Rating: 
Summary: a very good read
Review: Genetics is were all the important action is in science today. And this is one of the best books you'll read on the subject. Scary how much of ourselves and our lives is pre-programed into organic molecules packed in 26 packages called chromosomes.
Rating:
Summary: Tremendously entertaining, enjoyable romp through genetics
Review: This is the book that I wish Steven Pinker's "How the Mind Works" was. Matt Ridley unfolds the human genome for us in a crisply written and precise "Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters." OK, I don't know what the Hades that means, but this guy is a good writer, a smart scientist, and a friendly teacher of what is a really cool, but intimidating, branch of learning.Ridley's got a little shtick, which he openly mocks himself, where his 23 chapters each represent one of the 23 human chromosomes. It's kind of an interesting little angle, you want to like this guy, anyway, so the shtick mostly works, although I don't really have a sense that each of our 23 chromosomes is a particular type of chromosome at the end of it. Genome is a lot of good science explained with a clear, well-constructed hand. In an excellent seven-page introduction, Ridley answered for me all sorts of questions that my scientifically-literate yet communication-challenged science friends have been unable to answer, to wit: "Imagine that the genome is a book. There are twenty-three chapters, called Chromosomes.
Each chapter contains several thousand stories, called Genes.
Each story is made up of paragraphs, called Exons, which are interrupted by advertisements called Introns.
Each paragraph is made up of words, called Codons.
Each word is written in letters called Bases." Very nicely done, brings it to an understandable level for the literate layperson, and establishes a very solid foundation from which he is able to unfold the rest of this story. He handles the basic science very well, and mostly shys away from the "Believe It or Not!" school of science reporting, though the occasional oddity does pop up. One thing I found fascinating is the existence of "chimeras." Which is one creature ( a human, a mouse, anything) that has two different genomes in it: "Think of them as the opposite of identical twins: two different genomes in one body, instead of two different bodies with the same genome." This means that you could be the single body of two different people that had accidentally fused in the womb. Really weird thought experiment, no? He places humans and our development in the context of our nearest genetic cousins - the chimpanzees and the gorillas and so forth. And elucidates a number of compare and contrast thoughts: "What it means is that the mating system of the species was changing. The promiscuity of the chimp, with its short sexual liaisons, and the harem polygamy of the gorilla, were being replaced with something much more monogamous: a declining ratio of sexual dimorphism is unambiguous evidence for that." Ridley's wordcraft is superior. Enjoy all the learning, implications, and human foibles he packs into this one sentence on language acquisition: "Thus, although no other primate can learn grammatical language at all - and we are indebted to many diligent, sometimes gullible and certainly wishful trainers of chimpanzees and gorillas for thoroughly exhausting all possibilities to the contrary - language is intimately connected with sound production and processing." It is really just masterful. Even more enjoyable if you read it in an English accent on account of Ridley's living there according to the dust jacket. In sum, if you are looking for an introduction to genetics, DNA, and our genome, and are the omnivore type of reader with a decent head on your shoulders, this book is for you. I enjoyed it tremendously and it's given me a very good grounding for my further reading into evolutionary psychology. Enjoy strongly!
Rating:
Summary: Informative and engaging.
Review: A great book, throwing light on the discoveries of genetics for those who aren't scientists. Chapter by chapter, he illustrates the roles that DNA plays in health, immunity, allergies, cancer, reproduction, race, substance abuse, and more, explaining historical beliefs, case studies and modern discoveries, and slowing explaining how DNA operates along the way. And he manages to always keep it easy to understand, without requiring too much of a knowledge of science. If you like to feel like you've learned a little something when you finish a book, I highly recomend it.
Rating:
Summary: Reflections on 'Genome'
Review: Matt Ridley's Genome is a very important piece of Science literature that should be read especially by people who are somewhat ignorant on the subject of human genetics. This is exactly why I decided to read Genome. In 23 Chapters, Ridley sheds light on some important implications that sequencing the Genome will have on humanity in the next several years. His explanations are easy to comprehend. He excites the reader on the potential insight genomics can provide about human origin, alzeimer's, sexuality, and yes...even free will among other subjects. The real genius in this work lies on Matt Ridley's ability to make science accessible to the layperson. He also outlines the potential ethical and political implications that will arrive as we continue to make discoveries that are no longer dreams, but instead, closer to becoming a reality. One problem with genetics today is that most of the population, including politicians, investors, economists, philosophers, have a Mendelian understanding of Genetics. Genome is a must read for someone who is just gaining interest in the Genetics or to politicians, lawyers and people in the Biotech. industry who in concert will have to make some important ethical and political decisions with each new innovation that arises in Genomics.
Rating:
Summary: Finally, a science book for everyone!
Review: I have always been interested in biology and genetics. The problem with reading on these subjects, however, has generally been that they are written by scientists (apparently for other scientists). Matt Ridley has managed to write a book which is accessible to everyone. Whether you've never studied science or work in the field, Genome is a book you will enjoy. The explanations of scientific terms are clear and many examples are given throughout, so that you are never confused. You will be amazed at how much you will learn about the human body, and about what makes us tick.
Rating:
Summary: Marvellous, Fascinating and Worth Reading of Century
Review: I recently finished this book and I have been astonished to see how much I have learned in few days. I would bet even the people who are researching their niche areas in genomics/genetics and bio sciences, psychology and human bahavior would benefit from this book. This condenses tonnes of information on cutting edge research on life. Ridley is clearly one of the most prolific writers of our times and he has certainly spent an awful amount of time and energy researching, talking and finding pertinent information on these important topics. Moreover most of the information is current, and I can understand the pain he must have gone through to find most up to date research. The chapter I liked most was on intelligence where he provides ample history of research going back to start of last century and how the idea of intelligence is being redefined by genomic research. That is not to say that other chapters are any less. Each chapter reads like a mystery novel with a fine ending. I would urge Mr. Ridley to write more on this subject, I am sure biology, psychology and ecology are being redefined each day now with genome studies and we would be thrilled to know more about these fascinating subjects. One word of caution though, Ridley had perhaps an intelligent reader in mind, and so you would need to work through the book. This is not a genomics-for-dummies and I appreciate the fact that Ridley did not compromize on quality, depth or nice words (easy vocabalury) to please a mass audience. Get it if you have a slightest interest in knowing yourself, you wouldn't regret it.
Rating: 
Summary: What a piece of work is man
Review: I picked up this book hoping for something akin to 'Genetics for Dummies.' For Dummies it wasn't but I really appreciated Ridley's plain and simple language and the story examples he gave which kept me engaged. This science book left me totally overwhelmed and feeling rather philosophical about what it is to be human. I definitely recommend it to anyone who has a burning curiosity about his/her nature--whether it be from a spiritual, scientific, intellectual or scientific level...
Rating:
Summary: Stimulating
Review: A real brain warmer. Ridley's book discusses a few (perhaps too few?) of the genes that help explain who we are, what we are. It is a fascinating account of the process by which chemicals align themselves and manufacture the proteins that make us living beings. Each chapter focuses on one gene on each chromosome, and despite the real lack of understanding as to how they work, tries to provide an understanding of what that gene's function is and how the gene may be responsible for a particular trait or problem, such as a disease. I look very much forward to Ridley's next book.
Rating:
Summary: I Wish All Science Books Were As Clear
Review: I will keep it short. This is a great book. As a physical scientist, genes and DNA have always been a bit of a mystery to myself. This is a wonderful and comprehensive introduction and best yet - easy to read - a page turner. The subject is well presented but sobering - well done. Bought three copies for the family members. Jack in Toronto
Rating: 
Summary: entertaining book
Review: This book contains quite a few interesting chapters.
There are not that many introductory level books about genome available, therefore I would recommend this one. I would mention, though, that the author's way of writing was sometimes irritating with his use of the clumsy expressions such as "thousand millions", "million millennia", etc.. Other than that the book was fun to read.
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