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Book Review: Mendel's Dwarf. By Simon Mawer. Harmony Books, New York, 1998, 288 pp., $23.00 (hardback)

Book Review: Mendel's Dwarf. By Simon Mawer. Harmony Books, New York, 1998, 288 pp., $23.00... Journal of Genetic Counseling, Vol. 7, No. 3, 1998 Book Review Mendel's Dwarf. By Simon Mawer. Harmony Books, New York, 1998, 288 pp., $23.00 (hardback). This is a thrilling novel. I'm still pondering the events and the actions of the characters that led up to the final scene. And I marvel at Simon Mawer's skill at creating this very convincing fictional account of the life and love, and rise and fall, of Ben Lambert. But the book is not just about Ben Lambert. It is about genetics, in- cluding Gregor Mendel, his pea experiments, and his discovery of the prin- ciples of inheritance, as well as the development and use of molecular techniques for mapping and cloning genes. It is also about how genetic information can be used, such as for prenatal diagnosis or the practice of eugenics. Finally, the book is about what it is like to have a visible genetic condition, specifically, achondroplasia. In order to accommodate all of these themes, Simon Mawer cleverly created his main character, Ben Lam- bert, to be (1) the great-great-great nephew of Mendel, (2) a molecular geneticist looking for the gene for achondroplasia, and (3) a man who has achondroplasia. What http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Genetic Counseling Wiley

Book Review: Mendel's Dwarf. By Simon Mawer. Harmony Books, New York, 1998, 288 pp., $23.00 (hardback)

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Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
© National Society of Genetic Counselors, Inc.
eISSN
1573-3599
DOI
10.1023/A:1022851424843
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Journal of Genetic Counseling, Vol. 7, No. 3, 1998 Book Review Mendel's Dwarf. By Simon Mawer. Harmony Books, New York, 1998, 288 pp., $23.00 (hardback). This is a thrilling novel. I'm still pondering the events and the actions of the characters that led up to the final scene. And I marvel at Simon Mawer's skill at creating this very convincing fictional account of the life and love, and rise and fall, of Ben Lambert. But the book is not just about Ben Lambert. It is about genetics, in- cluding Gregor Mendel, his pea experiments, and his discovery of the prin- ciples of inheritance, as well as the development and use of molecular techniques for mapping and cloning genes. It is also about how genetic information can be used, such as for prenatal diagnosis or the practice of eugenics. Finally, the book is about what it is like to have a visible genetic condition, specifically, achondroplasia. In order to accommodate all of these themes, Simon Mawer cleverly created his main character, Ben Lam- bert, to be (1) the great-great-great nephew of Mendel, (2) a molecular geneticist looking for the gene for achondroplasia, and (3) a man who has achondroplasia. What

Journal

Journal of Genetic Counseling – Wiley

Published: Jun 1, 1998

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