Family Gene

A 'surprisingly buoyant' memoir about 'how it feels to face the likelihood of a shortened life . . . reminds us that hope 'isn't the same thing as truth'' (New Yorker).When Joselin Linder was in her twenties her legs suddenly started to swell. After years of misdiagnoses, doctors discovered a deadly blockage in her liver. Struggling to find an explanation for her unusual condition, Joselin compared the medical chart of her father-who had died from a mysterious disease, ten years prior-with that of an uncle who had died under similar circumstances. Delving further into the past, she discovered that her great-grandmother had displayed symptoms like hers before her death. Clearly, this was more than a fluke.Setting out to build a more complete picture of the illness that haunted her family, Joselin approached Dr. Christine Seidman, the head of a group of world-class genetic researchers at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Seidman confirmed that fourteen of Joselin's relatives carried a brand new genetic mutation, making them the first known people to experience the baffling symptoms. Here, Joselin tells the story of their gene: the lives it claimed and the potential of genomic medicine to save those that remain. A compelling chronicle of survival and perseverance, The Family Gene is an important story of a woman reckoning with her father's death, her own mortality, and her ethical obligations to herself and those closest to her. 'Both congenial and engaging, despite the long shadow of a broken gene.' -New York Times Book Review'An invaluable addition to the literature that dramatizes severe illness and its impact.' -Minneapolis Star Tribune'Moving and deft.' -Publishers Weekly, starred review