The Violinist's Thumb

And Other Lost Tales of Love, War, and Genius, as Written by Our Genetic Code

By: Sam Kean

Narrated by: Henry Leyva

Length: 12 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

From New York Times best-selling author Sam Kean come more incredible stories of science, history, language, and music, as told by our own DNA.

In The Disappearing Spoon, best-selling 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.

©2012 Sam Kean; 2012 Hachette Audio

Great book, but I really need the visuals

This is a great book, but (through no fault of the author) I couldn't do it justice trying to listen to it as an audiobook. My knowledge of biology and genetics isn't good enough for that, and I'm going to re-read this once I get my hands on a hardcover copy. I need to see all those G-C and A-T pairings!

No option to hear the notes

Where does The Violinist's Thumb rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book's included contents is very good with the exception that it is abridged as the notes for this book were rather informative and their excise was a great loss.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Paul Kammerer

Which scene was your favorite?

Epigenetics

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Too long for that, but yeah, it'd have been nice.

Any additional comments?

I never had time to read the notes so I feel I missed something.

Not what I expected

While this was still an interesting read, I didn't enjoy it as much as the "Disappearing Spoon." There was too much about Neanderthals and evolution. I wanted to hear more about what makes people what they are and real life examples from modern history.

VERY INTERESTING non-fiction book on genes and DNA

THE VIOLINIST'S THUMB by Sam Kean is a fabously told non-fiction book about genes and DNA, expounding on the history, science and scientists, and varied discoveries of the make up of living beings. It's a great 'every man's' overview that is remarkably thorough in it's facts, and even more fantastic in it's ability to entertain.

So many things are discussed from why some people can survive atomic bombs to why there are hoarding cat people. The politics and infighting stories of the human genomes projects is as thrilling as any world history debates and wars. There are scientific studies of people from the past---what was the real truth about JFK's health; why was King George so crazy; and why were the Egyptian Pharos so misshapen. Perhaps one of the most interesting proven theories for me was Ziff's Law: the most common word in any language is used twice as much as the next most common word in that language in any book. The most common word is then used three times as much as the third most popular word, etc, until the least most common word.

This discussion of genetic make-up is not out to prove any particular point. Everything is discussed and the final conclusion remains that all living things are a combinations of multiple bits and pieces that makes everything unique and similar. Surely science will continue with this troublesome and fascination exploration for years to come. One big hope is to help cure and prevent devastating diseases.

Though I am not necessarily a non-fiction book reader for pleasure, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Were that all learning was this easy and entertaining!!! Now on to his first book on the chemical elements---THE DISAPPEARING SPOON. I hope Sam Kean has more books like this in his future!!

Amazing Book

Would you consider the audio edition of The Violinist's Thumb to be better than the print version?

No, I like print better than audio but I can listen to audio while driving.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Violinist's Thumb?

The section on art and mutations

Have you listened to any of Henry Leyva’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

fine

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

no

Yet another intellectually valuable & emotionally entertaining g book from Sam Keen!

This is perhaps the 5th Sam Keen book I’ve listened to, and I am as grateful as ever for the experience!

I deeply appreciate the combination of scientific data consideration with the equally relevant social & political contexts that Sam’s books weave.

And the narration by Henry Leung is equally superb - especially considering the sometimes quite technical nature of the content.

Henry’s style is always enjoyable and always on point.

Thank you Sam Keen and Henry Leyva :)

DNA interesting? Whoda thunk it

This book was so very interesting. My genetics knowledge was marginally post-Mendel. If you are interested in matters scientific you must not pass this book by. If you think you might be interested in matters scientific but have either never tried or (somewhat predictably) tried Hawking's book as the entry then this is the book for you. This book has the wonderful combination of teaching you something and doing it in an interesting way.

Very educational and entertaining.

I have enjoyed and learned a lot from all of this author's books. Have listened to them all now that I have finished this one. Hope there are more to come.

synopsis of dna w/ great story telling

love Sam Kean's books... always informative and peppered with the stories of those behind the scenes involved directly or indirectly. this is a must read for any student of biology, young and old.

Worth two listens

Would you listen to The Violinist's Thumb again? Why?

I don't think I have ever read a book twice, and I certainly have not listened to a book twice, but in this case I will make an exception. "The Disappearing Spoon" was a delightful compendium of intriguing scientific anecdotes, but "The Violinist's Thumb" is so rich with truly remarkable information, that I have to listen again.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Violinist's Thumb?

Kean's description of the research into our DNA as it relates to our fellow primates is probably the most fascinating part of the book, particularly as the news continues to contain new discoveries on the human family tree.