‘We use words like sister and aunt as if they describe rigid laws of biology,’ Zimmer writes, ‘but these laws are really only rules of thumb. Under the right conditions, they can be readily broken.’ This is clear if you widen the lens, as Zimmer so artfully does, to explore multiple channels of heredity, including the microbiome, epigenetics and culture. Along the way, he reveals that the way we talk about heredity...isn’t linked to science at all. At every turn, Zimmer tries to complicate the concept of heredity and challenge received wisdom about why we are the way we are ... She Has Her Mother’s Laugh is brimming with...surprising discoveries; and the cumulative effect is a radical destabilization of the boundaries conventionally drawn around the individual, families, and even the human species ... Zimmer does not attempt to erase the concept of race as a meaningful category, and his skilfull handling of the subject is a welcome contribution to current contentious discussions of race and genetics.
...[an] extraordinary new book ... She Has Her Mother’s Laugh particularly shines when it comes to engaging with the notion of race, a topic once again pushed to the forefront of public discourse ... This book is Zimmer at his best: obliterating misconceptions about science with gentle prose ... Any fan of his previous books or his journalism will appreciate this work. But so, too, will parents wishing to understand the magnitude of the legacy they’re bequeathing to their children, people who want to grasp their history through genetic ancestry testing and those seeking a fuller context for the discussions about race and genetics so prevalent today.
Unlike previous books, which focused almost exclusively on the mysteries entwined in our DNA, Zimmer chooses heredity as his subject, which includes nongenetic arcs as well. He commences with vivid historical anecdotes ... For all the rich cultural ground Zimmer covers, She Has Her Mother’s Laugh shines supernova-bright as he teases out the genomic threads of heredity. Mendel’s Law, epigenetic influences, the revolutionary CRISPR molecules — they’re all here, painted in the nuanced tones of a Renaissance master ... Zimmer’s medical investigations unfold with the suspense and flair of a novel ... a lush, enthralling book that transforms the reader with its insights.
His approach is dangerously encyclopedic — my copy of the book weighs several pounds — because he chooses (rightly, in my view) to combine the history of the field with a detailed account of current developments ... [Zimmer] does a good job of avoiding the encyclopedia trap, larding his account with plenty of colorful stories. At times, however, he does get mired in overly long stories while trying to give the book a folksy feel ... The strength of the book, then, is its combination of accuracy, journalistic clarity and scientific authority ... Zimmer’s book is an excellent way to get up to speed in these areas, but be aware that there are a couple of recent competitors that give much the same information.
... a grand and sprawling book ... Along the way, the book provides many amusing historical anecdotes and important scientific insights ... Some of the most fascinating material Zimmer covers concerns the phenomena of mosaicism and chimerism ... As bizarre as chimeras might seem, they represent only the surface waters of Zimmer’s deep dive into the nature of inheritance...
If ever a book were to be called magisterial, this one is ... He is the first journalist to have his entire genome analyzed by cutting–edge researchers, the results of which he shares with readers ... Zimmer is an excellent storyteller. Absorbing tales do double duty in laying out details of basic biology, historical discoveries, and complicated research. His ease with narrative makes the book hard to put down in places, a rarity in science writing.
Mr. Zimmer, a New York Times science columnist and author, is careful and well-informed. So when he says that research is overturning things you were taught in biology classes, he’s worth heeding. Acquired traits can be inherited. Biological time can turn backward. And monsters are real ... You may also think that you’re just one person. But are you? ... We’re just another pervert. A smart one, but a copycat. We study viruses to learn how to hack cells. We study bacteria to learn how to edit chromosomes. We study gene drives to understand how to rig organisms to pass down the traits we want. Maybe we’ll learn to do these things more powerfully than our predecessors did. But nature has seen such tricks before.
We use words like sister and aunt as if they describe rigid laws of biology,' says Zimmer in his fascinating—though overlong—exploration of the glorious complexities of human heredity. 'But these laws are really only rules of thumb. Under the right conditions, they can be readily broken.' To illustrate these points, Zimmer highlights other cases of human chimeras as well as examples of children who have been found to possess tissue that contains colonies of cells belonging to other individuals, often their mothers or fathers ... The legacy of early geneticists is also a matter of concern for Zimmer ... Zimmer is deftly persuasive in exposing their iniquities. Yes, intelligence has a degree of heritability to it, but it is anything but straightforward in operation.
...alongside this trajectory of stunning progress, readers trace a history of misconceptions about heredity ... Zimmer challenges the widespread misconception that DNA alone determines human identity, adducing compelling evidence that the way genes express themselves depends on environment, nutrition, and even culture. A wide-ranging and eye-opening inquiry into the way heredity shapes our species.
[The Book's] Mini-biographies paint powerful pictures ... She Has Her Mother’s Laugh is packed full of learning, and years of work. Some of the science around genetic diseases is a little hard to follow, and readers may find the story of Zimmer’s own genome to be too much like navel gazing... But the book offers clear insights into a fast-moving area, and asks big questions.
A fascinating journey through the history of heredity ... A thoroughly enchanting tour of big questions, oddball ideas, and dazzling accomplishments of researchers searching to explain, manipulate, and alter inheritance.
In a magnificent work exploring virtually all aspects of heredity, journalist Zimmer masterfully blends exciting storytelling with first-rate science reporting ... Zimmer’s writing is rich, whether he’s describing the history of the field or examining the latest research and ethical issues certain to arise. His book is as engrossing as it is enlightening.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay[/caption]
