Editorial Review:

Product Description:
In Mapping Fate, Alice Wexler tells the story of a family at risk for a hereditary, incurable, fatal disorder: Huntington's disease, once called Huntington's chorea. That her mother died of the disease, that her own chance of inheriting it was fifty-fifty, that her sister and father directed much of the extraordinary biomedical research to find the gene and a cure, make Wexler's story both astonishingly intimate and scientifically compelling. Alice Wexler's graceful and eloquent account goes beyond the specifics of Huntington's disease to explore the dynamics of family secrets, of living at risk, and the drama and limits of biomedical research. Mapping Fate will be a touchstone for anyone with questions about genetic illness and the possibilites and perils of genetic testing.









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Rating: - WOW. Captures & holds me throughout.
Beautiful book. This book brings to life the science of Huntington's, as well as the personal dilemmas surrounding genetic testing, as written by one of the pioneers of this test. I also recommend Time, Love, Memory: A Great Biologist and His Quest for the Origins of Behavior to anyone who enjoys this book for the scientific, biographical aspect.

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Rating: - Lots of Info
Wexler tells an incredible story of both the personal and medical aspects of HD. She takes the time to explain the important biological and genetic background, while not overwhelming you with useless facts. She does a wonderful job explaining the pain of having a family member with HD, while not soley focusing on their struggles. I learned a lot about HD through this book, and would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about the disease and its biological basis.

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Rating: - Very interesting
I felt Mapping Fate was a very informative and interesting book about Huntington's disease and genetic testing. I highly recommend it for anyone with Huntington's disease risk in their family. Also, very useful for anyone interested in genetics and genetic testing.

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Rating: - Interesting and well written
This book is just as other reviewers have said-- a heartbreaking but fascinating tale about two sisters' response when a devastating disease crops up in their family. But it's not a depressing, downer of a read. The two sisters deal with the future possibility of their own disease diagnosis in different ways but both have many lessons to teach all of us facing something difficult (and who doesn't at some point). And the story-within-a-story about the search for the Huntington's gene is a really candid and interesting look at the world of important scientific research. It's just a good read.

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Rating: - History of the disease and the people who want to cure it.
A must read for anyone interested in Huntington's disease. This book tells about how HD affects families and tells about how the gene was found after a ten year search. Courage and perserverance -that's the Wexler family-they give courage to so many others who are also on the same difficult journey with HD.