THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A New York Times Notable Book A Washington Post and Seattle Times Best Book of the Year From the Pulitzer Prize-winning; bestselling author of The Emperor of All Maladies—a magnificent history of the gene and a response to the defining question of the future: What becomes of being human when we learn to “read†and “write†our own genetic information?Siddhartha Mukherjee has a written a biography of the gene as deft; brilliant; and illuminating as his extraordinarily successful biography of cancer. Weaving science; social history; and personal narrative to tell us the story of one of the most important conceptual breakthroughs of modern times; Mukherjee animates the quest to understand human heredity and its surprising influence on our lives; personalities; identities; fates; and choices. Throughout the narrative; the story of Mukherjee’s own family—with its tragic and bewildering history of mental illness—cuts like a bright; red line; reminding us of the many questions that hang over our ability to translate the science of genetics from the laboratory to the real world. In superb prose and with an instinct for the dramatic scene; he describes the centuries of research and experimentation—from Aristotle and Pythagoras to Mendel and Darwin; from Boveri and Morgan to Crick; Watson and Franklin; all the way through the revolutionary twenty-first century innovators who mapped the human genome. As The New Yorker said of The Emperor of All Maladies; “It’s hard to think of many books for a general audience that have rendered any area of modern science and technology with such intelligence; accessibility; and compassion…An extraordinary achievement.†Riveting; revelatory; and magisterial history of a scientific idea coming to life; and an essential preparation for the moral complexity introduced by our ability to create or “write†the human genome; The Gene is a must-read for everyone concerned about the definition and future of humanity. This is the most crucial science of our time; intimately explained by a master.
#737317 in Books 2016-04-21 2016-04-21Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.60 x .60 x 7.40l; .84 #File Name: 1473848660176 pages
Review
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful. Incredible collection of wartime photos.By Mr. TruthtellerThis book is an amazing collection of World War II photos taken by a professional photographer conscripted into the German army in 1940 and posted to the Ukraine 1941-1943. The clarity of the photos in this collection is incredible. Many of the descriptions for the photos are somewhat incomplete and rely on generalized statements (i.e.; a little guesswork) rather than precise dates and locations but because the entire book consists of the entire personal collection of one photographer you have some assurance that they were actually taken in the location (here; the Ukraine) claimed.This book is not to be missed by any student of the history of World War II; especially those interested in the Eastern Front and/or the Wehrmacht. The quality of the photos in this particular volume in the Images of War series; of which I own dozens; is simply head and shoulders above those generally found in other volumes. In addition; the introductory remarks and comments interspersed throughout the book are well above the quality found in the average volume of this series.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. If you are interested in military vehicles this book is a must and you will find enjoy every pageBy armour123I urge everybody to buy this book. It does not depict fighting in the Ukraine but for the last 35 pages but instead life behind the front from the viewpoint of a motorized telephone line and pole laying unit. A vital task but not very rewarding. However the number of vehicles used by this company; both passenger cars and lorries and all shown in very clear photos is incredible. From French lorries and half tracks to German vehicles of every kind including again half tracks and tractors and ending with Russian lorries and all used by the same unit shows clearly why the supply of spare parts must have been a nightmare for the German army. You will even find photos of field kitchen trailers and trailers used for the transport of telegraph poles. If you are interested in military vehicles this book is a must and you will find enjoy every page. Thoroughly recommended; it is just a pity that the title misleads.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Wonderful collection of Ukraine theater photos.By ugimpAs stated by others; this is a noteworthy book for the photos of what was needed to carry out war in the Ukraine. Here are the the chapters: Preparing for war; Tyranny of distance; Communications; Crimea; Occupation; Dust; mud; snow and ice; Detritus of war; Combat preparations; Dead and the decorated. My favorite section: the number of train transport photos.
