From New York Times bestselling author Sam Kean comes incredible stories of science, history, language, and music, as told by our own DNA.

In The Disappearing Spoon, bestselling author Sam Kean unlocked the mysteries of the periodic table. In The Violinist's Thumb, he explores the wonders of the magical building block of life: DNA.

There are genes to explain crazy cat ladies, why other people have no fingerprints, and why some people survive nuclear bombs. Genes illuminate everything from JFK's bronze skin (it wasn't a tan) to Einstein's genius. They prove that Neanderthals and humans bred thousands of years more recently than any of us would feel comfortable thinking. They can even allow some people, because of the exceptional flexibility of their thumbs and fingers, to become truly singular violinists.

Kean's vibrant storytelling once again makes science entertaining, explaining human history and whimsy while showing how DNA will influence our species' future.

Author: Sam Kean
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Published: 07/17/2012
Pages: 416
Weight: 1.43lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.38w x 1.32d
ISBN: 9780316182317


Award: 2013 Literary Award Finalist - Science


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 02/15/2012 pg. 81
Publishers Weekly 02/13/2012
Library Journal 03/15/2012 pg. 129
Kirkus Reviews 06/01/2012
Discover 07/01/2012 pg. 21
Booklist 07/01/2012 pg. 8
Entertainment Weekly 07/27/2012 pg. 74
Kirkus Best Nonfiction 12/01/2012 pg. 21
Entertainment Weekly 12/28/2012 pg. 106

About the Author
Sam Kean is the New York Times bestselling author of Caesar's Last Breath, The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons, The Disappearing Spoon, and The Violinist's Thumb, all of which were also named Amazon top science books of the year.

The Disappearing Spoon was a runner-up for the Royal Society of London's book of the year for 2010, and The Violinist's Thumb and The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons were nominated for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award in 2013 and 2015, as well as the AAAS/Subaru SB&F prize.

His work has appeared in the Best American Nature and Science Writing, the New Yorker, the Atlantic, the New York Times Magazine, Psychology Today, Slate, Mental Floss, and other publications, and he has been featured on NPR's "Radiolab," "All Things Considered," and "Fresh Air."