Genetics was very informative and enjoyable because of this textbook ...
938094
Genetics was very informative and enjoyable because of this textbook. It helped me to retain the information learned in the lecture course and see the applications of genetics in a different light.
3407938
This book is informative, detailed, understandable, and readable, and it covers the history and cutting edge of all things related to genes.

Do you know the difference between RNA and DNA? What does a protein actually do? What are genes made from? What is the relationship between a chromosome and a gene? How does a human cell work? Are gender identity and sexual preference affected by genes? What types of traits are transmitted genetically? What genetic mutation causes cancer? What is the state of the art for modifying specific genetic information in a living human? How close are we to creating genetically-enhanced humans? Can genetic problems be fixed in such a way that children will also receive the fix? How does cloning work, and how successful is it? All of these questions (and more) are answered in this book.

This book is awesome. Highly recommended.
761898
I could not put this book down. It is a beautifully written history of modern genetics with clear explanations of such things as pcp analysis, cloning, heritability versus inheritance. If I were teaching an introductory course in biology, I would require this book first before anything else.
701446
Very interesting and easy to read textbook. I used this in an Environmental Health Public Health course, which turned out to be my favorite course!
4185459
I am not a scientist, biologist or medical researcher. I have, however, always been interested in genetics and heredity. This book tells the fascinating story of the history of genetics in a way that anyone interested in the subject can understand. The author is diligent in pointing out the dangers inherent in how we use these discoveries now that we have the technology to manipulate our genetic information.
2795472
This book offers detailed insight into the fundamentals of human molecular genetics.  The contents review DNA and chromosome structure and function, cellular development, population genetics, cancer genetics, gene therapy, and a myriad of molecular genetic techniques, applications, and analyses. The figures and illustrations beautifully complement the text with easily understood captions and legends.  The organization of the book is such that the reader can easily find a topic of interest without thumbing through the entire text.  I would highly recommend "Human Molecular Genetics" by Tom Strachan and Andrew P. Read to senior-level college students, graduate students, and researchers.  This is a must-have in the library of any geneticist.
4722333
I am not a medical student, nor a doctor or surgeon or any kind of medical professional (although I'm seriously considering enrolling in medical school and going into the field of genetics), I bought this book purely of my own curiosity and quest for knowledge, and it is definitely not disappointing.

Pros: Tons of pictures. It's one thing to try and describe Cornelia De Lang syndrome, quite another to actually see it. The book offers great, if brief, information on many, many different genetic conditions and anomalies, including their incidence, whether they're autosomal recessive/dominant, random mutations or et cetera, and specific characteristics. It also gives detailed information on how genes are transmitted and carried.

Cons: The price - this book has been out of print for many years by now, and its successor is even more difficult to find than this edition (probably out of print as well). As such, this book commands a very high price tag, as do many research books. Also, being so old (this book was first published in the early 80s), it's almost certainly out of date by now. Several conditions are conspicuously absent, which is to be expected - no one can make a book with EVERYTHING in any given field. However, diseases as memorable as harlequin ichthyosis and otocephaly are not covered at all, although related conditions are.

All in all, this is a great book, and I sincerely enjoy having it, despite the price I paid to own it. Let me remind anyone reading this (just in case someone has stumbled across this book that isn't interested in medical research, which is probably a little unlikely): This is a medical research book, and as such, many of the pictures are extremely graphic, to better display the characteristics of particular conditions. While this does not bother me, it may very well bother other people. So don't buy this book unless you know what you're getting into.
4124609
In this book, the author who is a researcher at Duke University gives a succinct yet comprehensive overview of the role of genetics in health and disease. Starting with some basic facts about genetics including the structure of DNA, chromosomes and mutations, Gilham then devotes individual chapters to exploring specific diseases and the role of genetics in specific traits.

He makes it clear that while the genetic causes behind diseases like sickle-cell anemia, Tay-Sachs disease and Klinefelter syndrome are well-understood, nailing down gene malfunctions in disorders like cancer, diabetes, heart disease and especially mental disease is much more complex because of the multifactorial nature of these problems. The genetic foundations of cancer however are much better understood than those of the others and the author has an extensive and lucid discussion of this aspect of what is an essentially genetic disease.

The book ends with a cautiously optimistic view of personalized medicine in which drugs can be targeted to individuals based on their specific genetic makeup. However there is a wide gap still separating data from successful prediction. Separating correlation and causation is especially difficult since many genetic markers can be correlated with a specific disease but few or none may be causative. Gilham also discusses the influence of epigenetics in modulating the nature and progression of complex diseases. A complete understanding of the genetic basis of human disease can only come from knowledge of both genetics and epigenetics.

Overall this is a readable overview of a field whose importance is only bound to grow as our understanding of genetics and disease grows by leaps and bounds in the twenty-first century.
1642393
Junk DNA was quite readable and should be informative for readers at any level of knowledge about molecular biology. My only complaint about the book was Carey's decision not to include protein or gene names in her writing. In the first chapter, she explains that this was due to the fact that half of her readers find it disruptive. Instead, where applicable, she includes footnotes with the gene or protein names. Unfortunately for me, I am in the half that finds it disruptive to read footnotes to learn the name of the gene in question. Otherwise, the book was very up to date and comprehensive. I also liked her use of simple graphics to explain complex concepts in molecular biology. I recommend Junk DNA for those who want to learn more about why the non-coding regions of our DNA are not junk.
4019089
I haven't decided whether this textbook deserves a full five stars, so I'm rating it 4 stars, instead.  There isn't a textbook topic much harder to teach than this one (biomedical/health science for the non-physics major), so I suspect this particular text may deserve a full five stars.

One reason I say this is because this book is full of real-world examples, and it is an INTERESTING and fascinating textbook.  I can't imagine NOT having this text, if I were majoring as an undergraduate (or graduate student, even) in the biological or biomedical field.  However, I would also recommend that most students first take an introductory physics course, before they enroll in a course using this text.

And of course, the talents and abilities of the teacher are particularly important because of the complexity of the interplay of concepts that any student will encounter in this arena.
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Update as of January 15, 2014:  Some reviewers have complained about the lack of a "solutions manual" for this text, but it is common practice for textbook publishers to not provide the solutions' manual.  The reason for this is that it prevents cheating, when someone takes a course using the textbook.  If you want the solutions' manual, you need to ask your professor to provide it (it's her decision)....
4748357
This was a super interesting textbook! It was easy to read and had very thoughtful examples. I was actually sad when I had to return it...
4051547
Don't worry if you don't remember too much from high school biology, this book is written in a way that does not require much foreknowledge of the subject. Just re-watch the scene from the first Jurassic Park with the cartoon DNA strand and you should be good.
The author is incredibly respectful and the book is fact based with no wild speculation as to the future of genetics, covering what we used to know versus what we know now. The reader will learn more about their own body and be able to marvel at the intricacies that make up genetic variety across humanity. I bought this book out of curiosity and I do not regret a single moment I spent reading it!
1328887
i think it is really an excelent reference textbook for clinitian working in genetics. it contains an update references as will as new syndromes.
1257284
This is not a stand-alone book on genetics but rather a useful companion book for an introductory university level genetics course. It is a great visual summary of 120 concepts, giving a simple one-page diagram and brief summary. It also has a section of 80 solved problems. This should not be the only book you buy on genetics, but will compliment any university level text book.
2847977
This book is very helpful for anyone studying Pathophysiology. I only wish there was a more recent edition as some of the information on genetics is outdated.
2882499
This book was recommended by my lecturer and is used as the main reference book for eukaryotic cell biology module.  I found this book was very useful and informative.  It made studying this subject fun for me as I am mainly a visual learner and the book was illustrated well. The thickness of the book can be intimidating to some but it's a good book especially for those who are studying molecular cell biology.
2386491
Very educational, very interesting and even entertaining...I may have to read it again a few times to retain the scientific information...:-) I am very happy that I bought it and now understand Mitrochondrial DNA a lot better.