Rating: 
Summary: A wonderful story of how science is done
Review: As a gardener, I love the story of a monk who loves gardening founding the science of genetics -- and it's a good story. As a mother and sometimes teacher, I love the fact that Mendel was a lousy test-taker and didn't do well in school as a result -- and still became the founder of genetics.(He became a monk to get an education, as I recall--or was it to do his plant breeding work? I don't remember that detail.) At a time when overachievement is a sickness, this tale of a man who loves his numbers becoming obsessed about patterns in pea reproduction stumbling on the secret to a whole modern industry is tonic. And the whole second half of the book, which is the story about how his discoveries were lost and found and became the center of a story of science politics, are simply fascinating. I am a little puzzled at the reader who complained there was no original research. You don't even have to read the book to know the author went to Brno. On C-Span Books the author explained about how when she was at the monastery in Brno she learned about the "secret" door in the monastery's formal library and went through to the room in back where the monks actually studied and did their work -- and how it was from that window that they probably shouted out to Mendel in his garden, thereby explaining one piece of the puzzle about why people thought he fudged his numbers and why he probably didn't. Far more interesting to me, in some ways, was realizing that this was a time when religion supported science and science was something the average gardener could get involved in and would then talk about in a local talk -- in the days before people were glued to their tv sets -- when science and religion weren't seen as adversaries, as they appear to be in Kansas. A good read.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining and well researched
Review: Henig provides a gripping account of the life and work of Gregor Mendel with just enough speculation to make this scientific biography read like a novel. After describing Mendel's work and his dissapointment in the lack of impact his results had during his own lifetime, she gives an account of the battles around Mendel's "rediscovery" that ranks among the best tales of cut-throat scientific intrigue. The author's appreciation for science and admiration for single-minded scientific genius and attention to detail shows throughout her account. She has a sound appreciation of both the promise and the ethical dilemmas provided by modern genetic discoveries (which she really only expounds upon in the final chapter). My only complaint would be that she provides no insight into the spiritual life of the "monk in the garden", something many readers might expect given the title of the book. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in the science, the history of science or the biography of outstanding individuals.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining and well researched
Review: Henig provides a gripping account of the life and work of Gregor Mendel with just enough speculation to make this scientific biography read like a novel. After describing Mendel's work and his dissapointment in the lack of impact his results had during his own lifetime, she gives an account of the battles around Mendel's "rediscovery" that ranks among the best tales of cut-throat scientific intrigue. The author's appreciation for science and admiration for single-minded scientific genius and attention to detail shows throughout her account. She has a sound appreciation of both the promise and the ethical dilemmas provided by modern genetic discoveries (which she really only expounds upon in the final chapter). My only complaint would be that she provides no insight into the spiritual life of the "monk in the garden", something many readers might expect given the title of the book. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in the science, the history of science or the biography of outstanding individuals.
Rating: 
Summary: A friend of Mendel
Review: I was happy to learn more of Mendel's research, specifically, and generally tohave it placed within the context of the changes of thought that were taking place before, during, and after his time that led to our present understanding of genetics and heredity. Henig is obviously a careful, thorough researcher. In fact, a couple of times, she tried so hard to understand the thought and scientific processes that it became a little bit tedious, but not too bad, because it was interesting. However, two statements cause me to have to give her only three stars instead of five. Two statements tell me that there could be some other errors in the content of the book. Two statements show that Henig does not fully understand the context of history and thought as much as she would like to think she does or as I wish she did, because I'd like to know the truth about this story better. Henig stated once that Erasmus Darwin was a "scandalous womanizer" and a "devout Christian". On another page, Henig stated something to the effect that Christians think that God created species as we find them now (or at whatever point in history "Christians" supposedly thought that). These two statements document Henig's lack of research into what real, bonafide Christians are and think. Therefore, although she tried very hard to give an accurate historical chain of thought, there are weak links in Henig's chain. Possibly most of it is accurate, but certainly not all of it. I had hoped to really understand Mendel and his peers better. Now I still do not know exactly what to think. Nevertheless, I will say that I like Henig's writing, depth, attention to detail, and good detective work. I just know that she has limits in her own understanding. Next time she mentions Christians, I hope she will do as much homework as she does in other areas. There are hundreds of scientists and professionals who are real Christians who would point out that maybe someone erroneously using the name made claims that did not represent the majority of Christians. Careful distinctions need to be made here, as in anything else.
Rating:
Summary: In the beginning . . .
Review: It is easy to ignore Mendel. Genetics as a science is exploding with new data and ideas almost daily. And, it is not just the science that understandably captures our interest. The scientists themselves have drawn attention from biographers and historians who have churned out volumes on those working in the field today. The life and personalities of Watson and Crick, more recently Craig Venter of Celera, and others attract media notice, quite independent of their work and scientific contributions. Against contemporary practioners,the life and times of a patience, deliberative and plodding monk just can't seem to compete for air time. But, before you conclude that Mendel is the C-SPAN of genetics, read The Monk in the Garden. In this well-written and graceful volume by Robin Marantz Henig, the complexity of Mendel's life emerges fully. Fraught with insecurity; beleagured almost throughout his life by a depression that could leave him immobilized; ignored by jealous rivals: Henig's Mendel can capture the attention of contemporary readers every bit as much as the scientists currently standing on his shoulders. After all, as Henig writes, "Had he not made that start, however tentative, who can say how genetics would have begun instead -- or even when." The Monk in the Garden is worth knowing.
Rating:
Summary: In the beginning . . .
Review: It is easy to ignore Mendel. Genetics as a science is exploding with new data and ideas almost daily. And, it is not just the science that understandably captures our interest. The scientists themselves have drawn attention from biographers and historians who have churned out volumes on those working in the field today. The life and personalities of Watson and Crick, more recently Craig Venter of Celera, and others attract media notice, quite independent of their work and scientific contributions. Against contemporary practioners,the life and times of a patience, deliberative and plodding monk just can't seem to compete for air time. But, before you conclude that Mendel is the C-SPAN of genetics, read The Monk in the Garden. In this well-written and graceful volume by Robin Marantz Henig, the complexity of Mendel's life emerges fully. Fraught with insecurity; beleagured almost throughout his life by a depression that could leave him immobilized; ignored by jealous rivals: Henig's Mendel can capture the attention of contemporary readers every bit as much as the scientists currently standing on his shoulders. After all, as Henig writes, "Had he not made that start, however tentative, who can say how genetics would have begun instead -- or even when." The Monk in the Garden is worth knowing.
Rating:
Summary: A fascinating biography of Gregor Mendel
Review: Robin Marantz Henig's Monk In The Garden provides a fascinating biography of Gregor Mendel, who led a quiet life and yet became the little-known father of genetics. His life and times and his work with plants provide a compelling story.
Rating:
Summary: A fascinating account of a life and an idea
Review: This book is a vivid picture of a not-so-vivid genius. Henig's ability to make her subject come alive is impressive. In a graceful and entertaining style, she shows his diligent, painstaking work and his very human qualities; there's nothing dry about this book. I particularly enjoyed the byways Henig took me down. She provides fascinating details about not only Mendel but also other scientists and scientific controversies, both during Mendel's life and afterwards. She sets the stage brilliantly, I think, and shows the repercussions of Mendel's work with lively portraits of men like Bateson and Weldon. I would recommend this book heartily, both to people in the field (such as my son, who is a geneticist) and to people who like a good read about a major figure and an important era in scientific history.
Rating: 
Summary: A thoroughly enjoyable read
Review: This book is a wonderful historical account of how
Gregor Mendel, the father of modern genetics, came
about to describe the units of heredity.
The story is not only of one monk's personal struggle
to be recognized as a notable and respected scientist
and teacher, but also one of other scientists'
motivations (selfish and unselfish) for scientific
excellence and recognition.
Mendel had to overcome many social and political
challenges along the way to his discovery. Even after
his death, others fought difficult battles for him in
order for Mendel's thoughts to be accepted as the truth,
and to have Mendel himself recognized for his awesome
achievement. The man was truly a genius.
The author does an incredible job compiling the
information available on Mendel, as well as building a
timeline and social environment that allows the reader
to feel as if he/she were truly in the time of Mendel.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable read.
Now the warts...
1. I was a bit disappointed in not getting a more clear
discussion of the concepts Mendel was working with.
The fact that Mendel started out with a clear plan
of attack and then systematically developed a model
that later led to his theory well after he made his
observations was simply posed as a question of whether
he had foresight to do the experiments. It really doesn't
matter, but the answer is obviously yes. He knew what he
was doing. His scientific inquiry and application of
mathematical concepts to the study of heredity was
revolutionary, yet overlooked. He was not ahead of his
time, but rather his peers (and many scientists today)
were (and are) not thinking in Mendel's mathematical terms.
Others were preoccupied with the physical world, but
Mendel was only concerned with the mathematical.
Try to describe the law of gravity to someone and you
will get a nod of understanding as you drop an apple
to the ground. But, try to describe the same using a
mathematical equation...and you will get a blank look,
I guarantee it...just try it for yourself.
2. It seems as if the writer was working with a pencil
(or word processor) in one hand and a thesaurus in the
other. There are so many obscure vocabulary words that
it disrupts the flow of thought. This is just great if
you would like to use the book for teaching high school
students, which may actually be the intent - note the
reference to the author's teenage daughter - but is
very distracting to most other people. In addition, the
flow of thought is interrupted by many long parenthetical
discussions. Sometimes, you just lose sight of the topic.
If you put the book down in mid-chapter, be prepared to
re-read the whole chapter again. I ended up skimming the
entire book several times after reading through the first
time, so I was sure I was getting the whole story.
If you want to use the book as a study guide for the
vocabulary portion of the S.A.T., scrabble championship,
or for jeopardy, you may want to look up the definitions
of words from this short list beforehand:
acerbic
acumen
apogee
apostatic
banal
cacophony
chafed
churlish
comported
dioecious
ecclesiastical
erstwhile
exegesis
heretical
ignominy
imperious
macabre
marshalled
misanthrope
paean
parson
pedagogy
polemic
prescient
propitious
quixotic
rubric
slake
sojourn
stolidity
talisman
tweedy
vituperative
waggish
3. There are some obvious mistakes (typographical or
otherwise) that a geneticist would see immediately, but
may be confusing for someone trying to learn genetics
and reading this book. For example, on page 90, there is
a discussion of dominance that had me scratching my head,
and I have Ph.D. in molecular genetics! Also, on page
240, line 8, replace the word "phenotype" with "genotype"
and you will understand the authors point.
4. Skip the epilogue. Why pontificate about what might be
if Mendel had not done his gardening? Would we be better off
without atomic warheads? What about antibiotics? Hmmm....
Wait...the book is about something entirely different.
Rating:
Summary: Light but passable overview of the founding of genetics
Review: This breezily written biography portrays not only Mendel but also his "rediscoverers" (Hugo de Vries, Karl Correns) and the scientists (Raphael Weldon, T. H. Morgan, and especially William Bateson) who, two decades after his death, quarreled over the applicability of his now-famous findings. Readers looking for an introduction to the science itself will be disappointed, however, since the book offers only a cursory introduction. The biography is lean, because very little is known about Mendel himself. The author resorts to imagining probable scenes from his life: "In a corner of the monastery garden, Mendel huddled myopically over rows of greening plants." "His curly brown hair thinning around his widening face, Mendel sat at the oak writing table in the orangery, where the air was warm and lushly fragrant." You either enjoy this sort of thing, or you don't--but I can report that at least Henig does not invent dialogue. By far the more interesting part of the book is the second half, which conveys the quarrels and intrigues by which Mendel and his publications were rediscovered and illuminated by a gaggle of ego-driven scientists bent on proving each other wrong. It's fun reading, if a little disheartening, but it's nice to know that the dead man wins. Overall, "The Monk in the Garden" is a decent historical introduction to the founding of genetics, but not much more.
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