Of Cancer In The Emperor Of All Maladies By Siddhartha Mukherjee

1307 Words6 Pages

If you ask people how they think they will die, most of the time they respond with something that is far from likely of being their killer. Noncommunicable diseases alone take 36 million lives each year, that’s almost two-thirds of all deaths. One of the most impactful aliments that humans have to be aware of is cancer. Cancer has been apart of mankind since the beginning and has since become apart of our genome. Disease has a large impact on society and The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee, which is one of the most highly rated scientific nonfiction books by professional book critics, is a prime example of how cancer influences culture while simultaneously educating people on the importance of disease prevention. The Emperor …show more content…

A major theme throughout the novel is how a great deal of cancer’s are in fact preventable, and we would see a lot less tragedy if more people were made aware of this. “As “The Emperor of All Maladies” notes, more than 50 percent of cancers are thought to be preventable” (Hunter 2). If all citizens were made aware of how little they could be doing to lessen, or completely eradicate, their chances of developing cancer, there would be a significant decrease in cancer cases per year. A cancer that was prevented in the first place is a cancer that doesn't need to be cured. ”Nearly three in five adults (58%) believe we are on the verge of finding a cure for cancer” (National 1). Mukherjee makes it very apparent from the start of his novel that it would not be a place to find false hope about the progression of a cancer cure. Many reviews of his book criticize his blunt and straightforward delivery of bad …show more content…

I enjoyed this novel because it was written by a professional scientist and researcher who has years of experience in this field. I picked this book that fateful day in the library because I am interested in any field of science. The book was very thorough and was a lot more interesting than I expected. While I enjoyed the book, there were a few difficulties I encountered while reading it. The Emperor of All Maladies is obviously a book published for other medical professionals. The jargon and topics throughout the book are very sophisticated and a little difficult for a casual read. I would recommend this book to people who are very interested in oncology or who are willing to do the research on the various topics throughout the book. I felt more connected to the experiences of people who have been affected by diseases after finishing the