DNA Is Not Destiny: The Remarkable, Completely Misunderstood Relationship Between You and Your Genes

A very valuable source of information before you consider your DNA testing for personal health and especially family planning. An eye opener for considerations to use DNA testing for understanding geneology. The Kindle version I bought on May 17, 2017, compared to the audio version, has a small and insignificant gap in text on page 223 after the sentence that reads "For example, 23andMe ... two disorders with devastating health outcome." Hopefully, the book editor will correct this minor issue that does not make me return the book. Apart from the content that is very educational for me, I am especially enjoying the audio version while looking or sometimes not looking at the text. I am a very slow reader in general and especially in English, which is my second language, so another very significant benefit for me is being able to see and hear new words, English phrases, and terminology in correct pronunciation. The audio version also allows me to move through the book faster and thus better maintain continuity of my ubderstanding of this new and very challenging subject for me. In short, I am experiencing a very pleasant and illuminating activity. Many thanks to author Steven J Heine, the narrator if a different person(?), and all who contributed to this book. The enlightenment that its readers will experience will help them better handle intellectually and emotionally such challenging issues as GMO foods, personal health, family health, as well as health of our society and mankind. Well done!

A very nice overview of research on genetic essentialism and the problems stemming from holding such a view. A must-read for anyone thinking that DNA is destiny and that genes are all that matter.

A psychologist's review of how information about human DNA has been used and misused. I found lots of scientific information that helps me understand 23andMe reports about my own DNA analysis. A must read for genealogists.

A must read, book. Starts with the science of heritability and gradually adds other factors to show that DNA is not destiny

I like the concept that you can change your DNA destiny... it is not a death sentence if you have a problem in your DNA. Too much blah blah blah... never finished the book ...gave it to a friend😀.

great book

I felt that this book did a fairly decent job exposing some of the hyperbole of the DNA direct to consumer industry and its overstated claims. I experienced this myself when I uploaded my DNA to a free online program that compares it to a number of current research studies out there on genes and their links to disease. It was not uncommon to see some genes indicating high probabilities of getting something like Parkinson's later in life only to see other sections of my genome directly contradict the results. For this reason I think it is is appropriate that the FDA reigned in 23andMe.The one criticism I would give of the book is that Steve seems to spend too much time injecting his own personal and rather PC opinions into the book. Couple of examples:1. He rightly indicates that Lawrence Summer's contention that their could be a genetic component of gender aptitude is a question perhaps worthy of scholarship. However he then goes into the idea that internalization of stereotypes could lead women knowing of such an idea to under-perform. While I think that is a legitimate point and certainly interesting to be cognizant of the affects on performance that stereotypes may cause, that alone is not sufficient reason to impede scholarship. Of course Steven is a social scientist of a rather politically correct bent so he believes that it is sufficient reason to not even ask a question.2. I thought the Eugenics chapter could have been more fun if it asked bolder questions and I think contains a serious logic flaw. Steven goes into a very long explanation of the affect of environment on IQ. I think it is a valid point, though I would put it more in the realm of an "external enabling condition," that is to say environment is necessary for one to live up to their full genetic IQ potential. It is a necessary, but not sufficient condition. However Steve's real interest in the heritability of IQ is really to establish that it is polygenomic, similar to height and so many other characteristics, and therefore we can't hope to change it through Eugenics. This is clearly an incorrect premise. One need only look to what he himself refers to later in the book, the breeding of dogs for all manner of characteristics, to see that breeding for characteristics that are polygenomic is not only possible, it has already been done. He probably could have examined this in a fun manner or if he just wanted to say he finds the whole premise distasteful because it would require governments to incentivize the procreation of some over others, than he should just say that not try to couch it in a rather illogical attempt to disprove the possibility that such an effort would be successful. In fact we have no idea if it would be successful or not, because due to societies aversion to the premise it was never undertaken for long enough to prove or disprove the possibility. Human generations are a lot longer than dog generations.Aside from my occasional annoyance at the politically correct nature of the arguments, I did find the book generally enjoyable. I found the chapter on the genetics of homosexuality to be particularly interesting, though I would think that the sexual fluidity of females which he mentions but doesn't explore in any depth warrants further investigation. Anyhow... the book is a pretty quick read and I don't feel that I wasted my time in reading it. I would probably like to read something from a hard scientist written in a manner approachable to a general audience as a followup.

Excellent book!

タイトルに惹かれてaudiobookのversionで購入した。仕事柄車で県内をドライブするが、単調な運転に良い刺激を与えてくれる。ただし、時々メモを取りたくなってもすぐに停められないのが唯一の欠点である。