The Human Genome, Second Edition: A User's Guide (Elsevier Science in Society)

The Human Genome, Second Edition: A User's Guide (Elsevier Science in Society)
Julia E. Richards,R. Scott SH Hawley | 2004-10-21 00:00:00 | Academic Press | 480 | Social Sciences
This second edition of a very successful text reflects the tremendous pace of human genetics research and the demands that it places on society to understand and absorb its basic implications. The human genome has now been officially mapped and the cloning of animals is becoming a commonplace scientific discussion on the evening news. Join authors Julia Richards and Scott Hawley as they examine the biological foundations of humanity, looking at the science behind the sensation and the current and potential impact of the study of the genome on our society.

The Human Genome, Second Edition is ideal for students and non-professionals, but will also serve as a fitting guide for the novice geneticist by providing a scientific, humanistic, and ethical frame of reference for a more detailed study of genetics.

New in this edition:
· 60% new material, including data from the Human Genome Project and the latest genetics and ethics discussions
· Several new case studies and personal stories that bring the concepts of genetics and heredity to life
· Simplified treatment of material for non-biology majors
· New full-color art throughout the text
· New co-author, Julia Richards, joins R. Scott Hawley in this revision
Reviews
I had the tremendous honor of being taught genetics by two brilliant scientists at the University of Missouri Kansas City, one of whom was Dr. R. Scott Hawley (the other was Dr. Saul Honigberg). Dr. Hawley's name is regnant in the world of meiotic genetics, and a significant percentage of modern biological knowledge can be found within the many pages he has authored. Not only is Dr. Hawley a brilliant scientist, he is also a gifted story-teller. He has an excellent sense of humor, and he has repeatedly proven he can make a grown man cry with his heart-tugging stories of real people affected by very real disease. He infuses his literature on science and medicine with a dose of compassion, much-needed by students of science, like myself, who spend hours trying to see disease in terms of molecules rather than human faces.



I am not very familar with any other work done by Julie Richards, but if this text is representative of her fare I would say she too is quite gifted.



This is an excellent book.



That said, I would caution anyone who wants a very deep and detailed study of the science of genetics to look elsewhere because this book merely contains the essential molecular information for understanding the rest of the text (it is, after all, "a user's guide," not a PhD-student's guide). Still, it is an excellent, extremely informative read, with some paradigm-shifting perspectives to offer.
Reviews
I am a Genetics student at the University of Kansas with the intent of beginning medical school in August. I strongly feel this text has helped me to be better prepared on this topic. I enjoyed the style in which this book was written since you can almost hear the authors speak directly to you as you're reading. I especially admire and appreciate the authors' human sides come across in the examples that are given. Too bad my other science textbooks aren't as interesting!
Reviews
I personally think that the first edition was unfairly reviewed-A couple of the ridiculously negative reviewers who bashed the book (without providing much explanation or insight) were probably written by former students whom the authors flunked, since the attacks appear personal. Of course, the first edition wasn't perfect, although it was pretty darn good! I recently had a chance to peek at the new, 2nd edition, and was thrilled to see so many improvements. The language is much clearer and easier to follow since the authors use a nice conversational tone and less-technical language. The color art is really impressive and ADDS to the new edition. The book is at least twice as long and packed with current, up-to-date information such as human cloning, the human genome project and genetic diseases. I definitely recommend buying this book!
Reviews
This SECOND EDITION is a major improvement on the first (which was already pretty good). It's an excellent text on modern Human Genetics. Not too overwhelming for non-experts, in fact perfect for the absolute novice, but enough science to really get the gist of the issues. It goes a long way to explaining some difficult concepts that I haven't seen treated correctly elsewhere.
Reviews
I had this text for a MCB 10 (genetics) course at UC Davis in California. I found the science part of it interesting and for the most part helpful. I think the authors really tried to keep the reader's interest, and make a subject that is not always thought of as fascinating a little more light and relevant. People may disagree about including anecdotes in a textbook, but I think the anecdotes, while they may have been out of place, made the book more readable for me. Also, I really admired the way the authors focused on the individual aspects of the disorders they mentioned. As a young woman with Turners Syndrome, I can say that it was very refreshing that for once we were not portrayed as genetic mutants, and that individual differences that occur in any disorder was pointed out. I think it's sad, looking down the reviews, that only the bad reviews were seen as helpful. I would hope that people will give this book a chance.

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