I Read a Lot of Books

I first heard about this book on Radiolab, and yes, I immediately like most of what I hear about on Radiolab. Now, I am not fascinated by scientific details, generally speaking, so I probably would not have selected this book had I not heard some excerpts beforehand and that would have been a shame because this book was GREAT! Kean delves into the things that our genetic code reveal about us as a species, as well as weaving a historical tale that explains the evolution of DNA as we understand it today which is wonderful because I like things in context.

Kean is a wonderful writer. His voice is mischievous, but authoritative. He has an understanding of the subject and more important, the ability to convey that subject in an engaging way to someone unfamiliar with the subject matter. I will admit, the footnotes were as exciting to read as the actual book, which is a good sign, for me. Kean does a masterful job of weaving examples into a teaching opportunity. The balance was wonderful.  Kean also freely admitted that genetics is truly on the cutting edge of science with new theories and questions creeping up daily. He never put a stamp on a theory as absolute, which I appreciate.

I will admit that I spent a majority of the time in my university science classes day dreaming, reading novels, or being bored. I was far from bored while reading The Violinist’s Thumb, and it was probably a better use of money than what I spent on my science textbooks! What Kean was able to do was give me a greater understanding of genetics. Me! The girl who hates science. I would recommend this book for science nerds, and non science nerds alike. Kean’s writing was humorous and informative and really the best example of what science writing can be.