“The Song of the Cell” by Siddhartha Mukherjee – Book Review
If you want to learn about biology without having (too many) flashbacks to high school science class, start here. The Song of the Cell is a beautifully written and remarkably easy to understand survey of cell biology, from the discovery of cells in the 1600s to important medical issues today.
Summary
In early chapters, author Siddhartha Mukherjee shares the history of cell research, highlighting the wonder of scientific discovery and getting us oriented to the basics of cells. In the 1600s, a Dutch textile merchant named Antonie van Leeuwenhoek got curious and used his microscope meant for examining cloth fibers to look at water droplets instead. He was amazed by the tiny, wriggling “animalcules” he saw within: one-celled organisms and some of the earliest evidence we had that animals are made up of these building blocks. Later, as scientists noted the similarities between cells in humans, animals, and plants, debates raged about whether humans could be made up of the same basic building blocks as other beings (the horror!), and whether bodies could be explained as collections of cells or whether bodies are more than the sum of their parts (the jury is still out on that one).
The second half of the book dives into current scientific issues, including everything from heart health and IVF to the benefits and ethical dilemmas of gene editing. Mukherjee uses cell behavior to shed light on heart disease and cholesterol build up, as well as Alzheimer’s. He describes current challenges in cell research, including controversy about gene editing and the limits we want to set on manipulating cells. Comparing this to The Code Breaker, a deep-dive into gene editing research, I suspect that The Song of the Cell glosses over some of the current issues – but that’s fine since the book is designed to be a sampler of many topics.
Mukherjee wraps up by saying that while we’ve now broken the science down to this key building block, the cell, and have a good understanding of how individual cells operate, we now need to build back up to understand how cells coordinate within our bodies, the holistic view. It’s an interesting and hopeful conclusion.
Review
One of the better science books I’ve read recently: approachable, useful, and enjoyable. Of course I didn’t absorb plenty of the details, but the narrative style and clear explanations helped me get a lot out of the book overall.
My goal picking this up was to learn about the history of cell science and the scientific method. The book delivered. It conveyed the joy and wonder of discovery, from knowledge that seems obvious to us now (cells exist!) to current, cutting-edge research. Tidbits about scientists’ personalities and quirks bring the history to life.
The bonus I wasn’t expecting is that in talking about current research, Mukherjee connects basic cell science to health issues many of us or our loved ones face, including cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s. After reading this foundation, I feel better-equipped to read and understand more about health.
Read it or skip it?
Read this if you’re interested in science history and current research and want an approachable, mid-level read. Even though I didn’t love high school biology, I remembered most of the terms in the book from it, and that gave me enough of a head-start to understand this.
Skip it if you’re an advanced science reader. My guess is this overview of many topics will be a bit too basic for you.
Still on the fence? The other recent life sciences book I’ve read was The Code Breaker, by Walter Isaacson. The Song of the Cell is a science-focused sampler of many topics in cell biology, with personal narrative and personalities adding flavor. The Code Breaker is people-focused, exploring the creative process a few scientists followed to achieve key discoveries. For me, The Song of the Cell is the clear winner, both more enjoyable and more useful.
Rating
Overall: 4 stars – great science read
Audiobook: 4 stars – good, clear narration
About the author
A busy cancer physician and researcher, Siddhartha Mukherjee has written a few books now. His book about cancer, The Emperor of All Maladies, won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize (and it’s going on my list to read!).
