The Wonder of Genetics: The Creepy, the Curious, and the Commonplace

by Richard V. Kowles

This refreshingly clear layperson’s overview of genetics shows how heredity actually works and how it is studied in plants and animals, clearly explaining these concepts without an overload of technical jargon. The author devotes separate chapters to such popular topics as: the genetic differences between males and females, the potential effects of radiation on the human genome, eating irradiated or genetically modified foods, cloning, genetic therapy, stem-cell research, nature vs. nurture, and how genes are related to many diseases, psychological disturbances, and possibly other behaviors. The book concludes by addressing common misconceptions about genetics and emphasizing the discipline’s potential for curing some diseases, extending human lifespan, enhancing medicine and agriculture, and generally improving society.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science

338 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2010

Reviews

[SueSue]

Well the topic is interesting enough, but most of it sounded like stories you'd hear from your grandpa if he worked in a genetics lab. The attempts at humor were awkward.

[Sophia]

Interesting read that went over different cool phenomenons within genetics. Read this as someone who had prior knowledge in biology, though someone who does not have prior knowledge would have some hiccups here and there, but I think would be fine. The attempts at humor were kind of dry. There were definitely some topics I thought were super interesting. It would have been nice for a lot of the chapters to be combined since there were quite a few topics and concepts that were repeated. Overall, if you are into genetics and biology as a whole, I’d say why not.

[Leonca]

A good resource if you want a quick and broad overview of genetics in layman’s terms. I was especially interested in the sections that talked about the varied sources of fertility issues. The style does feel a bit too loose at times, if you could say there is an opposite to scientific writing which is dry and long-winded. Some information is passed over quickly when I would have liked to see it better developed, especially since there are facts which are repeated in multiple chapters.

[Mike Kalmbach]

Good introduction to the world of genetics. Written for a general audience, this book helps readers better understand the biochemistry of how heredity works.

I was fascinated by some of the history in this book--much that I knew, but some that was new to me. It's clear that Dr Kowles is an expert in his field.

For those currently in the field, this may be a useful refresher or a good, accessible reference for new team members. I can also see potential for use as a teaching text.

The political cartoons added humor to emphasize the author's points, though the written humor sometimes hindered the author's core message. It was sometimes difficult to know whether the author intended a joke or not.

Potential humor mishaps aside, I found this to be an enjoyable read that covers important aspects of genetics--a refreshing change from the normally dry texts on this topic. check it out!