Gene Hunter: The Story of Neuropsychologist Nancy Wexler

by Adele Glimm

Book Overview

Nancy Wexler is a hunter. Her quarry is the gene responsible for a fatal, inherited sickness called Huntington's disease. Nancy's work is a breathtaking race against time not only for others but maybe for herself, as well. Nancy Wexler is the daughter of a Huntington's patient and is at risk for this disease. Finding this gene is a vital step toward preventing or curing Huntington's and thus saving lives. Nancy's work takes her all over the world,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0309095581
• ISBN13: 9780309095587
• Release Date: May 2006
• Publisher: Joseph Henry Press
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 7.0" x 10.0"
• Age Range: 11 to 15 years
• Grade Range: Grades 6 to 10

Customer Reviews

Great!!!

In the Gene Hunter, we learn the story of one woman's crusade to understand the genetic disorder known as Huntington 's disease. Nancy Wexler, the `gene hunter' in question has herself been impacted by the disease having lost her mother and other relatives to Huntington's. The book tells Wexler's story from her the formative experiences in education and her private life to her recent work in remote areas of Venezuela where there is a high concentration of people suffering from the disease. The book is excellent for its accessibility. The author has managed to take a complicated field of science, genetics and genomics, and made it understandable for adolescents. Unlike many books dealing with complex sciences aimed at young adults, the Gene Hunter does not pander. Rather, through clear and concise writing the book is able to convey the various intricacies of the genetics of Huntington 's disease without being either overly complicated or simple-a difficult achievement. A wonderful book with beautiful illustrations and photographs, I would recommend this book not only to the young adult readers at which it is aimed, but to anyone who wishes to learn more about Huntington's disease.