability arises from our genes, that a great deal of our personality is determined by our DNA and that as much as 50% of our intelligence is limited by what we were born with. What's disappointing about this aspect of Genome, is that while it ends up being Ridley's main point, it is presented the least scientifically of all of them.
By the end of what started as a book about science the readers feels as if they have been dragged into an argument about the semantics of determinist behavior. Ridley's baggage is an albatross around his neck. The discussion no longer feels productive, but merely defensive. Free will is portrayed as selfish, and the other - any other than self - is portrayed as the enemy against which our innate pre-programmed desire is constantly struggling.

Customer Rating: 

All you've ever wanted to know about genes and then some. Makes for a very fun read for those interested in the biology of genetics.

Customer Rating: 

This book is great! I use it with my AP biology students. They read it as we learn about cells, genetics, evolution, and the human body. I mix up the chapters so they are reviewing what we learn in class by reading the appropriate chapter. They have to turn in a "scrapbook" showing me they read it with pictures and summaries of the chapter, important scientists, and scientific terms (vocabulary). Most of them have said they are really enjoying the reading. What they don't understand they skip over, but what they do understand is fascinating and reinforces what they are learning in class.