Book Cover

History repeats, but science reverberates.

# Review

In this book, Mukherjee sets out on an ambitious journey to retell the story of cancer, from the earliest records in history to the subsequent iterative attempts at combating the disease. Mukherjee draws from a deep well of meticulous research as well as his own experiences as an oncologist on the front lines of the fight.

At over 500 pages, it would be an understatement to call this book dense. This book reads more like an encyclopedia of everything surrounding cancer, including the cultural, historical, and scientific context. Mukherjee does try to make the narrative interesting by anthropomorphizing cancer and weaving in his personal anecdotes, but it doesn't really make the pacing any more engaging. Despite this, I learned a great deal about cancer. In particular, I really enjoyed learning about the evolution of the cultural and scientific understanding surrounding cancer, and how the two influence one another over time. Some of the context, such as all the detailed account of the bureaucracy and politics surrounding organizations such as the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society, probably should have been condensed.

This is definitely a book meant to be read over multiple sittings (kind of reminded me of Thinking Fast and Slow by Kahneman in terms of the almost textbook-like quality). It's still a worthy read for a starting point in understanding such an influential disease.

# Conclusion

A very thorough account of cancer.

# Overall rating: 7.6

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