Great look into the world of genomic medicine

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As a professor of medicine and genetics at Stanford, Dr. Euan Ashley has seen the genomics revolution firsthand. In this book, he takes the reader on a wild ride through the recent advances in genomics, covering topics like the diagnosis of rare diseases, genomic "autopsies" for patients with sudden death, and the potential of gene therapy. The book is a fascinating series of biological detective stories, each with additional background on the related genomics.

Ashley's perspective makes this book a great read - he is truly a pioneer in genomic medicine, so he's telling the stories that he lived. His writing style is very immersive - I felt like I was with the team working on their projects.

This book is well suited for either a lay reader or an expert. For the non-expert, Ashley does a great job breaking down complex topics using analogies, helping the reader understand the topic at hand. He also uses his personal case stories to explain the genome odyssey; this is truly narrative nonfiction. I think the case studies will also be interesting to scientists - some stories were familiar, but there were plenty I hadn't heard of!

I really appreciated Ashley's attention to the human side of medicine. You can tell that he cares very deeply about the patients and families he interacts with. Beyond just the genomics, the reader gets a window into these patients' lives, showing the true potential of genomic medicine to revolutionize healthcare outcomes.

Thank you to Celadon Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.