Overview

A geneticist tells the stories of men, women, and children whose genes have shaped their lives in unexpected ways. It was while listening to a colleague tell the parents of a newborn girl that their daughter was going to die that a lifelong interest in genetic medicine was sparked in Dr. Edwin Kirk. Warmth and gentleness tempered a direct, sure manner--this was the medicine he wanted to practice, where the most advanced science and the most deeply humane care meet and merge. Twenty-five years later, Kirk works both with patients and in the lab, meanwhile spearheading a campaign that will change the way we think about having babies. Written with insight and gentle humor, The Boy Who Wasn't Short tells tales about his work, such as the moment the realization that a young boy wasn't short ended up saving the life of his mother--and how Angelina Jolie has saved the lives of many more. Sit in the room with Kirk and his patients as they navigate the world of heartbreaking uncertainties, tantalizing possibilities, and thorny questions of morality. In genetics, it is the particularities of an individual's history that matter, and here, in clear and considerate writing, those individual stories are given voice.

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9781950354726

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Reviews

"""This new book sets out to share the experiences and anecdotes of a career in genetic medicine more than two-decades long, while narrating segments of the history of genetic pathology and exploring the world of genes today and to come...Kirk makes effective use of footnotes to deflate the academic style and maintain a sense of personality and fun."" --David Ferrell, Canberra Times ""Both an account of the human stories at the heart of Kirk's practice and a beginner's guide to genetic medicine, The Genes That Make Us tells of the significant progress that has been made in genetics over the past two decades, while also signalling how far there is left to travel."" --Diane Stubbings, Australian Book Review"

This new book sets out to share the experiences and anecdotes of a career in genetic medicine more than two-decades long, while narrating segments of the history of genetic pathology and exploring the world of genes today and to come...Kirk makes effective use of footnotes to deflate the academic style and maintain a sense of personality and fun. --David Ferrell, Canberra Times Both an account of the human stories at the heart of Kirk's practice and a beginner's guide to genetic medicine, The Genes That Make Us tells of the significant progress that has been made in genetics over the past two decades, while also signalling how far there is left to travel. --Diane Stubbings, Australian Book Review

Author Information

Dr. Edwin Kirk is both a clinical geneticist and a genetic pathologist, a rare combination. As a clinician, he sees patients at Sydney Children's Hospital, where he has worked for more than 20 years. He is also a researcher, working in the fields of cardiac genetics, metabolic diseases, and intellectual disability, studies reproductive carrier screening, and is a co-author of more than 100 publications in scientific journals.

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