Praise for Song of the Cell

"Erudite, panoramic... Mukherjee is an elegant stylist... [and] an assured and genial guide."
         -- Hamilton Cain, Minneapolis Star-Tribune

"If you are not already in awe of biology, The Song of the Cell might get you there. It is a masterclass."
         -- Suzanne O''Sullivan, the Guardian

"Audacious...mesmerizing...reliably engaging... Mukherjee enthusiastically instructs and... delights--all the while hustling us across a preposterously vast and intricate landscape."
         -- David A Shaywitz, Wall Street Journal

"Mukherjee is a passionate, expert guide... He weaves together charming histories of scientists, his own, sometimes painful, memories of patients and friends lost to illness, and the complex science of what makes cells tick."
         -- Hannah Kuchler, The Financial Times

"For anyone who wants to understand the building blocks of their own bodies--which everyone surely should--this is an informative and entertaining introduction."
         -- The Economist

"Mukherjee has found an especially roomy subject for his roving intelligence. . . . I was repeatedly dazzled by [Mukherjee''s] pointillist scenes, the enthusiasm of his explanations, the immediacy of his metaphors."
         -- Jennifer Szalai, The New York Times

"Mukherjee is such an engaging writer, alert to nanoscopic beauty and the potential deceptions of metaphor. . . . [ The Song of the Cell is] written with compassionate warmth and humor, and the personal glimpses into an ordinary scientific life and the dedication that goes with it."
         -- Steven Poole, The Telegraph (UK)

" The Song of the Cell blends cutting-edge research, impeccable scholarship, intrepid reporting, and gorgeous prose into an encyclopedic study that reads like a literary page-turner."
         -- Oprah Daily

"Siddhartha Mukherjee, whose 2010 Pulitzer-winning biography of cancer, The Emperor of All Maladies, vaulted him into Quammen''s league, affirms a reputation for accessible science journalism with The Song of the Cell , a history of the building block of life, woven into his career as a doctor. But with a twist -- unlike Breathless , you step away hopeful for the future."
         -- The Chicago Tribune

"Tying together what might otherwise be a disjointed narrative, Mukherjee frequently invokes the patient''s journey. We hear their voices throughout, reminding the reader that however great our knowledge, there is still much to learn. . . . A great read with which it is hard not to hum along."
         -- Marie Vodicka, Science

"Captivating and provocative, The Song of the Cell encourages us to rethink historical approaches to medical science and imagine how cellular biology can reshape medicine and public health."
         -- Bookpage, * STARRED REVIEW*

"An extraordinarily gifted storyteller... The author''s ideas about the near future of medicine (one in which medicine will

"perhaps even create synthetic versions of cells, and parts of humans") are both convincing and inspiring, and woven throughout his narrative are accessible explanations of cell biology and immunology. This is another winner from Mukherjee."
         -- Publishers Weekly, * STARRED REVIEW*

"Mukherjee, a physician, professor of medicine, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author ( The Emperor of All Maladies ), has a knack for explaining difficult ideas in terms that are both straightforward and interesting... A luminous journey into cellular biology... Another outstanding addition to the author''s oeuvre, which we hope will continue to grow for years to come."
         -- Kirkus, * STARRED REVIEW*

"Mukherjee''s coverage of early efforts at bone marrow transplantation is heart-tugging. A discussion of stem cells is first-rate... In all, this is a distinctive ode to cells--their structure and function, commonalities, diversities, interconnectedness, and limitless possibilities--infused with a sense of wonder and humanity."
         -- Booklist