Growing up in California, J. Craig Venter didn't appear to have much of a future. An unremarkable student, he nearly flunked out of high school. After being drafted into the army, he enlisted in the navy and went to Vietnam, where the life-and-death struggles he encountered as a medic piqued his interest in science and medicine. After pursuing his advanced degrees, Venter quickly established himself as a brilliant and outspoken scientist. In 1984, he joined the National Institutes of Health, where he introduced novel techniques for rapid gene discovery, and left in 1991 to form his own nonprofit genomics research center, where he sequenced the first genome in history in 1995. In 1998, he announced that he would successfully sequence the human genome years earlier and for far less money than the government-sponsored Human Genome Project would-a prediction that came to pass in 2001.A Life Decoded is the triumphant story of one of the most fascinating and controversial figures in science today. In this riveting and inspiring account, Venter tells of the unparalleled drama of the quest for the human genome, a tale that involves as much politics as science. He also reveals how he went on to be the first to read and interpret his own genome and what it will mean for all of us to do the same. He describes his recent sailing expedition to sequence microbial life in the ocean, as well as his groundbreaking attempt to create synthetic life. Here is one of the key scientific chronicles of our lifetime, as told by the man who beat the odds to make it happen.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
J. Craig Venter is one of the leading scientists of the twenty-first century and president of the J. Craig Venter Institute. A pioneer in the world of genomic research, he is recognized for his visionary contributions to the field. In February 2001, Venter published the completed sequence of the human genome. He lives near Washington, D.C. Reader of over four hundred audiobooks, Dick Hill has won three coveted Audie Awards and been nominated numerous times. He is also the recipient of several AudioFile Earphones Awards. AudioFile includes Dick on their prestigious list of Golden Voices.
From AudioFile
Genomes and DNA might not sound like the building blocks of an interesting book, but J. Craig VenterÕs 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 VenterÕs childhood with a nostalgic tone that shifts to one of irony and reflection as he recounts VenterÕs 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 geniusÕs human side. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
--This text refers to an alternate
Audio CD
edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Inspirational and personal story behind and about groundbreaking science,
By
This review is from: A Life Decoded: My Genome---My Life (Audio CD)
Craig Venter is human and all too human with his struggles with his colleagues. His science and motivation was founded he claims in the work as a medic in Vietnam. He is an excellent storyteller of his early life. The story he tells of his science is exciting to anyone whose iterest in the developing science of genetics has been stimulated over the years. His creative approach to many of life's questions is well documented in the book. Just enough science for the casual and educated reader. I highly recommend this book.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting Book,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: A Life Decoded: My Genome---My Life (Audio CD)
Craig Venter is probably one of the most influential scientists during the last 20 years.I enjoyed the book. It was interesting to hear about his life story and how he ended up being one of the leading scientists in the human genome project. It is also interesting to me as someone working on his Ph.D to learn about all the politics that occur in science. My dad read this book as well, and didn't like it as much. He thought Craig was a bit too arrogaunt, a common complaint about Dr. Venter. Anyhow, still very interesting. Considering Dr. Venter's recent breakthroughs in synthetic biology, I am sure he will continue to be a leader in science. The audio book version was well read and easy to listen to as well.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not Venter's Voice!,
By Eta Carinae "Exploding" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: A Life Decoded: My Genome---My Life (Audio CD)
Dr. Venter's book is nothing short of wonderful. But why didn't he voice this Audiobook himself??? Craig's a most compelling public speaker. His deeply personal autobiography, observations, confessions and self-styled successes would have been SO much more effective if we could hear his actual voice. I mean no disrespect to the narrator, who is professional and pleasant enough (if, to my ear, over-enunciated and under-emotional). But - unless you are visually impaired - you are much better off buying this book in text form; then finding Dr. Venter in a video or audio clip online to hear his true voice; then reading the text version imagining him speaking it.
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