A Life Decoded

Genomes and DNA might not sound like the building blocks of an interesting book, but J. Craig Venter's autobiography is surprisingly engaging. Venter was the head of Celera, the private company that won the race to sequence the human genome in 2001. Dick Hill narrates the stories of Venter's childhood with a nostalgic tone that shifts to one of irony and reflection as he recounts Venter's experiences as a medic during the war in Vietnam. Scientific asides are worked into the early narrative seamlessly, making the shift from the personal to the scientific natural throughout. Only occasionally does Venter concentrate on the scientific minutiae of his genome project. Instead, the book provides an introduction to the rivalries and politics that surround a major scientific breakthrough while, at the same time, showing the genome genius's human side. J.A.S. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine