The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer

Sigh. I love Mukherjee's New Yorker pieces, but don't seem to be intelligent enough to appreciate his books; this one makes two for two.

I found the first half engaging despite the frequent timeline jumping: valuable history, insights into the personalities of researchers and the challenges they faced, compassionate reflection on the lives of those afflicted. I never really got the “biography of cancer” angle—it felt jarring every time he brought it up, gimmicky—but ok, whatever.

Somewhere midway, he just lost me. I found myself reading pages over and over, not understanding even a tenth of the content; deciding to press on, understanding even less on the next pages. It doesn't feel quite fair for me to assign a low rating over something that's my own stupidity... but I kept feeling like this was stuff he was really excited about, really into, and when I get into that mode I have to be especially careful to calm down and remember my audience. I think he got carried away. So, mostly me, but partly him too. Recommended only for very smart educated people.