What would you do if you knew you had a genetic predisposition for a horrible, painful disease that would lead to death in a short amount of time? In recent years, there have been several advances in the genomics field that allow people to find out this information. If you find out, then what do you do with it?
The Family Gene is about a young woman whose great-grandmother, uncle and father all develop very similar symptoms and then die a painful, uncomfortable death. After years of putting pieces together from family histories and the assistance of medical researchers, this young woman learns that this illness is genetic.
I loved that this story presented quite a bit of scientific information - think of Mendel and the colored flowers - and presented it in an interesting and informative fashion. My heart goes out to the author and her family for having to go through all of this. I honestly have to say this is one of the best written books that I've read in quite a while. I would highly recommend this to anyone who has any genetic diseases that run in their family. - Rosanna (Administration)
A book like this might get you thinking about health or about your own family history. Check out the library's resources for Health and Genealogy.