The Gene, published in 2016, is a history of heredity from ancient speculation to the present. Siddhartha Mukherjee follows Gregor Mendel's pea experiments, Darwin's theory, the rediscovery of Mendel's laws, the discovery of DNA's structure, gene cloning and sequencing, the Human Genome Project and the arrival of tools that can edit genomes directly.
The book does not shy away from the dark chapters: the eugenics movements in Britain and the United States, forced sterilisations and the Nazi programmes of murder justified in the name of heredity. Mukherjee uses them to frame present-day questions about genetic testing, the genetics of gender, sexuality, intelligence and temperament, and the ethics of altering human embryos.
Running through the science is a personal thread: several members of the author's family in Calcutta suffered from schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, and he asks what that inheritance means for him and his children. The book is long but elegantly written, and it complements his earlier history of cancer.
Book details
| Author | Siddhartha Mukherjee |
|---|---|
| First published | 2016 |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Popular science |
| Type | Non-fiction |
| Pages (approx.) | 590 |
Themes
- Heredity
- History of genetics
- Eugenics
- Gene editing ethics
- Mental illness in families
Who should read it
Readers who want to understand genetics and its ethical stakes through a blend of history and memoir.
If you liked this, try
- The Emperor of All Maladies
- The Selfish Gene
- The Code Breaker