Have you ever wondered, "Why are there so many genes, but we know how a small percentage works?" Well, this book tries to explain the reason behind that scientific problem.
While the beginning was a little slow and lacked fluidity, it didn't take long before the pace was great. I found the take on sloppy genes not new, but the book brought a fresh perspective that I hadn't considered, so it was original in its form. I loved that the concepts were direct and precise. Still, I wouldn't recommend this book for people that aren't familiar with the terms used, they are explained but having a little bit of knowledge it's better.
In general, it was a great read, I loved the format and redaction of the book, and I totally recommend it!

My thanks to the author Laurence A. Moran, University of Toronto Press, and NetGalley for letting me read this book.

Moran warns you in the first chapter: this is a dense book full of science. No punches are pulled. He does think that you don't need a scientific background to read this, and I'm not sure that I agree. My three years of college biology certainly helped. This is a fascinating read, as long as you know what you're getting into.

This book was a very dry read. It took a long time to get through, but it was very informative and I learned a lot from it.

There was a lot I liked about this book. I especially loved the discussions of science journalism and university press offices. Running through the book is the theme of how science actually works. To me these are the highlights of the book and are actually more important to me than the nitty-gritty of junk DNA. But the nitty-gritty was also excellent. The tone is conversational and the science is well-explained. Dr. Moran is clear and correct about this book not being for newbies to biology. As well as Moran explains things, a background in biology is still necessary to fully appreciate the book. A couple of times I got lost in the weeds but it wasn’t a big deal because Moran usually circles around and reiterates the main points. I found Moran highly opinionated but that was fine as he is always clear what is opinion and what is factual. One thing I found a little weird was his need to convince me about junk DNA. I didn’t mind but it’s not like a discussion of climate change where I can actually do something, but it did come across as sincere which is why I am pleased that Moran did convince me about junk DNA. This is a great book for anyone with a background in biology. Thank you to Netgally and University of Toronto Press, Aevo UTP for the digital review copy.