This was like a deep dive into the subject of cancer, but from a whole different angle -the cellular one, where everything actually happens before becoming full-blown cancer. As a cancer survivor, learning of the mechanics behind this process helped a lot to shed a light on what happened to me and to countless others, though there is no actual set-in-stone reason for anything like it to happen...
But this was terribly eye-opening, and I loved the tone of the author. It was like a lecture that everyone wants to attend, because it will impart information all while not being at all boring.
While I won't call this an enjoyable read, what with the subject matter and the complexity of the topic, it is however very informative and riveting.

Wonderful book. Highly recommended for everyone interested in science and medicine, but in particular for anyone who has personal experience with cancer. I remember how disappointed I was with famous "The Emperor of All Maladies" by Siddhartha Mukherjee - don't get me wrong, I don't mean that it is so bad, but despite the subtitle "A Biography of Cancer" the book was focused rather on the history cancer research and therapies than on the phenomena itself.

Here Kat Arney comes to the rescue: her brilliant, witty book is exactly "everything you always wanted to know" about cancer, from the origins to molecular mechanisms to newest drugs. She also masterly fights the taboo of this disease, showing that the eponymous rebel cells are a natural consequence of life itself, not a curse or a punishment for our sins.

Thanks to the publisher, BenBella Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

A master class in science writing and an exciting look into the world of cancer research!

Kat Arney formerly worked in science communications at Cancer Research UK - in this book, she seeks to clear up misconceptions about cancer itself and why we get it, as well as shed light on why personalized medicine hasn't yet led to major long-term survival gains. The tagline "everything we know about cancer is wrong" is a slight exaggeration, but Arney does a great job sorting through cancer research's failures and successes and introducing the reader to researchers who are trying new strategies to attack tumors. I especially enjoyed the sections about combatting tumor evolution using adaptive therapy and game theory.

Arney's writing style is wonderfully clear and witty - she does a great job introducing complex concepts without bogging the reader down with unnecessary details. I think that this book will speak to both a general and a specialist audience. I like to think I know a lot about cancer, but I still learned many new things from this book. I highly recommend Rebel Cell to anyone seeking to learn more about cancer.

Thank you to BenBella Books for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Just what a popular science book should be

Rebel Cell by Kat Arney is a very interesting take on cancer - explaining the disease from an evolutionary standpoint and introducing novel approaches to treat patients. The author touches on the history of cancer research, describes fascinating manifestations of the disease in the world of animals and dives deep into the theory of evolution relating to cancer. The writing is immensely engaging, the scientific aspects are explained very well and are definitely accessible to a wide audience.
All in all a highly recommendable book!

Wonderful science writing

I loved this book. The writing is great, with a conversational tone. The science is clearly explained and Kat Arney writes with a good sense of humor, which is a real balancing act since this book is about cancer. Arney also uses lots of puns and some very clever wording. Read the footnotes: some clarify and some are just entertaining. I found it hard to put the book down. I especially liked the historical discussions. I recommend this book for anyone interested in science or medicine.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary advance reader copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.