Books that "capture the acute pleasures and pains of being human"
March 16, 2017 8:04 AM   Subscribe

The Wellcome Book Prize announced its 2017 shortlist, recognizing the best books--across all genres of non-fiction and fiction--actively engaged with the life-defining forces of medicine, health, and illness. Commenting on the books honored this year, Chair of Judges Val McDermid says, "What these six challenging, diverse and enriching titles have in common is their insight into what it means to be human. Together they form a mosaic that illuminates our relationship with health and medicine. It spans our origins, our deaths and much that lies between, from activism to acts of human kindness."

The winner will be announced 24 April and receive a £30,000 prize. The shortlisted books:

How to Survive a Plague by David France
"How AIDS was transformed from a killer plague to a viral infection that can be treated with considerable success is one of the most extraordinary narratives in modern medicine, demonstrating a ground-breaking collaboration between activists and researchers. This is a profoundly human story of persistence, determination and innovation – and sometimes intense frustration – that could never have happened without fierce commitment." (Judge Val McDermid)

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
"Mortality faces us all, and its contemplation is a key part of our humanity; few books pack in as many diverse insights as this. First comes the gripping dissection of the demands and satisfactions of a career in neurosurgery. Then the disastrous diagnosis of terminal lung cancer. Intensely moving but remarkably unsentimental, this is an intellectually, revelatory and emotionally devastating read." (Judge Val McDermid)

Mend the Living by Maylis de Kerangal (translated by Jessica Moore)
"Mend the Living is a brave book, a highly original and ambitious novel which traces the medical drama and emotional turmoil of a heart transplant in daring, lyrical prose. Concentrated across the span of a single day, Maylis de Kerangal succeeds in telling a gripping, cinematic story while revealing the intricate care, the tensions and the heartbreak of life-saving medical science." (Judge Di Speirs)

The Tidal Zone by Sarah Moss
"In The Tidal Zone, Sarah Moss poses big questions about life, mortality, recovery, parenthood and love as the Goldschmidt family anxiously surround their teenage daughter Miriam in hospital. With intelligent characterisation and quiet observations, harsh notes on reality, Moss creates a moving and poetic investigation of modern family life at a time of personal tragedy. It’s a stunning and different novel by an immensely talented writer." (Judge Gemma Cairney)

The Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee
"How can one write about the field of genetics in an intimate way? Mukherjee achieves this by beautifully weaving together his own family history of schizophrenia, in his homeland of India, with the history of the gene: its discovery, its horrific abuse during Nazi eugenics, and the rapid change in technology such that we can now read a person’s complete genome for $1,000. Compelling reading." (Judge Simon Baron-Cohen)

I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong
"Ed Yong's magnificent book shows us that microbes need not be malevolent: they play crucial roles in maintaining us in health as well as in bringing sickness. Microbes are teaching us that every individual organism is an ecosystem in its own right, and Yong explores the profound consequences this has for traditional pictures of evolution, ecology and ultimately for identity." (Judge Tim Lewens)

Additionally, on the Guardian's Science Weekly podcast, Hannah Devlin talks with three of the shortlisted authors (Sarah Moss, David France, and Ed Yong) about what makes a successful science book.
posted by mixedmetaphors (5 comments total) 30 users marked this as a favorite
 
Thanks very much--I hadn't been aware this award existed, and this is one of my favorite categories of writing, so I look forward to many happy hours nosing around among the previous winners. ( And wow, what a great post!)
posted by Kat Allison at 11:58 AM on March 16, 2017 [2 favorites]


How to Survive a Plague is one of the best documentaries I've ever seen, so I will definitely be checking out the book. Ed Yong is super great; his newsletter is excellent. Thanks, awesome post!
posted by Gin and Broadband at 2:20 PM on March 16, 2017 [1 favorite]


I will surely read "When Breath Becomes Air". Thanks.
posted by Modest House at 2:55 PM on March 16, 2017


Man, this really hits my sweet spot and I'm so glad some fiction was included. The Tidal Zone was my last 5 star read.
posted by janey47 at 4:30 PM on March 16, 2017 [2 favorites]


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posted by larry_darrell at 9:56 PM on March 17, 2017


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