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The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer

by Siddhartha Mukherjee

ISBN13: 9781439170915
ISBN10: 1439170916
Condition: Standard
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Synopses & Reviews

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The Emperor of All Maladies is a magnificent, profoundly humane "biography" of cancer--from its first documented appearances thousands of years ago through the epic battles in the twentieth century to cure, control, and conquer it to a radical new understanding of its essence. Physician, researcher, and award-winning science writer, Siddhartha Mukherjee examines cancer with a cellular biologist's precision, a historian's perspective, and a biographer's passion. The result is an astonishingly lucid and eloquent chronicle of a disease humans have lived with--and perished from--for more than five thousand years.

The story of cancer is a story of human ingenuity, resilience, and perseverance, but also of hubris, paternalism, and misperception. Mukherjee recounts centuries of discoveries, setbacks, victories, and deaths, told through the eyes of his predecessors and peers, training their wits against an infinitely resourceful adversary that, just three decades ago, was thought to be easily vanquished in an all-out "war against cancer." The book reads like a literary thriller with cancer as the protagonist.

From the Persian Queen Atossa, whose Greek slave may have cut off her diseased breast, to the nineteenth-century recipients of primitive radiation and chemotherapy to Mukherjee's own leukemia patient, Carla, The Emperor of All Maladies is about the people who have soldiered through fiercely demanding regimens in order to survive--and to increase our understanding of this iconic disease.

Riveting, urgent, and surprising, The Emperor of All Maladies provides a fascinating glimpse into the future of cancer treatments. It is an illuminating book that provides hope and clarity to those seeking to demystify cancer.

About the Author

Siddhartha Mukherjee is a cancer physician and researcher. His book The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize in general non-fiction. Mukherjee is an assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University and a staff cancer physician at Columbia University Medical Center. A Rhodes scholar, he graduated from Stanford University, University of Oxford, Harvard Medical School. He has published articles in Nature, The New England Journal of Medicine, The New York Times, and The New Republic. He lives in New York with his wife and daughters.

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: cristian.boanca1, January 30, 2013 (view all comments by cristian.boanca1)
The Emperor of All Maladies does an extraordinary job portraying the fickle balance between the horrors of unchecked cell growth and the great promise of modern medicine in its treatment.
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: court54, January 30, 2013 (view all comments by court54)
Everyone has had their lives touched by cancer in someway. Whether it's a family member, friend, or friend of a friend, we all have known someone who has battled and won or lost that battle to cancer. This book is an epic overview of the history of research and treatment development of all different types of cancer. While it does get a little technical for those with no previous healthcare experience, the stories and accounts still reach to a personal level. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in knowing how the fight against this disease we have all encountered was begun, developed, and continuing.
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: vixcats, January 1, 2013 (view all comments by vixcats)
Fascinating history of the development of treatments for cancer. Extremely well written; even those not in the medical field should find it interesting.
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Product Details

ISBN:: 9781439170915
Subtitle:: A Biography of Cancer
Author:: Mukherjee, Siddhartha
Publisher:: Scribner
Subject:: Civilization
Subject:: History
Subject:: Health and Medicine-Medical Specialties
Edition Description:: Trade Paperback
Publication Date:: 20110809
Binding:: Paperback
Grade Level:: General/trade
Language:: English
Pages:: 608
Dimensions:: 9.25 x 6.12 in

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