of all diseases.
A meticulous scientific explanation of cancer in all of its wretched manifestations, cast in the light of evolutionary biology.
Leukemia researcher Greaves (London Institute of Cancer Research) makes it clear that his first concern is relieving cancer’ s human toll: Prevention, earlier detection, and more bearable and efficacious treatments are the driving force behind his research. But his focus here is on explaining the intricate mechanisms of cellular biology and demonstrating which haphazard combination of events allows for "the territorial expansion of a mutant clone." Greaves argues that cancer is not a modern disease—rather, he cites records of occurrences worldwide and in ancient cultures to bolster his theory that it has always been with us. We learn, for instance, that a gene mutation present in a tumor found in the mummified body of Ferrante I of Aragon and Naples (d. 1494) exactly matches the mutation found in some present-day cancers: This was the same disease. His brief history also makes clear the cyclical nature of the debate on causation (are some personalties cancer-prone?). The bottom line? Cells are structured "to oscillate on the edge of chaos and the scales can be tipped the wrong way"—by exposure to stress, to a variety of DNA-damaging chemicals (many of which occur naturally), and by chance mutation. Greaves’s study is complex and dense, but readers who stick with it will have a solid understanding of one of the most feared
of all diseases.Pub Date: March 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-19-262835-6
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Oxford Univ.
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2000
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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