The Gene

The history of genetics in a dense, detailed yet fluidly told book interspersed with the author's personal family history of mental illness. The first part of the book is more engaging - probably because all the science is easier to understand - as we visit Darwin and his evolutionary theories and Mendel and his heredity experiments with pea plants. The middle part is rather science heavy, as there are less anecdotes but more techniques to explain. And here I am thankful for doing this in audiobook form. The last part focuses on the ethics and opens many questions about the future of genetics. As our scientific knowledge and skills will continue to improve, it's less a question of if a new form of eugenics will happen or not, but rather, when and how it will happen.