A very readable and understandable biography of cancer and the attempts to cure it. Provides a useful historical context for the disease and helps one understand the level of biological and medical knowledge needed to provide effective treatments.

March 2021: This is the most compelling nonfiction book I have ever read. I initially read most of it several years ago, but didn't complete the final chapters as my brain was already overwhelmed. So I started this time at Part Six: The Fruits of Long Endeavors. Personal experiences provided a framework for applying myself and better understanding this last portion of the book as it described gene sequencing & targeted therapies.
The author is a master: an historian, a clinician and a researcher, and a compassionate human. The interplay of historical events with his personal experiences and those of his patients bring a perspective that ties the science and the emotion together.
The final section, Atossa's War, is a captivating time sequence consolidating and condensing the essence of the previously presented material.
Insights on human resilience and adaptation and determination regarding scientific pursuits are scattered throughout the book giving much on which to reflect.

Author did a phenomenal job regarding topic research, showed great personal interest and expertise. It was an eye opening learning experience and highly disturbing read for me, personally. Wouldn’t suggest to read it during COVID-19 at all!

Interesting "biography" that attracted by a lot of highbrow ,but sometimes flawed characters (scientists), amoral character (tobacco executives), corporate (greedy to indifferent) to the victims themselves seeking mythical magic bullet.
Engrossing book on disease that more slippery & resilient or on doctor & patients forced to redefine what is victory conditions.

When I pick up a book that won a Pulitzer, I expected to read good writing. Having said that, I was somewhat apprehensive at the thought of reading a treatise on cancer. No such need. As author Siddhartha Mukherjee promises, he has treated cancer not as a thing (a disease) but as a person – hence the subtitle. That you want to keep turning pages until you get to the end is a testament to the effective treatment Mukherjee affords this serious and painful subject. It is obvious that he is an expert in his field, a good writer, and – above all – a wonderful “explainer.” (submitted by library customer MA)

Read this 2011 Pulitzer Prize winner for General Non-Fiction more than two years ago but both comments and quotes were gone. Agree with most reviews that this book is a definitive read on cancer history and current research when it was published in 2010. Goodreads has posted many pages, 8 and counting, of quotes worthwhile to look up for reference:

http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/7580942-the-emperor-of-all-maladies-a-biography-of-cancer?page=8

no

This book is fascinating. It's extremely well researched and written.

I found this book fascinating, but when I watched the documentary I was chilled by how little mention of cancer prevention there was. Could I suggest a prescription for the author and Ken Burns? Read T. Colin Campbell's 'The China Study' if we know that the Standard American Diet (SAD) causes disease, why isn't advertizing for processed foods banned the way smoking ads are? A great opportunity to advocate for longer, healthier lives through healthy diet and exercise was missed here.

I have cancer and found the book caring and thoughtful. Lots of information about how we are lucky to be past the worst of the beginning, and now in the very beginning of rational treatment. I found that it read like a novel. Great book.