The Carriers

What the Fragile X Gene Reveals About Family, Heredity, and Scientific Discovery

By: Anne Skomorowsky

Narrated by: Amy Tallmage

Length: 6 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

A tiny mutation on the X chromosome can shape a family’s history. Passed down from a “carrier” parent to a child, fragile X syndrome is the most common inherited cause of intellectual disability and autism. Beyond that—and a rarity among genetic disorders—some fragile X carriers not only transmit the mutation, but also experience related conditions themselves. In such cases, carriers can have tremors, infertility, and psychiatric disorders that complicate raising children with fragile X syndrome—and all too often, they suffer in silence.

The Carriers investigates this common but still little-known genetic condition and its life-altering consequences. Anne Skomorowsky reveals how this disorder afflicts families across generations, telling the stories of the mothers and grandparents of fragile X patients and considering how genes interact with family dynamics. She interweaves the personal narratives and family histories of the people affected by fragile X disorders with clear and accessible explanations of the science behind them. Skomorowsky unpacks the latest research on the fragile X mutation and explores the history of its discovery. She highlights the roles of women as carriers, caregivers, and researchers who have made astonishing scientific breakthroughs over the last three decades.

The Carriers is an essential book for fragile X families, including those just learning they are carriers, and for all those interested in the complexities of heredity, the ethical dilemmas of genetic medicine, and the relationship between genes and personality.

©2022 Anne Skomorowsky (P)2022 Audible, Inc.

Finally! A book for laymen saying "It's GENETIC!"

Mothers of non-typical kids have been accused of causing their kids' developmental differences due to bad parenting until now. NOW the genetic component of our families' differences is FINALLY being affirmed.
THANK YOU!
...but the excitement with which this sad news is delivered is a bit hard to take. Being different is not JUST fascinating. It's TOUGH!

Enlightening

This book gives you a full perspective on the subject

I enjoyed it and it really helped me understand the syndrome

Eye opening

As a pre mutation carrier definitely makes you wonder, opens your eyes about everything. A lot hit home and found to be a read I couldn’t put down.

Extremely informative

As a carrier myself this book was so incredibly important. There is so little information about carriers available to the general public, so this culmination of cases and insights is monumental in gaining a deeper understanding of both fragile x permutation and fragile x itself. I have recommend this book to my extended family as well so that they can better understand the implications of carrier status.

Now I understand my condition

I am not a doctor and I needed to understand what it meant to be a carrier and what it meant to the child I am carrying. This book was so helpful at one of the worst time of my life. It gave me the knowledge I did not have to make the best choice for myself and the baby.