Mapping Fate: A Memoir of Family, Risk, and Genetic Research [Paperback]

Alice Wexler (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0520207416 | ISBN-13: 978-0520207417 | Publication Date: December 30, 1996

In Mapping Fate, Alice Wexler tells the story of a family at risk for a hereditary, incurable, fatal disorder: Huntington's disease, once called Huntington's chorea. That her mother died of the disease, that her own chance of inheriting it was fifty-fifty, that her sister and father directed much of the extraordinary biomedical research to find the gene and a cure, make Wexler's story both astonishingly intimate and scientifically compelling.
Alice Wexler's graceful and eloquent account goes beyond the specifics of Huntington's disease to explore the dynamics of family secrets, of living at risk, and the drama and limits of biomedical research. Mapping Fate will be a touchstone for anyone with questions about genetic illness and the possibilites and perils of genetic testing.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Memoir of a family living under the shadow of the genetically transmitted Huntington's disease, two of whose members become prominent researchers in the quest for a cure.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Huntington's disease (HD) could be called the cruelest disease, for its victims do not usually show symptoms of the hereditary malady until middle age and grow up observing in detail its debilitating effects on a mother, father, or other relative. Such was the experience of the three Wexlers--Alice, Nancy, her sister, and Milton, their father--as with increasing horror and sadness, they watched HD destroy their mother and wife, Leonore. (For the rest of his life, Milton blamed himself for his "terrible mistake" when, a year after the diagnosis, he aborted Leonore's attempted suicide.) Wexler's personal account of HD's impact on her family makes its points strikingly but without false emotion, and her pessimism counters the optimism of Nancy and Milton, who, as the book's second part relates, established the Hereditary Disease Foundation to pursue HD research and education. William Beatty --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 319 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press (December 30, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520207416
• ISBN-13: 978-0520207417
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #232,756 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Compelling, frank and courageous account of genetic illness, January 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Mapping Fate: A Memoir of Family, Risk, and Genetic Research (Paperback)

Mapping Fate is a compelling memoir that successfully addresses the anguish, guilt, denial and mystery associated with terminal illness in a family, and the various ways that family members deal with it. Huntington's Disease is the subject of the book, but I think that people who have experienced devastating mental and physical illnesses in their own families will find many familiar and elegantly described emotions.

I found the personal reflections and the story about the effect of this illness on the family most gripping. The search for the gene and ultimately a treatment is covered as well, and is very interesting but a bit more detached.

Wexler has done an admirable job balancing introspective memoir writing with reporting on advances in scientific research.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Accurate and humane, January 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Mapping Fate: A Memoir of Family, Risk, and Genetic Research (Paperback)

This book provides an insider's account of the exciting scientific effort that resulted in isolation of the Huntington's Disease Gene. It is both exhilerating and sorrowful - encompassing the emotional experience of a family member watching the unfolding of a story with significant personal implications.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lots of Info, April 17, 2006

By 

Katherine M. Rudoff - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mapping Fate: A Memoir of Family, Risk, and Genetic Research (Paperback)

Wexler tells an incredible story of both the personal and medical aspects of HD. She takes the time to explain the important biological and genetic background, while not overwhelming you with useless facts. She does a wonderful job explaining the pain of having a family member with HD, while not soley focusing on their struggles. I learned a lot about HD through this book, and would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about the disease and its biological basis.