Reviewed by Julie Goodrich
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
By Siddhartha Mukherjee
Scribner Book Company
Pub Date: 03/31/11
$ 30.00
571 pp
Witty, fascinating and complex; this book is riveting. Siddhartha Mukherjee
takes a far deeper look at cancer than has ever been given to the general public:
the awful but intriguing disease that has haunted the human race since the
dawn of time. He discusses the evolution of the disease and the radical, sometimes
unbelieveable ways it has been treated over the years. Chemotherapy, radiation
therapy, molecular biology, bioinformatics, immunology, epidemiology and supercomputers
are just a few of the wide ranging topics that get touched upon, as Mukherjee
discusses all the ways cancer has affected our lives.
Mukherjee is one of those rare scientists who is able to speak so passionately
about a subject, but still hold his readers' attention. It is nice to be
taught by someone so knowledgeable and so very easy to read. The heart-wrenching
tales from his patients, who pepper the historical bits, not only bring the
abstract into focus, but they force the reader to understand more than just
the science; they understand the true magnitude of this generation defining
disease.
One in four of us will experience cancer in our lives. We will fight and
strive against this ancient foe with the help of oncologists, nurses and
ever changing drugs. Any general will tell you that understanding the enemy
is a major key to defeating it. This book is a much-needed biography to help
us conquer cancer.
The Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction is justly deserved here; it would be a
shame to miss it. CV
