The Skimmer

Book review: The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee

By Gilbert Cruz Monday, Nov. 29, 2010

    • The Emperor of All Maladies

    By Siddhartha Mukherjee

    Scribner; 571 pages

    The genius of this book lies in its subtitle: "A Biography of Cancer." At first glance it's an odd choice. Yet the deeper one dives into The Emperor of All Maladies, the more one sees how cancer, that most pernicious of human diseases, possesses "temperaments, personalities--behaviors" as unique as those of the most beguiling human. Mukherjee, an oncologist and cancer researcher, brings an impressive balance of empathy and dispassion to this instantly essential piece of medical journalism. Stretching back thousands of years to the first sketchy mentions of breast cancer in ancient Egypt, Mukherjee writes of the history of cancer treatments (localized surgery, radiation, chemotherapy), the onset of cancer advocacy, the shift to prevention research and beyond. This jumping around between history, hard science and personal anecdote--a chaotic restlessness that would seem a weakness in other books--here proves a perfect metaphorical companion to its subject, a disease that also finds strength in its ability to constantly be on the move.

    READ [X]

    SKIM

    TOSS