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Reviews
The Stuff of Life: A Graphic Guide to Genetics and DNA by Zander Cannon, Mark Schultz, Kevin Cannon
chloekg's review
3.0
It's essentially a graphic retelling of Genetics by Hartwell et al, which I already read for university. It's a fine summary, though the narrative structure seems irrelevant.
kevin_shepherd's review
4.0
Schultz succeeds in making genetic science enormously entertaining and slightly less mind-numbing. From A to Z (Adenine to Zygotes) everything is explained in graphic detail (pun intended) and complex concepts are often reiterated with relatable and sometimes humorous analogies. This is a fantastic introduction made all the more enjoyable by Zander & Kevin Cannon's utterly remarkable illustrations. 4.5 Stars!
teachinsci's review
5.0
So good I teach it.
I bought this book because I am always looking for new ways to teach things to my high school students. After reading it, I went to my department head and (after he looked at the book) had little trouble convincing him to buy a classroom set to use to teach the basics of genetics. My class is now about half-way through the book and the students all seem to enjoy taking some time out to read (no mean feat in and of itself), and some have even said that seeing the pictures in the book has helped them with topics they were having trouble with.
One word of warning is that some of the words used that are unrelated to science are a bit advanced (a great opportunity to teach more vocabulary), but the terms related to genetics are well explained and there is even a glossary to help students still having trouble.
I bought this book because I am always looking for new ways to teach things to my high school students. After reading it, I went to my department head and (after he looked at the book) had little trouble convincing him to buy a classroom set to use to teach the basics of genetics. My class is now about half-way through the book and the students all seem to enjoy taking some time out to read (no mean feat in and of itself), and some have even said that seeing the pictures in the book has helped them with topics they were having trouble with.
One word of warning is that some of the words used that are unrelated to science are a bit advanced (a great opportunity to teach more vocabulary), but the terms related to genetics are well explained and there is even a glossary to help students still having trouble.
blairconrad's review
5.0
Clever. An interesting take on instructing genetics. The "alien observer" viewpoint gave the author a reason to harp on earthly life's construction and human history in an interesting and less inflammatory way than might otherwise have been done. So far as I can tell, the science is solid, presented well - not dry, and with a sense of humour. The illustrations were fabulous - clean, well-drawn panels, with plenty of details and often embellishments that served to at least decorate and often amuse.
ajaggers324's review
5.0
It's a different way to convey information about genetics and DNA. It was entertaining to see the fictional alien characters and how they sometimes perceived Earth and/or humans. I would recommend this book to people who want to know more about genetics and DNA. The comics medium is a good one for conveying information.
erlend's review
4.0
This book is great way for a non-scientist to refresh some long-forgotten knowledge from high school biology, as well as acquiring some new insight. As a bonus, by framing this introduction to genetics and DNA within a story about extra-terrestrials researching terrestrial biology, the reader is asked to view our biosphere from a new perspective.
disabledreamer's review against another edition
4.0
This is another great book giving a very deep and detailed understanding of genetics. The illustrations make this book fun and easy to understand a very complex subject. I highly recommend this book to anyone .
pollyno9's review
5.0
This book is NOT a *fun* read, but it is chock full of good, understandable information about genetics. I would very much recommend this book to anyone taking biology in high school who wants a more visual description.
debz57a52's review
I am not a science brain at all, but I thought a graphic representation of genetics might be good for me. It started easy enough, with the story that aliens from another planet have an inheritable disorder that is causing problems for the leading family. A representative from the alien planet has been studying earth and humans in particular and has learned about genetics through them. The first chapter was heavy into discussion of proteins and the building of genes and such, which kind of lost me since I don't have a lot of experience with those terms and concepts. the second chapter was a little more approachable, but my brain just wasn't in it. As I flipped through the rest of the book, it looked like they would touch more on the pioneers of genetic theories, family trees and heredity, and get into traits, diseases, and disorders. I was just done though. The illustrations were clear and complemented the text well. It's a good offering, but it's not for me.