EACR Members’ Science Book Club: Reviews of ‘A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived’ and ‘This is Going to Hurt’

review by Anna Nolan (a science journalist)

This fascinating book is highly entertaining and well-written delving into the genetic story of humans and their relatives. It presents complex and developing research in a way that is accessible for the non-geneticist, while raising questions that could cause experts to question their own ideas.

Written by geneticist Dr Adam Rutherford, who is also a seasoned science writer and broadcaster, the book tackles the huge question of who we present-day humans are and how we got here. It upends some views of genetics commonly held by the general public. “There’s plenty of fabrication and myth making born of DNA”, he remarks.

We are no more or less evolved than any other creature, he tells us, and there is no measure of the progress of evolution.  All this on page 17, with a huge story unrolled over the next 400 pages.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, so much so that after hearing the views of the other participants in the EACR book club discussion, I immediately read it from start to finish all over again. It’s such a wide-ranging book, and such a page-turner, that it’s easy to miss something important in a rush to see what he’s going to say next, so the second reading proved fruitful.

I will read it a third time later on and learn even more.

Strongly recommended.

review by Frederike Dijk (Amsterdam UMC, Netherlands)

This sounds impossible, but Adam Rutherford actually manages to describe how all of us living today are in fact descending from just a handful of people.

I really enjoyed the part on the modern homo sapiens being (genetically) mixed up with their cousins, H. neanderthalensis and Denisovans. First an archaeological journey, now primarily a genetic journey, which comes with many surprises. For instance, that diseases, like the plague, leave their marks in our DNA, and that inbreeding, for political reasons, influences the course of history (the Habsburgs family!). In fact, it shows how we all descend from royalty and in spite of all people’s differences, which cluster to geography and culture, there is no basis, also not genetically, for racism.

A very interesting, very informative, and very well-written story on everyone who ever lived.

review by Anna Schönbichler (University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna)

As a PhD student, I am constantly torn between the desire to read for leisure and the need to keep up with my academic reading. However, Adam Rutherford’s “A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived” had me eagerly anticipating my bedtime reading, even after a long day in the lab.

Rutherford’s prose is not only well-written, but also infused with illuminating information and humorous anecdotes. Through tracing the genetic lineage of humanity back to its earliest origins, he delivers complex scientific concepts in a way that is both entertaining and easy to comprehend. Despite having studied biology for over a decade, I found myself frequently pausing to marvel at Rutherford’s explanations.

In addition to teaching me new things, “A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived” debunks numerous harmful and discriminating myths. Armed with this knowledge, I now feel more equipped to engage in discussions about these topics with various uncles and aunts uttering questionable opinions at family gatherings.

Overall, this book serves as a powerful reminder of the boundless potential of science to inspire awe and discovery and I highly recommend it to anyone seeking to expand their understanding of our shared genetic history

review by Laura Escudero (McMaster University, Canada)

We often think of medical doctors as superheroes, but with that thought, we forget that they are human beings. They need the same things as everyone else to function properly; however, some are exposed to sleep deprivation, a big emotional baggage, constant pressures… while having to be the best version of themselves to save people’s life. This is Going to Hurt is the secret diary written by Adam Kay while he was a junior doctor in the NHS in 2004-2010. It is a mixture of very funny and devastating stories from events he experienced. It helps you understand all they joys but also the sufferings that they go through, and it makes you ask yourself: What should be done to improve the NHS? Has the situation changed since the book was written? Is it the same in all countries? What can we do to help?

review by Frederike Dijk (Amsterdam UMC, Netherlands)

The book is about the journey of becoming a gynaecologist in the UK. Adam Kay keeps a diary on his experiences, with patients mostly, but also colleagues, and friends.

These are sometimes hilarious, sometimes shocking (such as a patient not knowing the difference between a vitamin and a vaccine, but nevertheless having a strong opinion on them), and sometimes heartbreaking.

Usually, ultrashort stories are not my favorite, but this book makes you continue to read, because of the content and the way it is written. And most of all, it makes you realise how horrible the system is. With such long hours, so much responsibility, and so little praise, it is close to a miracle that the UK has consultants at all. I hope that this book achieves, in addition to a large audience and a series, also a significant change in the ‘junior’ doctors’-system!

review by Mihaela Matovina (Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Croatia)

“This is going to hurt” is a collection of Adam Kay’s diary entries collected during his residency in Obstetrics and Gynaecology wards in several UK hospitals. It is easy to read, funny and touching and it makes you sympathise with young medical doctors often working long shifts on the edge of their capabilities. Most of them choose the medical profession to save lives and start their residency with enthusiasm, but reality knocks them down quickly when they realise that they are going to sacrifice their personal and social life without getting any recognition from patients or their supervisors. They work long hours which destroys their personal relationships, have to deal with life and death situations and all sorts of people’s stupidities. They get minimal help from senior medical doctors, and on top of that the system that should nourish and protect them does completely the opposite. For someone who is not from UK, it sounds unbelievable that young doctors are treated the way it is described in the book. They have low salaries and don’t get paid for overtime, they can’t even get sick unless they find someone to fill in for them. This leads to medical doctors giving up the medical profession or even ending their own lives, yet, no one involved in the health care management seems to be aware of the problem. The book is full of dark humour, so it is not recommendable for people who don’t like that kind of humour, however, I highly recommend it to everyone else.