Survival of the Sickest

Title: Survival of the Sickest: A Medical Maverick Discovers Why We Need Disease
Author: Moalem, Sharon & Prince, Jonathon
Place of Publication:

Reason, Type and Setting: Needing to find a topic to talk about for the upcoming Presentation of Learning for my Biology portion, I decided to read a book about diseases and genetics since those are what my interests lie in. The book, I think, is an informational read that would be classified under nonfiction. However, it's not like those textbooks that you'd need to read for reference for a biology class. It's an informational yet entertaining read as well. There is no specific setting.

Plot: Since there is no specific rising action, falling action, plot, & resolution I will summarize the book. It talks of the relationship between disease, environment, and lifestyle that make diseases that are very deadly and prominent today bred into our genetic code. Also, it gives an explanation as to why diseases keep being passed on and how there are good effects on these certain diseases aside from the bad. It really gives an informational insight on these diseases without making it sound uninteresting.

Evaluation: This book was really interesting and was broken down into chapters that talked about different diseases such as hemochromatosis, diabetes, cholesterol among others, which made it very easy to read. Also, the author writes it in a way that is humorous and in a very easy to read format. Also, since it is broken down into chapters you may not have to read the whole book. If anyone is looking for an informative read relating to diseases this would be a very good book.

Author, Context and Trivia: From what I've found, this is Dr. Moalem's first book, however he has published many articles concerning different fields of science. He earned his Ph.D in neurogenetics and evolutionary medicine from the University of Toronto.