Ah! This is one no less than an exhaustive book in itself. I had always been intrigued by the essence of the term called ‘Cancer’ and wanted something to dig deep into. And I found this gem. Siddhartha Mukherjee has done a wonderful job in coming up with this book that is all about this dreaded disease.

Look at the title, it is so catchy and such a perfect symbolism. This is a huge book that needs to be read inattention. It is more of a compilation of the history of cancer. It talks about the early cases, detection and remedies of cancer that were sought out. It enlists various cases describing how the research on cancer progressed and how the concept of ‘chemotherapy’ came into existence. Sidney Farber is known as the father of chemotherapy.

It gives insights into how the understanding of a cellular disease as this gradually evolved. This was in accordance with the several attempts that were made to have people get cured of this deadly disease. The author primarily mentions quite a handful of cases of leukemia and also talks about other forms of cancer.

This book is a great guide towards understanding;

~ What cancer is all about?
~ What causes cancer?
~ How the medicines/cure for cancer came up?
~ What techniques had been sought after and/or are still relevant towards treating cancer?

I am in awe of this book that introduced me to a different world of cells and genetics. I could relate how the author talked about the symptoms that develop or become observable which eventually get diagnosed as ‘cancer’.

There has been an extensive study on this and this book clearly highlights as to where are we when it comes to cancer treatment. There is still a long way to go in order to make this world cancer-free.

A highly recommended book, especially for all those who find the field of medicine and/or genetics highly enticing!

Happy Reading! 🙂