The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human
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- Create Date：2022-11-12 08:51:33
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Siddhartha Mukherjee
- ISBN：1668011905
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Summary
From the author of The Emperor of All Maladies， winner of the Pulitzer Prize， and The Gene， a #1 New York Times bestseller， comes his most spectacular book yet， about the transformation of medicine through our radical new ability to manipulate cells。 Rich with Mukherjee’s revelatory and exhilarating stories of scientists， doctors， and the patients whose lives may be saved by their work， The Song of the Cell is the third book in this extraordinary writer’s exploration of what it means to be human。
Mukherjee begins this magnificent story in the late 1600s， when a distinguished English polymath， Robert Hooke， and an eccentric Dutch cloth-merchant， Antonie van Leeuwenhoek looked down their handmade microscopes。 What they saw introduced a radical concept that swept through biology and medicine， touching virtually every aspect of the two sciences， and altering both forever。 It was the fact that complex living organisms are assemblages of tiny， self-contained， self-regulating units。 Our organs， our physiology， our selves—hearts， blood， brains—are built from these compartments。 Hooke christened them “cells”。
The discovery of cells—and the reframing of the human body as a cellular ecosystem—announced the birth of a new kind of medicine based on the therapeutic manipulations of cells。 A hip fracture， a cardiac arrest， Alzheimer’s dementia， AIDS， pneumonia， lung cancer， kidney failure， arthritis， COVID pneumonia—all could be re-conceived as the results of cells， or systems of cells， functioning abnormally。 And all could be perceived as loci of cellular therapies。
In The Song of the Cell， Mukherjee tells the story of how scientists discovered cells， began to understand them， and are now using that knowledge to create new humans。 He seduces listeners with writing so vivid， lucid， and suspenseful that complex science becomes thrilling。 Told in six parts， laced with Mukherjee’s own experience as a researcher， a doctor， and a prolific reader， The Song of the Cell is both panoramic and intimate—a masterpiece。
Mukherjee begins this magnificent story in the late 1600s， when a distinguished English polymath， Robert Hooke， and an eccentric Dutch cloth-merchant， Antonie van Leeuwenhoek looked down their handmade microscopes。 What they saw introduced a radical concept that swept through biology and medicine， touching virtually every aspect of the two sciences， and altering both forever。 It was the fact that complex living organisms are assemblages of tiny， self-contained， self-regulating units。 Our organs， our physiology， our selves—hearts， blood， brains—are built from these compartments。 Hooke christened them “cells”。
The discovery of cells—and the reframing of the human body as a cellular ecosystem—announced the birth of a new kind of medicine based on the therapeutic manipulations of cells。 A hip fracture， a cardiac arrest， Alzheimer’s dementia， AIDS， pneumonia， lung cancer， kidney failure， arthritis， COVID pneumonia—all could be re-conceived as the results of cells， or systems of cells， functioning abnormally。 And all could be perceived as loci of cellular therapies。
In The Song of the Cell， Mukherjee tells the story of how scientists discovered cells， began to understand them， and are now using that knowledge to create new humans。 He seduces listeners with writing so vivid， lucid， and suspenseful that complex science becomes thrilling。 Told in six parts， laced with Mukherjee’s own experience as a researcher， a doctor， and a prolific reader， The Song of the Cell is both panoramic and intimate—a masterpiece。
Reviews
Craig Coleman
，
Dr。 Mukherjee weaves a splendid story of the cell along with the men and women who have discovered much of its secrets throughout human history。 I am trained in cell biology， so the language and much of the information he shared was familiar。 It may not be so easy for others who have a limited background in science， cell biology and medicine。 Still， I do not think the book is inaccessible to a general audience。 Dr。 Mukherjee is tells much of the story through the lens of cancer biology。 Cancer， Dr。 Mukherjee weaves a splendid story of the cell along with the men and women who have discovered much of its secrets throughout human history。 I am trained in cell biology， so the language and much of the information he shared was familiar。 It may not be so easy for others who have a limited background in science， cell biology and medicine。 Still， I do not think the book is inaccessible to a general audience。 Dr。 Mukherjee is tells much of the story through the lens of cancer biology。 Cancer， after all， is the uncontrolled growth of cells。 If not cancer， then he tends to tell the story from the perspective of what happens to people when cell function， rather than cell growth， goes awry。 He combines this perspective with stories of the efforts of many scientists and doctors to help people whose cells are not behaving properly。 For example， rather than just giving us a description of how sperm and egg join to form a single cell zygote from which all other cells of our bodies arise， he also recounts the efforts expended to develop in vitro fertilization， to assist people not able to have children through natural means。 He writes extensively about cancer immunotherapy and how doctors are using modified cells as weapons against the growth of tumors。 He includes insights into his own experience as a scientist and a human being。 Dr。 Mukherjee's telling of the story of the cell from the perspective of the people who study cells and the people who suffer from the effects of misbehaving cells is refreshing and inspiring。 。。。more
Melissa
，
I very much enjoyed Emperor of All Maladies and The Gene: An Intimate History， so I was excited the read Siddhartha Mukherjee’s newest work。 Unfortunately， this one was just ok for me， possibly because very little of the material in it was new to me。 I will still read anything Mukherjee publishes in the future without hesitation。 He is an outstanding science writer， and there are too few of those among us。
Philemon -
，
Many will like this book。 It's an easy， often chatty read， bearing on the author's many career thoughts， experiences， and amusing adventures。 If what you're looking for is something that drills down into the cell per se， however， its structures， chemistry， and/or evolutionary story， you may need to look elsewhere。 This book has a two chapter section of in vitro fertilization and many other chapters， such as on immunology， that veer into various areas perhaps more macro than some readers might ex Many will like this book。 It's an easy， often chatty read， bearing on the author's many career thoughts， experiences， and amusing adventures。 If what you're looking for is something that drills down into the cell per se， however， its structures， chemistry， and/or evolutionary story， you may need to look elsewhere。 This book has a two chapter section of in vitro fertilization and many other chapters， such as on immunology， that veer into various areas perhaps more macro than some readers might expect or want。 One feels a lack of focus。 Over all， the reading experience suggests that the criteria for inclusion had mainly to do with the author's experiences， what he happened to get involved with， rather than his really trying to cover a chosen area in its totality。 I want a book that honors the underappreciated cell， which took longer to evolve into existence and which arguably may be even a greater achievement than the multi-cell productions that followed。 。。。more
Ed
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Detailed account of cellular biology with some clinical anecdotes sprinkled in。 Even as an undergraduate biology major， there were parts of this book that require more than a cursory read-through。 As with his previous books， we get a glimpse of groundbreaking new treatment modalities including gene editing and immunotherapy。
Pramod Pant
，
Fabulous in conception and as a tale， but the song needs to be carefully heard to find if there are some wrong notes。 Siddhartha Mukherjee gets carried away， sometimes ， as he hurries on poetically with his tale 。 One shouldn’t write too many books - ambitious in scope- in too short a span of time as poetry is not a protective gear in the hard ， factual world of science。 But poetry is really nice if quoted from （ one of my favourites） Coleridge :） 。 And also if The Pilgrims Progress is brought i Fabulous in conception and as a tale， but the song needs to be carefully heard to find if there are some wrong notes。 Siddhartha Mukherjee gets carried away， sometimes ， as he hurries on poetically with his tale 。 One shouldn’t write too many books - ambitious in scope- in too short a span of time as poetry is not a protective gear in the hard ， factual world of science。 But poetry is really nice if quoted from （ one of my favourites） Coleridge :） 。 And also if The Pilgrims Progress is brought into the picture。 Who doesn’t like this pretentious （ only slightly ， we denigrate our own， being so much and so many of the world） Bengali dada ！ That said， the book is exhilarating overall ！ Well done again， Prof ！ 。。。more
Judith
，
I am so fascinated by Mukherjee's writings。 For the most part， he writes so that a lay person can understand what he is imparting。 This book was a little more technical then his other two， but he still got his point across in a very non-medical way。 I will admit that some of his descriptions of cells went over my head。 What I like best about his writing is that he uses his real life experiences with his patients and presents them holistically and not just as their disease。 He also gives the hist I am so fascinated by Mukherjee's writings。 For the most part， he writes so that a lay person can understand what he is imparting。 This book was a little more technical then his other two， but he still got his point across in a very non-medical way。 I will admit that some of his descriptions of cells went over my head。 What I like best about his writing is that he uses his real life experiences with his patients and presents them holistically and not just as their disease。 He also gives the history of the discovery of many diseases and what early researchers encountered along the way of their discovery。 For example， his chapter about the discovery of insulin was about the scientists who discovered it as much as about the process they used in the discovery process。 He also described a murder of one scientist surrounding the discovery of diabetes （？） I believe。 I may be wrong about the disease but the competitiveness of scientists as they pursue the discovery of different diseases is fierce。 Lastly， his last chapter is again about cancer and he calls cancer cells "selfish cells"。 An excellent read if you're so inclined to learn about how our bodies function and the history of how researchers have discovered how our bodies function。 As after reading Mukherjee's other two books， I come away marveling about how our bodies function day in and day out so efficiently and how our various systems cooperate with each other。 It is amazing to me that we all are as healthy as we are！ 。。。more
Juan Rivera
，
Imagine how difficult it was for medieval and Renaissance men to realize that we were not made beings， but that we came from the union of many cells。 And that we were not created as a miniature in our mother's womb， but that we come from a zygote that gave rise to our entire body。 If you want to know more about cell biology， this book by Siddhartha Mukherjee is excellent。 Among the most interesting lessons: 1。 All cells come from other cells （don't ask me where the first cell came from）。 2。 From Imagine how difficult it was for medieval and Renaissance men to realize that we were not made beings， but that we came from the union of many cells。 And that we were not created as a miniature in our mother's womb， but that we come from a zygote that gave rise to our entire body。 If you want to know more about cell biology， this book by Siddhartha Mukherjee is excellent。 Among the most interesting lessons: 1。 All cells come from other cells （don't ask me where the first cell came from）。 2。 From a single cell are made all of the human being。 3。 It is very easy to make colonies of cells that evolve and acquire characteristics。 This evolution has occurred many times in the history of the earth。 4。 All beings in nature come from three orders （prokaryotes， eukaryotes and archaea）， from which everything we know as living beings evolved。 From the prokaryotes come the fungi， plants， vegetables and protists （which does not fit in the above）。 His descriptions of how we grow， repair ourselves， die， the cells that lose control of their reproduction and become carcinogenic are very interesting。 The science book that I liked the most so far this year。 。。。more
Jeff Neuwirth
，
4。5 stars
Keven Wang
，
When Sid releases a new book。 You read it。 Simple as that。 He is a beautiful writer
Hajar Masrour
，
رائع💙。
Lori
，
I had previously worked my way through Siddartha Mukherjee's "Emperor of all Maladies"， so upon hearing he had written another book， eagerly started on "The Song of the Cell"。 Those who are similarly familiar with his previous work shouldn't be surprised with the contents in this book， although this time around， Mukherjee takes a deep dive into the simple cell and how its fundamentals tie to what he terms the "New Human"。As someone who is not a scientist or doctor， I struggled a little bit with I had previously worked my way through Siddartha Mukherjee's "Emperor of all Maladies"， so upon hearing he had written another book， eagerly started on "The Song of the Cell"。 Those who are similarly familiar with his previous work shouldn't be surprised with the contents in this book， although this time around， Mukherjee takes a deep dive into the simple cell and how its fundamentals tie to what he terms the "New Human"。As someone who is not a scientist or doctor， I struggled a little bit with the organization of this book， but Mukherjee prefaces his novel by noting that it is not written in the typical chronological format， but across different categories or features - similar to how a cell itself is structured。 He opens with the initial discovery of the cell， noting various scientists and individuals and their discoveries that built on the scientific foundation。 The novel expands to more complex cellular structures and organisms， and Mukherjee includes several of his own first-hand experiences as a doctor （especially during the COVID-19 pandemic） as well as case studies of individuals and their own experiences with illness。 He closes the novel with some of the more recent developments in medicine， including gene therapy and stem cell research， as well as the complexity of fighting diseases like cancer given the construction of cancer cells and how they invade healthy cells。This novel is incredibly well-researched; it's evident from the opening to the final page （and bibliography！） and I think even readers like me who don't have a medical/science background will benefit from reading it。 It's nonetheless a lengthy and dense read; Mukherjee dives into some complex scientific processes and terminology， and I struggled to keep up with the names and definitions that are brought up at multiple points in the novel。 What I appreciated most were the personal stories - his experiences with patients and even his own family members - that gave better context to the purpose of all these studies and discoveries。Thank you Scribner Publishing for the advance copy of this novel！ 。。。more
Suman Srivastava
，
This is a biology textbook。 But I think all text books should be like this。 I remember reading about cells in class 9 and 10 and being totally frustrated by it。 This guy makes the science so interesting and simple。 He combines his own personal stories， with stories about the scientists with the actual science involved。 Not a dull moment， even when he talking about the interior structure of a cell。 He has quite a gift。
Clayton Ellis
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I am familiar with many of the concepts presented but appreciated the anecdotes， histories， and new inquiries that were presented
Brenda Wright
，
Easy reading but be ready， it is an in-depth look at cells， With no preaching， just the facts in a clever enticing manor。
Crystal Maynard
，
This book was ah-mazing！ Siddharth Mukherjee takes something that is so abstract to most people and explains it in understandable language。 We all learned about the cell in school， but there is so much more to learn， and Mukherjee guides you so effortlessly from its discovery to new cellular therapies。 I am studying to be a nurse， and this book helped me gain a much surer foothold on my knowledge of the cell。 I will now be looking at Mukherjee's other books that I haven't had the pleasure of rea This book was ah-mazing！ Siddharth Mukherjee takes something that is so abstract to most people and explains it in understandable language。 We all learned about the cell in school， but there is so much more to learn， and Mukherjee guides you so effortlessly from its discovery to new cellular therapies。 I am studying to be a nurse， and this book helped me gain a much surer foothold on my knowledge of the cell。 I will now be looking at Mukherjee's other books that I haven't had the pleasure of reading yet， but I am positive that with his sense of storytelling that they will also be as enthralling as The Song of the Cell。I received an electronic ARC via NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review， but I loved it so much that I have purchased the hardcover to have on hand。 I highly， highly recommend this book！ 。。。more
Bala Vinayagam
，
Siddhartha Mukherjee is a gifted story teller and a thought leader in oncology。 This is my third book after Emperor of Maladies and Genes。 First audiobook version of his books。 The book is about an intimate history on cell biology， traversing history to modern day evolution of our understanding of this fundamental building block of us。 Throughout the book he brings the touch of personal stories while making it easier for non medical people with proper metaphors and simple explanations of complex Siddhartha Mukherjee is a gifted story teller and a thought leader in oncology。 This is my third book after Emperor of Maladies and Genes。 First audiobook version of his books。 The book is about an intimate history on cell biology， traversing history to modern day evolution of our understanding of this fundamental building block of us。 Throughout the book he brings the touch of personal stories while making it easier for non medical people with proper metaphors and simple explanations of complex topics。 The narrator has done a great job with varying tones to make the listening easier。 Not to be missed。 Another great book from Siddhartha Mukherjee。 。。。more
Nilesh Jasani
，
In general， genes are counted as the fundamental constituent of our body。 Many popular books are written with it at the center or associated entities like DNA or chromosomes。 One also comes across books that weave the science around RNA or other cell organelles like mitochondria。 A story， and it is a story in the hands of Mr。 Mukherjee， around the cell provides perspectives that are new and useful。 The book does not much rehash the basic genetic concepts， discoveries， and histories typical in mo In general， genes are counted as the fundamental constituent of our body。 Many popular books are written with it at the center or associated entities like DNA or chromosomes。 One also comes across books that weave the science around RNA or other cell organelles like mitochondria。 A story， and it is a story in the hands of Mr。 Mukherjee， around the cell provides perspectives that are new and useful。 The book does not much rehash the basic genetic concepts， discoveries， and histories typical in most other works of the genre。 Also gone are discussions on the latest discoveries and debates。What one gets， instead， is a book focused on pathology。 The subject is so vast that almost any part of genetic or medicinal sciences could have been deemed relevant。 The author sticks to what he knows best based on his physician's background。 More often than not， he describes the workings of the cells using what happens when something goes wrong。 This is not how one learns these concepts in a biology course。 And it surely does not make cheerful learning。As is well known by now， Mr。 Mukherjee excels in weaving in personal history and experiences he has had as a doctor。 These stories， high in emotional quotients， provide relief from weighty topics and act as good bridges between completely disparate subjects。 Many readers， like this reviewer， will find it difficult to follow the details strewn everywhere in the book。 The subject matter is complicated and developing a genuine understanding of even a fraction requires long training。 The book will help the readers get initiated in multiple new areas and also appreciate how far along sciences have come， even when they have remotely not come far enough。 。。。more
Thomas Lambe
，
Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this。 Stop what you are doing and buy this book。 I have read all of this author's previous works。 Some books should be required reading and I believe that all of this author's works fall in that category。 His writing is such a pleasure to enjoy。 So few people can make science so accessible。 This author is special。 Highly recommended to anyone interested in science writing。 Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this。 Stop what you are doing and buy this book。 I have read all of this author's previous works。 Some books should be required reading and I believe that all of this author's works fall in that category。 His writing is such a pleasure to enjoy。 So few people can make science so accessible。 This author is special。 Highly recommended to anyone interested in science writing。 。。。more
Irene
，
Mukherjee is a hematology focused oncologist， so this book can be a little sad from time to time， but there are so many advancements in the field that I didn't know about。 The ongoing research on engineering artificial pancreas that can be implanted into diabetic people so they can produce their own insulin was one of the things I found most exciting。While you don't need to have any medical knowledge background to read this book， knowing the basics of hematology and immunology going in will help Mukherjee is a hematology focused oncologist， so this book can be a little sad from time to time， but there are so many advancements in the field that I didn't know about。 The ongoing research on engineering artificial pancreas that can be implanted into diabetic people so they can produce their own insulin was one of the things I found most exciting。While you don't need to have any medical knowledge background to read this book， knowing the basics of hematology and immunology going in will help （I can heartily recommend Immune）。 Mukherjee gives us both a historical background on the scientific understanding of cells within themselves and how they work together in an organ and the body as a whole， and his own findings as well as his colleagues。 The ethical controversy around using stem cells， IVF， genetic editing and so on are also explored。 Of course， a large part of this book is devoted to cancerous cells， cancer treatments and how the way cancerous cells behave have given us insight into the overall workings of healthy cells。 There is still so much to know， but this book is quite comprehensive if this topic interests you。 I'm looking forward to picking up another book by this author。 。。。more
Cecil
，
An excellent and fascinating， if at times scattershot， overview of cell biology， scholarship and medical advances。 My only real quibble is that Mukherjee appears never to have met a metaphor he did not like。 I would not go so far as to describe his prose as purple， but there’s definitely a mauve tinge around its edges
Max Ellithorpe
，
I was so pleased to receive an e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review。 As a med student， I struggled through coursework in cell biology。 In this book， Dr。 Mukherjee manages to bring this subject to life。 This book is part introduction to biology fundamentals， part history of biology/medicine， and part meditation on the life of a physician scientist。 Anyone curious about what makes us human， and how illnesses come about， will enjoy this book。
Jack
，
Another wonderful Mukherjee book。 Unusually wonderful for me because it brought all these flashbacks of my childhood to me。 My father was a biologist who who had a collection of hundreds of slides of cells。 And he would bring me into his lab and explain the different cells to me when I was a kindergartner。 It was largely over my head of course but I think the main thing was my father was showing me something important。 He died when I was only eight…but reading this book I could imagine him readi Another wonderful Mukherjee book。 Unusually wonderful for me because it brought all these flashbacks of my childhood to me。 My father was a biologist who who had a collection of hundreds of slides of cells。 And he would bring me into his lab and explain the different cells to me when I was a kindergartner。 It was largely over my head of course but I think the main thing was my father was showing me something important。 He died when I was only eight…but reading this book I could imagine him reading over my shoulder。 It was a magical experience for me。 Almost like having him back with me。 That’s a unique personal experience though。 But it really is a great book。 And this book has so much wonderful information that it’s a joy to read。 For me every paragraph had something new—maybe that won’t be the case for people with more biology and medical backgrounds though。 Nevertheless， it’s well written and engaging with lots of history， even if someone is familiar with the material I think it will be useful。 The best way to describe the book is as a collection of related essays about the cell。 It’s a very broad topic and hard to stitch together。 Mukherjee has done an admirable job though and with the COVID pandemic it really feels relevant。 He’s developing a nice little set of collected works—this fits perfectly with his other books—which I have given away（！）。 I will need to buy myself hard copies。 This books is one that i will need to have so I can share it with friends。 I have bought and given away the emperor of all maladies at least twice maybe three times。 I give them to friends when people in their families get sick （not appropriate for everyone—some people can’t handle the information）。 But I’d like to add this to my library at home。 If for nothing else than so I can look intelligent on zoom calls！ Great book！ 。。。more
Quinn MacDougald
，
Preface this by saying: he’s an unbelievably good writer， and I savored his other two books。 But my God is this subject matter boring。 The bulk of the text is high school level cell biology just in narrative form （a subject that is irredeemably boring and best learned via illustrations）， with some only mildly interesting history sprinkled in and then some philosophical digressions that are quite good。 But it was such a dispiriting chore to every few pages go back in time to read about the histor Preface this by saying: he’s an unbelievably good writer， and I savored his other two books。 But my God is this subject matter boring。 The bulk of the text is high school level cell biology just in narrative form （a subject that is irredeemably boring and best learned via illustrations）， with some only mildly interesting history sprinkled in and then some philosophical digressions that are quite good。 But it was such a dispiriting chore to every few pages go back in time to read about the history and discovery of cell structure， mitosis， each of the organelles， blood lines etc。 Did you know that there is something in the cell called a mitochondria， and that it produces ATP through aerobic metabolism？ That there is this thing called DNA， and it sits in the nucleus？ Expect pages dedicated to topics like these。Maybe it’s because I’ve read histories of medicine before and I work in medicine so none of it really felt all that new？ Mukherjee still has some of the most beautiful and cogent prose of any writer bar none， not just medical。I think if you don't have much knowledge of cell biology you might find this book interesting？？ But if you taken courses in medicine / bio you might find the pace slow， and the repetitiousness of the histories to be powerful anesthetics。 。。。more
Ron Frampton
，
A story of how scientists discovered cells and from that created new treatments and new humans。
Ipek （ipekreading）
，
The more I appreciate a book the harder it is to write a review for it。 I have loved how Siddhartha Mukherjee writes medical and scientific stories and histories ever since The Emperor of All Maladies and I was incredibly excited to read this。In the Song of the Cell， Mukherjee starts with the discovery of the cell before journeying through scientists' paths to increased understanding， different discoveries， and ultimately development of new medical treatments born out of our growing ability to m The more I appreciate a book the harder it is to write a review for it。 I have loved how Siddhartha Mukherjee writes medical and scientific stories and histories ever since The Emperor of All Maladies and I was incredibly excited to read this。In the Song of the Cell， Mukherjee starts with the discovery of the cell before journeying through scientists' paths to increased understanding， different discoveries， and ultimately development of new medical treatments born out of our growing ability to manipulate cells。Given the subject matter this is an unavoidably dense book， but it is by no means dry。 As in his previous books， Mukherjee recounts important discoveries by telling the personal stories of the people behind them， presenting compelling narratives （including biochemist fist fights！） rather than textbook-like explanations。 He also draws on his own personal experiences， reflections and references to other literary works to make complex material memorable and easily accessible to readers。Anyone who is involved in biological sciences and medicine will undoubtedly find this compelling。 But even if you aren't familiar with the cell beyond high school biology， Mukherjee makes the material compelling enough that you'll get caught up in the narrative rather than bogged down in the details。A huge thanks to Scribner for sending me this ARC。 This has been the perfect fall read to immerse myself into and I can't wait to discuss it with friends and family once they get their hands on this。View this and more of my reviews on my instagram @ipekreading 。。。more
Books for Coffee Hour
，
4。5/5 StarsIn this vivid return to science nonfiction， Siddhartha Mukherjee chronicles the story of cell biology， and envisions its future in a revolutionary new age of science。This book is in part an incredibly moving love letter to the people Mukherjee has lost。 It feels like paying tribute to their remarkable lives as he tells their stories in the context of cells。 Mukherjee breathes life into this single unit， using his characteristic vivid storytelling to take us through the history of cell 4。5/5 StarsIn this vivid return to science nonfiction， Siddhartha Mukherjee chronicles the story of cell biology， and envisions its future in a revolutionary new age of science。This book is in part an incredibly moving love letter to the people Mukherjee has lost。 It feels like paying tribute to their remarkable lives as he tells their stories in the context of cells。 Mukherjee breathes life into this single unit， using his characteristic vivid storytelling to take us through the history of cell biology research in the context of people。 He gives a face and a name to each chapter of the story， humanizing something that can be a very abstract concept。 His reflections on the COVID-19 pandemic were timely and poignant， and fit seamlessly into the narrative of the story。This book could be heavy on biological terminology， and though Mukherjee explains everything for a lay audience， I recommend having some general background knowledge to best enjoy this book。 With that being said， I highly recommend this novel to nonfiction readers！ 。。。more
Chris Dodge
，
Mukherjee employs a familiar pattern to those who have read The Emperor of All Maladies。 In each subject， he covers it's history， recent developments， his personal experience as a doctor， and where that topic is headed。 The book really shines when he discusses his personal involvement: his passion is plainly evident， and he writes in a way that excites the reader to learn more。 Thanks to Goodreads for the early release。 Mukherjee employs a familiar pattern to those who have read The Emperor of All Maladies。 In each subject， he covers it's history， recent developments， his personal experience as a doctor， and where that topic is headed。 The book really shines when he discusses his personal involvement: his passion is plainly evident， and he writes in a way that excites the reader to learn more。 Thanks to Goodreads for the early release。 。。。more
Bethany
，
Siddhartha Mukherjee has done it again with The Song of the Cell。 While the writing can be dense in places， each chapter is concise and well-explained enough to hold even a layperson's attention to the science。 I especially appreciated the mentions of COVID， as it brought home the importance of knowing and researching the cell throughout history to today。 Highly recommended。*I received an electronic ARC via Netgalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。* Siddhartha Mukherjee has done it again with The Song of the Cell。 While the writing can be dense in places， each chapter is concise and well-explained enough to hold even a layperson's attention to the science。 I especially appreciated the mentions of COVID， as it brought home the importance of knowing and researching the cell throughout history to today。 Highly recommended。*I received an electronic ARC via Netgalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。* 。。。more
Ana W
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This is a deep and accessible dive into everything about cells。 This the second science book that I've read by Mukherjee and I'm so impressed by his ability to clearly explain difficult， abstract information。 This book is long and in depth but by including the human story of the scientists who made discoveries and the people affected by various aspects of the cell， doesn't feel too dense or overwhelming。 As a biology teacher， reading this book， helped me stay up to date with the science of the c This is a deep and accessible dive into everything about cells。 This the second science book that I've read by Mukherjee and I'm so impressed by his ability to clearly explain difficult， abstract information。 This book is long and in depth but by including the human story of the scientists who made discoveries and the people affected by various aspects of the cell， doesn't feel too dense or overwhelming。 As a biology teacher， reading this book， helped me stay up to date with the science of the cell as well as learn the human story behind my current knowledge。 I will be recommending this book to others who are interested in cellular biology and science in general。 Thank you to #Netgalley for an advanced copy in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Emma Hinkle
，