The Rabbit Effect by Kelli Harding

THE RABBIT EFFECT by Kelli Harding describes how to “Live Longer, Happier, and Healthier with the Groundbreaking Science of Kindness.” Harding, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center and emergency room doctor, sought to explore the question: “What are we missing in medicine that’s crucial to health?” and was inspired to write this book by a 1978 study which showed that rabbits who were treated more kindly by attendants had better health outcomes, despite being fed the same high-fat diet as others. Harding traces work that supports the holistic view that “a person’s health occurs in a social context that cannot be ignored” and argues that “two halves [medicine and public health] needed unification with a common language” since “the vast majority, 80 to 90 percent, of people’s health depends on factors outside clinical care.” Her book spends several chapters discussing hidden factors (for example, in our intimate relationships, our work, our education and neighborhoods) as well as the essentials of health, both individually and collectively. In a very accessible style, Harding recounts numerous scientific experiments and other anecdotes; raising questions (e.g., if genetics are fixed, why was love changing personality?) and offering “toolkit” suggestions for action by her readers. Although THE RABBIT EFFECT has no index, Harding does include almost 30 pages of source notes. This encouraging text will be of interest to AP Psych classes, perhaps to some of our anatomy students, and also relevant to this year’s professional development on social emotional learning, especially in conjunction with other titles like The War for Kindness or The Telomere Effect.  

Hacking Darwin by Jamie Metzl

HACKING DARWIN by Jamie Metzl is subtitled “Genetic Engineering and the Future of Humanity.” Earlier this year Metzl was appointed to the World Health Organization expert advisory committee on developing global standards for the governance and oversight of human genome editing and clearly feels a sense of urgency in addressing breakthroughs in genetic engineering. Obviously familiar with his subject, he includes chapters on “Decoding Identity,” “Stealing Immortality from the Gods,” and “The Ethics of Engineering Ourselves.” Highly relevant to today’s societal debates, Metzl contrasts practices and beliefs across generations and religions, commenting at one point: “it seems likely that parents will affirmatively want to screen out genetic diseases before their pregnancies even begin.  Choosing from among preimplanted embryos in a lab will simply seem far less brutal than abortion.”  Another example which Metzl highlights is the differences between countries, noting, “although China was far behind the West in assisted reproduction technologies only a decade ago, the country is showing the biggest global swing toward widespread acceptance of assisted reproduction.”

HACKING DARWIN is a well-researched text; Metzl includes almost 40 pages of source notes, a helpful index, and suggestions for additional reading.  Our students – who tend to be highly interested in this topic and related CRISPR advances - will appreciate his note that “because the genetic revolution is unfolding so quickly, there are many incredible (and faster-moving) websites, blogs and podcasts that are essential resources very much worth exploring.”  

Herding Hemingway’s Cats by Kat Arney

I have been talking about Herding Hemingway’s Cats by Kat Arney quite a bit lately.  In particular, I spoke with several students, especially girls, who want to pursue science careers or write about science subjects and a part of our talks has turned to how to share science knowledge more broadly.  Kat Arney does just that in Herding Hemingway’s Cats where she helps her readers, as the subtitle states, with “understanding how our genes work.”

Arney, a science journalist with a PhD from Cambridge University, is a potential role model as well as an engaging writer. She blithely describes our genome, junk DNA and “throwing the switch” (turning genes on/off at the right time), plus plenty of history and other topics associated with recent scientific research based on her interviews with scientists in the field. Arney often turns to metaphors in an attempt to explain a more complicated idea so of course, I especially enjoyed her use of a library of cookbooks, complete with instructions for components (e.g., how to make frosting) and the way that copying and using recipes in a messy kitchen often results in changes along the way.  Herding Hemingway’s Cats received a starred review from Kirkus and will have a well-deserved place on the shelf next to the forthcoming (May 2016) The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee, author of The Emperor of All Maladies.