Dr. Francis Collins explores the concepts of wisdom, truth, science, faith, and trust in this book that is part biographical as he shares stories of his life and part charging us to build bridges with those we may not agree with. He spends a good amount of time discussing science and his scientific experience and also discusses ways that he did and did not handle the COVID-19 response well. Throughout the book he exhibits humility and graciousness and demonstrates a desire to connect with others as evidenced by his involvement in Braver Angels which connects those with different views. A lot of what he shared about connecting with others resonated with me as a scientific communicator where relationships change people's views more than data. In the faith chapter, Collins spent more time discussing science than I thought was necessary and it felt like he was more on the 'side' of science than the 'side' of faith.

I have always admired Dr. Francis Collins because of his strong Christian faith and his love of science as evidenced by his long career serving as the Director of the NIH. He has been an inspiration of how to straddle two communities that can seem to be at odds at certain points. I don't agree with all of Collins' views, but greatly respect his desire to unify disparate communities and it is a desire I share.

Francis Collins may not be a household name, but his work has definitely influenced every American household and most of the others around the world. I believe his name will be listed among the greatest scientists ever because of his work on the human genome project. His leadership of the NIH will also secure his place as an influential leader of our generation. If for no other reasons than that, this is a book that should be read. Beyond that, this is a book that deserves to be read because it attempts to address the fundamental flaws that are a part of our national fabric. We have lost our ability to trust others. This is a practical and in some ways simple book. It charts a path forward for all of us. It encourages us to follow that path. Collins inspires others to join him on it. You may not agree with everything that is written, but I think you will agree that what he postulates is much better than doing nothing to address the issue. I highly recommend this book.

Francis S. Collins in The Road to Wisdom seeks to remind us that wisdom can still be found by using good judgment in the areas of faith, science, truth, and trust. He explains how so many in western society have jettisoned foundational truth because it conflicts with pre-held convictions. This has proven detrimental in the Covid era especially and has led to an ever-increasingly divisive society. Dr. Collins calls readers to consider their own biases and to interact with others in a respectful way that leads to understanding one another, even if differences in beliefs remain.

A good portion of this book reads like a memoir of the author's time working at the National Institute of Health and overseeing the Human Genome Project. Though it was interesting, to a point, it didn't fulfill the mission of the book -- leading the reader toward wisdom.

Dr. Collins states that respect must be given to legitimate experts in the field of science. He believes that the earth is more than four billion years old, but mentions how young earth Creationists such as Henry Morris, and those in the organizations of the Creation Research Society (CRS) and Answers in Genesis (AIG) believe that the earth is only 6,000 years old. He then goes on to state that, '"the young Earth perspective simply cannot be defended". On the contrary, both CRS and AIG employ numerous PhD scientists who do exactly that -- defend the young Earth perspective with scientific, peer-reviewed research. Creation Ministries International (creation.com) is another organization that does the same, employing a host of PhD scientists. So Dr. Collins lost me at this point with his dogmatic, and wrong, assertion that the young Earth perspective cannot be defended.

I did appreciate Dr. Collins' call at the end for those who are concerned about the current divisiveness and distrust of authority to commit themselves to being part of the solution instead of part of the problem. He suggests we do this by seeking out, and listening respectfully to, those whose views are different from our own; by being a wise consumer of information; and by avoiding sharing things of uncertain validity. We would all do well to heed this advice.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

An earnest and thoughtful reflection on truth, information, and how Christians can navigate a particularly confusing moment in history.

(I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)