Popular science · History · Medicine and the body
The Gene: An Intimate History
Siddhartha Mukherjee tells the story of genetics from Mendel's peas to modern gene editing, interwoven with his own family's history of mental illness and the ethical questions raised by heredity.
Facts last checked 2026-10-17
- First published
- 2016
- Pace
- Slow
- Length
- Long
- Pages
- 560
- Format
- Standalone
Read this if you want a rich, humane history of genetics with ethical depth.
Skip this if you want a short, technical or purely practical guide to genetics.
The feel
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Quick answers about The Gene: An Intimate History
- What is The Gene: An Intimate History about?
- Siddhartha Mukherjee tells the story of genetics from Mendel's peas to modern gene editing, interwoven with his own family's history of mental illness and the ethical questions raised by heredity.
- Who should read The Gene: An Intimate History?
- Read it if you want a rich, humane history of genetics with ethical depth. Skip it if you want a short, technical or purely practical guide to genetics.
- How long and how fast is The Gene: An Intimate History?
- It is a slow-paced, long read of about 560 pages, first published in 2016.
- Does The Gene: An Intimate History have content warnings?
- Content we flag: Mental illness, Prejudice.
- Can I borrow The Gene: An Intimate History for free?
- Often, yes. Check Libby (OverDrive) to see whether your library lends The Gene: An Intimate History; the borrow button above searches it for you.
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Where to get it
| Store | Price | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Borrow free | ||
| Libby / OverDrive | Free with a library card | Borrow free with Libby from Libby / OverDrive |
| Print, new | ||
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| Ebook | ||
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| Audiobook | ||
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| Audible | Check price | Buy audiobook from Audible |
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