Natural Obsessions : Striving to Unlock the Deepest Secrets of the Cancer Cell [Paperback]

Natalie Angier (Author), Lewis Thomas (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 6, 1999

As dramatic as The Double Hex and as absorbing as The Soul of a New Machine, Natural Obsessions explores the advanced reaches of molecular biology, the nature of the human cell, and the genes that control cancer. It unforgettably portrays some of the best young scientists in the world, the rewards and discouragements of scientific research, and the very process of scientific inquiry.

Editorial Reviews

Review

 'Lively, lucid ... portrays the look and feel of science' (Washington Post Book World )

'The debut of one of the few really first-rate writers in science' (E.O. WILSON )

'A work of grand adventure, beauty and literature' (Chicago Tribuen )

About the Author

NATALIE ANGIER writes about biology for the New York Times, where she has won a Pulitzer Prize, the American Association for the Advancement of Science journalism award, and other honors. She is the author of The Beauty of the Beastly, Natural Obsessions, and Woman, named one of the best books of the year by the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, People, National Public Radio, Village Voice, and Publishers Weekly, among others. A New York Times bestseller and National Book Award finalist, Woman is "a text so necessary and abundant and true that all efforts of its kind, for decades before and after it, will be measured by it" (Los Angeles Times Book Review). Angier lives with her husband and daughter outside of Washington, D.C.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books (April 6, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395924723
• ISBN-13: 978-0395924723
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #263,041 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

NATALIE ANGIER writes about biology for the New York Times, where she has won a Pulitzer Prize, the American Association for the Advancement of Science journalism award, and other honors. She is the author of The Beauty of the Beastly, Natural Obsessions, and Woman, named one of the best books of the year by the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, People, National Public Radio, Village Voice, and Publishers Weekly, among others. A New York Times bestseller and National Book Award finalist, Woman is "a text so necessary and abundant and true that all efforts of its kind, for decades before and after it, will be measured by it" (Los Angeles Times Book Review). Angier lives with her husband and daughter outside of Washington, D.C.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book of enormous impact, November 3, 2002

By 

Lawrence Kwong (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Natural Obsessions : Striving to Unlock the Deepest Secrets of the Cancer Cell (Paperback)

In my senior year of college, we were assigned Natural Obsessions for the relevance to oncology as a science. I had expected, as with all other undergraduate literature, to find only academic value in the book and approached it as such. But what unfolded instead was a journey through the strange and passionate world of research. It is what made me want to become an oncologist.

The nature of the story is of the many races during the 1980s to identify the genes causative of cancer. The narrative largely follows one lab, that of Robert Weinberg at MIT, and details their many setbacks and their even more groundbreaking victories. The author takes an active part, effectively becoming absorbed into the research and drawing the readers with her.

What the book offers, then, is a daily tread through the lives of basic researchers: not filled with sterile labs and stuffy professors, but with the drama, intrigue, and bittersweet triumphs normally found only in fiction. As there are no outright heroes or villains (except perhaps cancer itself), the moral ambiguity of each of the subplots makes the struggles more human. There is as much backstabbing, cut-throat competitiveness, and outright selfishness in the research world shown here as in any other professional field. But there is also collaboration, celebration, and respect. Anyone who thinks basic science is boring should be convinced otherwise.

The other side of the story is, indeed, academic in nature, though interwoven seamlessly with the stories. Despite the heavy scientific concepts throughout the book, Natalie Angier -- a non-scientistist herself -- has taken great pains to evince the most convoluted theories in a light, colorful language. Not all of it will be clear immediately, but the essence of the book doesn't require total familiarity with the technicalities. It is the humanity of the researchers that drives this book, not the research itself.

For undergraduates unsure of thier career choices, I can recommend no better book than Natural Obsessions for deciding if scientific research is for them. For some, like one of my friends who chose med school over grad school, the themes of competitiveness and failure can be disheartening. For others, like myself, it can open up a new perspective on science, one that can be exciting as well as rewarding if you have a passion for it.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The book to understand the values and culture of biological research..., October 28, 2005

By 

John M. Greene (Gaithersburg, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Natural Obsessions : Striving to Unlock the Deepest Secrets of the Cancer Cell (Paperback)

I have revisited this title recently as I strive to get IT professionals to "cross the chasm" to understand not only biology, but the culture and values of biologists and research in order to better do bioinformatics. I have never found a book that does this as well as Natural Obsessions, although I have a built-in bias - I was an undergraduate at MIT and a denizen of the Sharp lab on the fifth floor of the Cancer Center, next to the Weinberg lab, just shortly before Natalie arrived to experience life in the Weinberg group. I had the privilege of knowing most of the MIT people in the book, especially Mike Gilman, all of whom have gone on to distinguished research careers. Natalie's description of these folks is largely highly accurate, although it was hard on them after publication of the book in the 80's.

I highly recommend this book, not just for its lucid description of molecular oncology for laypeople, but for anyone who wants to know what it's like to be a biologist doing cutting-edge research - without investing 6, 7, or more years of their lives to earn a Ph.D. I wish Natalie would do a sequel - it would also be interesting to see "life in the lab" not just from the grad student and postdoc perspective, but from these same folks, who are now largely tenured faculty or VPs in biotech.

John Greene, Ph.D.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice account of the contemporary cancer research, July 2, 2010

By 

M. G. "MG" - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Natural Obsessions : Striving to Unlock the Deepest Secrets of the Cancer Cell (Paperback)

This book describes the search for the genetic basis of human cancer. A journalist spent several months in the lab of Bob Weinberg at MIT and one of his main competitors at Cold Spring Harbor Labs. The book is written from a perspective of a non-scientist. Yet, the book has sufficient technical details for us professionals, and captures the complex personal and professional relationships of scientists. Books is useful for those who wish to understand how contemporary science works and for those who wish to pursue a postdoc in Weinberg's lab.