Genetic twists of fate /

Fields (Univ. of Washington) and Johnston (Univ. of Colorado) were inspired to write this book about genetics and its role in health and disease after realizing that few nonbiologists can accurately define a gene or explain genetics' role in organisms' development and function. The authors posit that "we fail to understand [genes] at our peril because they influence crucial aspects of our daily life," including health, longevity, mood, and food supply. Each chapter's brief case studies illustrate genetic causes of disease and include explanations of scientists' discoveries of the causes and (sometimes) the treatment for diseases or syndromes. The book begins and ends with clear descriptions of DNA and RNA and their role in protein formation. The authors explain how proteins operate in cells and how things can go wrong and cause disease or otherwise affect crucial cellular functions. They use plain language, avoiding common terms that would appear in genetics textbooks. Hypothetical examples illustrate how dominant and recessive traits are inherited and introduce the concept of genetic linkage. One chapter touches on pharmacogenetics, the field of personalized drug treatments tailored to an individual's DNA sequence. This title is essentially interchangeable with Francis Collins's The Language of Life (CH, Apr'11, 48-4516). Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-level undergraduates; general readers. F. G. Shrode Utah State University

The sequencing of the human genome has led to research that sometimes suggests that the cure for a disease is imminent because the gene that causes it has been found. The reality is not quite that simple, so it is good that this new book geared to the general public takes a realistic look at what we know about genetics and how it relates to medicine. Fields (genome sciences and medicine, Univ. of Washington) and Johnston (chair of biochemistry and molecular genetics, Univ. of Colorado School of Medicine) have written an engaging text that uses case studies and stories of famous people to illustrate genetic principles and progress in treating diseases such as diabetes, phenylketonuria, Huntington's, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's), and Alzheimer's. The ethics of how we use genetic knowledge is also considered. VERDICT Recommended for public and university libraries with consumer health collections and readers looking for straight information.-Margaret Henderson, Virginia Commonwealth Univ. Lib., Richmond (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.