Embedded in human history, the genome plays an integral part in our identities. The scientists who first studied human heredity moved forward despite rejections, personal challenges, and even wars. Now, their journey toward understanding the genetic code can be found in Siddhartha Mukherjee’s newest book, “The Gene.”
Beginning with ancient Greek concepts of heredity and ending with some of the newest gene-editing technology, Mukherjee narrates “the birth, growth, and future” of one of the most powerful scientific ideas in history: the gene, the building block of biological information. In “The Gene,” Mukherjee successfully blends science and storytelling to portray the work and lives of those who contributed to the study of heredity.
Mukherjee breaks a long and complex history into a series of shorter vignettes about the stories and discoveries of individual scientists, weaving these smaller threads into a larger context. As he ties together seemly isolated stories, Mukherjee’s elevated writing style matches the complexity of the subjects he covers. Some of his most compelling storytelling occurs in his explanations of the science: Mukherjee manages to boil down highbrow concepts in understandable terms without undermining the beauty of their complexity.
Each of the shorter vignettes has a story arch in itself, but also builds on the previous discoveries and entices the reader on to the next. These short sections make the 500-page book a manageable read even for those who do not have time for long reading sessions.
In the telling of scientific discovery, many people fall into the trap of making a groundbreaking realization seem obvious in hindsight — how could Mendel’s principles of genetics, something taught in a high school biology class, have been so elusive and difficult to discover? Mukherjee avoids this pitfall by showing the critical thinking process leading up to the “eurekas” and by framing scientists’ logic in terms of the background information available to them at the time. The chronological narrative he uses is well-suited for this purpose.
Beyond the science, Mukherjee tells a story that will engage anyone with an interest in the process of human discovery. Many of the most profound breakthroughs came from the most unexpected places, from a humble monk tending the monastery garden to a young mathematician with an interest in statistics. Although there is a lot of biology, there are a surprising number of interdisciplinary concepts — Mukherjee even includes the linguistic history of the word “gene” in his narrative, and briefly stops to reflect on the the relationship between language and science.
Additionally, Mukherjee mixes in the history of his own family, which is riddled with schizophrenia and mental illness. As he jumps from abstract science to the real-life implication of those principles in his family life, Mukherjee grounds lofty concepts by showing their real-life application to readers. After all, Mukherjee’s musings about familial heredity become more poignant when paired with the image of his father dealing with one of his brother’s schizophrenic episodes. Not only did the scientists struggle to unravel the nature of heredity, but real people struggled to cope with that same nature in their everyday lives.
In tackling the history of the gene, Mukherjee doesn’t shy away from discussing the related topic of ethics. In fact, Mukherjee’s emphasis on the critical questions of genetics naturally leads into the discussion of ethics. Earlier in the book, Mukherjee focuses the history of eugenics in relation to genetic discoveries, and later focuses on the ethics of gene editing. This discussion helps ground the abstract biological concepts in relevance and meaning for the lay reader.
“The Gene” expresses the science of genetics as well as the stories of the humans behind the science. The personal struggles of a seasick Darwin aboard the H.M.S. Beagle make his discoveries about evolution all the more profound. As Mukherjee shows in the narrative, neither story would be complete without the other.
“The Gene” was released on May 17, 2016 and is available on Amazon.