THE CANCER-RESEARCHER WANNABE'S BOOKSHELF

Beach time

Wasn't she beautiful?

In my continuing attempt to learn about cancer biology and cancer therapeutics without really studying, I have purchased and read a good many “popular” books.  Perhaps you would like some recommendations?  No thanks, you say?  Well, I’m going to give them to you anyway.  That way you will have no excuse. 

 Those books I have read I will give a  letter grades, just as you would expect from a retired academic.  Some of these books I have not read, usually because I started them and found them dull, annoying, or both.  These get question marks.  I have several more books laying around somewhere which I haven’t even thought about yet, and I get wind of more every week.  I will keep this list up-dated.

Books I particularly recommend are shown in red.

Alphabetical, by author: 

Ackerman, Jennifer, Chance in the House of Fate.  ??.  This falls squarely into the category of “books I started and then abandoned”.  Part science, part poetry, part I-don’t-know-what, this book promises to be tough going – but I bought it, so I’ll read it,  Someday.

Carey, Nessa, The Epigenetics Revolution.  A   Certainly one of the most useful books I have found.  Everything you always wanted to know about heredity but didn’t know whom to ask.  She is bringing out another book next year, and I will be first in line at the bookstore.


Carey, Nessa,  Junk DNA: A Journey Through the Dark Matter of the Genome. B+  Full of important science, but tough going.  I wish she didn't use quite so many hokey analogies. 

BUT, on a second reading things cleared up.  I still had some problems.  Revised grade: A-

Cobb, Matthew:  Life's Greatest Secrets.  C+. Really two books, the firt dull, and second exciting.  Read my review: http://ljb-quiltcutie.blogspot.com/2015/10/do-not-read-this-boookunless.html

DeVita, Vincent T. (& daughter), The death of cancer.  A-  This is a great book, both entertaining and educational.  It is a skillful telling of DeVita’s often bloody life in the trench war against cancer.  It ends with some optimistic predictions, a few of which I find improbable.  Buy it.

Francis, Richard, Epigenetics.  C+  Covers much the same ground as Carey’s first book, but with far less style and grace.

Goldacre, Ben, Bad Science.  D+?.  This guy evidently writes a science column for a British newspaper, in which – apparently – he eviscerates stupid scientific ideas.  So far, so good.  However, his style gets on my nerves.  Moreover, there is little about cancer in this book.  Read it at your peril.   

Goodsell, David, The Machinery of Life.  B-?  I have merely thumbed through this book and admired the pictures.  This book contains descriptions of various “things” encountered in organic chemistry, each with its own set of beautiful illustrations.  Not much here about cancer, which may explain why I haven’t really read it.  After cancer is conquered I promise to give it a go.

Greaves, Mel, Cancer, the Evolutionary Legacy.  ??  This also falls into the category of “book I started, then set aside”.  The tropic promises to be interesting, but I find his writing style annoying.

Judson, Horace, The Eighth Day of Creation,  B  This is an excellent history and explanation of developments in biochemistry through what might be called the “heroic era”.  Unfortunately, it was published in 1975 so isn’t up-to-date.  Nevertheless I recommend it to all who are really interested in this stuff, and who has enough time on his or her hands.

Leaf, Clifton, The Truth in Small Doses.  A+  I have effused about this book before, so chances are you already know what I think about it.  In this book Leaf explains why we are not winning the war on cancer, despite having spent enough money on it to finance several modern shooting wars!  He is absolutely right, and this book is absolutely essential.  Go buy it forthwith.

Mukherjee, Siddhartha, The Emperor of all Maladies  , A-.  This is another very valuable book, heavy to the history of cancer and our response to it.  It is very hard to read in places, not because of difficult language but because the subject matter is so gruesome.   Mukherjee is a cancer researcher; I hope he has time left over to write a sequel.  How about a summary  of new therapies and their likelihood of success, Sidd?

Parrington, John, The Deeper Genome, B-.  Another book on the true nature of "junk" DNA.  Mostly a tough slog, but with redeeming flashes of insight.

Ridley, Matt, The Agile Gene and Genome  C+  Both books are artfully-constructed traipsings  through the world of genetics.  As painless background they are perhaps worth reading, but – cancer-wise – they lead nowhere.

Watson, James, The Double Helix  B+.  This is the classical account of the discovery of the structure of DNA, which lead to genomic studies and eventually to gene therapy in cancer.  Everyone should read it, once.  Watson was a brash little smart-aleck, but a clever one.  , His book is very entertaining – and you will learn some biology reading it.  Please don’t take his tale as typical of the way science is conducted; not then, and certainly not now. 

So, many of these books should be available at any good public library.  Those that aren’t can be purchased cheaply and expeditiously by going to Google, typing in Abe books, and following instructions.  Or, patronize your local bookstore – they probably need the business.