A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived: The Human Story Retold Through Our Genes

I heard Adam Rutherford on a Peaceful Science podcast and was stimulated to buy this book. I am impressed with how well he writes. I'm not a biologist but found myself getting into the story of humanity Rutherford was telling. I found myself eager to keep reading to see how the story at hand would end. He has an easy style and recognizes that genetic and genomic science is new to many readers and seeks to explain the terms he uses. He helpfully included a glossary of terms in the back which I used often enough to remind myself until I was confident I understood the terms as he later used them. I also appreciated how he situates science in the project of human knowing. Science is ever learning, ever correcting, and so we should need to keep revisiting the story science tells of humanity as "we" learn more.I very much enjoyed Chapter 5, "The End of Race." I think this is a significant chapter for us as we think about current issues of racial injustice. He wrote (p. 218): "Racism is hateful bullying, and a means of reinforcing self-identity at the expense of others: Whatever you are, you're not one of us. If there is on thing that my own torturous family tree demonstrates it is that families make a mockery of racial epithets, and racial definitions as used in common parlance are deeply problematic. Modern genetics has shown just that, too, and I'll be navigating through some of the data on that in the next few pages. But here is the idea I will be investigating: There are no essential genetic elements for any particular group of people who might be identified as a 'race.' As far as genetics is concerned, race does not exist." He brings up and explores the irony that his "The science of genetics was founded specifically on the study of racial inequality, by a racist. The history of my field," Rutherford writes, "is inextricably intertwined with ideas that we now find toxic: racism, empire, prejudice, and eugenics." (p. 219). He later says, still in chapter 5, "Genetically, two black people are more likely to be more different to each other than a black person and a white person." (p. 235) Read that last quotation again. He then says, "In other words, while the physical differences are clearly visible between a white and a black person, the total amount of difference is smaller that between two black people." (p. 235)A few pages later (p. 237) he notes, "The unglamorous truth is that there are but a handful of uniquely human traits that we have clearly demonstrated are adaptations evolved to thrive in specific geographical regions. Skin color is one. The ability to digest milk is another..."I found this to be a timely book, one that I felt I needed to read. But it soon became a fun book that turned out to be a delight to read. As you read this book, you will find yourself as I found myself in the story that Adam Rutherford told. It really is A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived.

A refreshing look at history through the lens of DNA/genes. This book is not a history of everyone who ever lived, but it provides a fairly wide accounting of history examined mainly from genes' point of view. A lot of examples and case studies mentioned the book come from the UK or other European countries, and therefore some readers might feel disconnected at times. Nonetheless, these example provides great insight on how genes throughout history has shaped and continue to shape humans. The book also includes an interesting, and perhaps controversial, discussion of race and how it relates to genes.Overall a recommended read

I highly recommend anyone and everyone reading this book who is even remotely interested in some of the ideas, theories, and current findings concerning the genetic make-up of our species. You do not need to have an extensive scientific background to understand and enjoy this book; Rutherford does an incredible job of explaining complex scientific ideas down to a funny, witty, and clever analysis. His examples and stories are very captivating and unique. I would say that I definitely think about genetics and genomics in a different light after this first read of the novel (I definitely plan to read it again another time)If at first you find yourself overwhelmed and/or bored with the ancestral history in the first few chapters, I would advise you to still continue to chapters that tackled ideas about race, media coverage of science and genetics, genetic disease, inbreeding, and relevance of the genealogy tests.This book is also great for introductory biology, genetics, genomics, or health classes. It is definitely an appropriate college read and could be utilized for some AP or upper level high school courses. The chapters are a little long (there are only 8), so definitely set aside some time to read each one in full. I read this book as a part of a genomic class curriculum in college and I thoroughly enjoyed it and definitely felt as if it added a lot of interesting material to talk about in a round table discussion in class.

O autor nos convida para acompanhá-lo numa visão objetiva da nossa evolução

This book is brilliantly written, and supports in a very passionate, but cautious, fashion the role of genes in our very person. The book is captivating and not short of brilliant. A recommended read for 13+ (maybe more suited for 18+).

EXCELENTE LIBRO

This is a fascinating and very readable book. Highly recommended for the general reader, you do not have to be an expert on genetics to really enjoy this book.

Obwohl es ja ein eher wissenschaftliches Werk ist, ist es amüsant geschrieben und angenehm zu lesen. Persönlich hatte ich auch mit dem Englisch keine Probleme, man sollte natürlich der Englischen Sprache mächtig sein. Also, mehr als nur so ein bisschen. Ist auf jeden Fall kein Buch für Englischanfänger oder um diese Sprache zu lernen.