There is no better science writer today - at least in the health and medical field. Once again, Siddhartha Mukherjee brings clarity and interest to a challenging and what could be dry subject - enticing any reader to engage and go deeper into the basic structure of life.

I love absolutely everything that I've read by Siddhartha Mukherjee and The Song of the Cell is no exception. The biology is fascinating, the history is compelling, and you left feeling like you know just a little bit more about the thing that drives you.

Wonderfully written account of the basic building block of life, its miracles and mysteries. I interviewed the author at Town Hall Seattle.
https://www.rossreynolds.com/rossophonic/siddharta-mukherjee

As some of you are aware, I have a degree in biology. I wanted to be a zookeeper which I did for a year. Now I write about science. Partly because I want to improve my own science writing, partly because I like reading about science, and a tiny part of why I wanted to read this book is because I work in an adjacent field.

Cell biology is so not my preferred area of biology. I put off taking the required Cell Biology course in college until my very last semester. It was rumored that as long as you showed up to class every day and tried you would walk out with at least a C. I was so lost in that class that I didn't even study for the final (not that it really mattered because for one test he just gave us the figures from the book chapters and asked us to write the captions - we never looked at the figures in class). I gladly took the C and graduated. Ironically, years later I got a job as an assistant to a cell biology professor.

I read Siddhartha Mukherjee's The Gene and found it informative so when I saw he had a new book coming out about the cell I thought it was an opportunity to fill in some of the gaps in my own education plus the knowledge base is so much greater now than it was two decades ago when I was in college.

One of my favorite college courses was the history of biology (taught by the same professor that taught my cell biology course - but I made an A in the history of biology). So the opening sections of Mukherjee's The Song of the Cell were my favorite as it was about the history of medicine and the impact the discovery of the cell had on medicine.

Mukherjee tried to make the book accessible to a wide audience of science enthusiasts. He often gave a broad, generic description, stripping out most of the science jargon, but then he would dig a little deeper with a little more science and jargon. I write about immunology and parasitology and I know how difficult it can be to explain some of the science so I really thought he did a good job.

He also shares a number of case studies to bring the science out of the lab and into real-world situations. Probably every science nonfiction book written since 2020 will mention SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) and this book is no different. Mukherjee is an oncologist so there are several examples of blood disorders and cancer.

I knew from reading The Gene that this was going to be a long read. And I enjoyed most of this book. Toward the end, I got kind of bored with it. I probably should have taken a break from reading it. A lot of information is covered and it might have just been information overload by that point.

If you are a science student or just like science, then this is definitely a book to pick up.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Friday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2023/01/the-song-of-cell-by-siddhartha.html

Excellent read! It made me want to read I Contain Multitudes again which is another excellent read. I learned so much fascinating in depth information about the human cell and single called organisms from these two books. They work well together and both are worth rereads. I’m sold!

What a great book. I always learn a lot from Mukherjee's books and this was no exception. He writes nonfiction in such an accessible way that allows the reader to retain what they've read. So good.

The Song of the Cell by Siddhartha Mukherjee is one of the most highly anticipated non-fiction books of 2022. Mukherjee of Emperor of All Maladies success, is an assistant professor of hematology and oncology at Columbia University's Medical Center. Mukherjee's CV is astounding, featuring MD/DPhil credentials, 50+ research articles, a Rhodes Scholarship, a Pulitzer prize, and numerous other awards. It is unfathomable how Dr. Mukherjee keeps up with all his work on a day-to-day basis. This breakneck work-pace clearly weighs on him some as Mukherjee often appears fatigued and mildly disheveled in interview. Nonetheless he is always a model of lucid and intelligent communication. I have really enjoyed both his prior books, Emperor of All Maladies and The Gene, which are respectively histories of cancer and genetics. The Song of the Cell completes the trilogy of sorts, presenting an idiosyncratic, special topics history of cellular biology.

The Song of the Cell ambitiously recap the foundations of cellular life science. Mukherjee chooses to start with the invention of microscopy. The history of science is often a history of what questions technological advancement allows curious people to ask ("highbrow science was born from lowbrow tinkering"), but Mukherjee also makes a compelling case that the conceptual work of scientists was important to the field's advancement not just technology. The unifying and bold Mukherjee identifies and also uses to organizes his otherwise divided narrative is that cells are "the elementary particles of organisms." Two critical premises support this conceptual understanding of life. One, all living organisms are composed of one or more cells. Two, the cell is the basic unit of structure and organization in organisms. In other words, Mukherjee is saying "the life of an organism reposes in the life of a cell." He attributes these foundational concepts of cell biology to two German men, zoologist Theodor Schwann and Botanist Matthias Schleiden who derived it their work and the work of first-mover microscopists, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek and Robert Hooke.

From this central idea, a sexpartite of mini-histories spirals forth, touching on a wide range of topics: foundational discoveries in cell biology, cellular development and evolution, the blood as a complex organ of cells, the Covid-19 pandemic, organ systems, and regenerative medicine. The prose is lucid and vivid, moving readers quickly through the 500 page book. Mukherjee relies on fewer extended metaphors and verbal flourishes relative to his prior books, but this is an improvement. The thing that holds the work back is that it doesn't hold together well, especially when couched as a work of science history and communication. It is admittedly difficult to knit together cellular biology knowledge and related history into a single book. The field is inherently balkanized and intwined with other disciplines. There is also just too much content to cram into a single book without losing a lot of the audience. Mukherjee is still able to hit a lot of important moments but has to sacrifice a lot of depth, especially on the history and human side of the science. This is what added a value in his other books compared to just reading a textbook or research article, especially for a reader with a background in science (like myself).

The Song of the Cell is still an important work of popular science history. Mukherjee communicates complex science without oversimplification. He also shows discipline by not overhyping research findings or groundbreaking topics in the book. He is largely able to avoid many of the pitfalls of popular science writing. A lot of curious lay reader will really enjoy and benefit from reading The Song of the Cell.

While some of this book felt like a refresher biology course, a lot of it was fascinating. I particularly liked the parts about the history of vaccines and the discovery/applications of stem cells. The book covered a lot of territory and, although the author explained things clearly, his concept of cells didn’t quite gel for me in the end. Maybe because I zoned out in the parts of the book that dragged a bit. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

In “The Song of the Cell”, Mukherjee takes the reader on a fascinating journey exploring the cell—relating key moments in the history of our knowledge of cells, some of the different types of cells (with particular focus, of course, on human cells), some of the ways cells function and how their dysfunction leads to dilapidation and disease, how we’ve learned to manipulate them, and ultimately what all of this means for us now and in the future. He discusses some really interesting recent discoveries including from his own research. His experience as a practicing physician provides not only real-world examples to match his topics of discussion, but also to weave nice narrative threads throughout the book.
Once or twice I felt he became a little long-winded while getting to a point—adding in another anecdote or jumping down another rabbit hole quick before finally bringing closure to the topic of subject started at the beginning of the chapter.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and can’t wait to dive into his other work that has admittedly been on my reading list, but now has a solid bump up. I just bought a hardcover copy for my wife who’s a lab science professor.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this deep dive into the cell. The author begins with a history of the scientific studies that led to the mapping of cell parts and discovery of the form and function of those parts. He then applies this knowledge to discuss the ways cells work together. I found the discussion of stem cells and the potential for them to be used to cure diseases very interesting. I also enjoyed the exploration of the moral and philosophical implications of cellular therapy. The author has a way of writing in detail about subjects that may have felt overwhelming or boring in school, making the subject matter fresh, exciting, and even controversial at times.

I had previously worked my way through Siddartha Mukherjee's "Emperor of all Maladies", so upon hearing he had written another book, eagerly started on "The Song of the Cell". Those who are similarly familiar with his previous work shouldn't be surprised with the contents in this book, although this time around, Mukherjee takes a deep dive into the simple cell and how its fundamentals tie to what he terms the "New Human".

As someone who is not a scientist or doctor, I struggled a little bit with the organization of this book, but Mukherjee prefaces his novel by noting that it is not written in the typical chronological format, but across different categories or features - similar to how a cell itself is structured. He opens with the initial discovery of the cell, noting various scientists and individuals and their discoveries that built on the scientific foundation. The novel expands to more complex cellular structures and organisms, and Mukherjee includes several of his own first-hand experiences as a doctor (especially during the COVID-19 pandemic) as well as case studies of individuals and their own experiences with illness. He closes the novel with some of the more recent developments in medicine, including gene therapy and stem cell research, as well as the complexity of fighting diseases like cancer given the construction of cancer cells and how they invade healthy cells.

This novel is incredibly well-researched; it's evident from the opening to the final page (and bibliography!) and I think even readers like me who don't have a medical/science background will benefit from reading it. It's nonetheless a lengthy and dense read; Mukherjee dives into some complex scientific processes and terminology, and I struggled to keep up with the names and definitions that are brought up at multiple points in the novel. What I appreciated most were the personal stories - his experiences with patients and even his own family members - that gave better context to the purpose of all these studies and discoveries.

THE SONG OF THE CELL by Siddhartha Mukherjee offers "An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human." Mukherjee won the Pulitzer Prize for 2010's The Emperor of all Maladies and also wrote The Gene (2016) to great acclaim. In his latest he discusses the components of cells and much of the history behind our understanding of cellular biology. Do you remember creating a model of the cell in middle school with important structures like mitochondria (the energy powerhouses), the endoplasmic reticulum and its ribosomes used in protein synthesis, plus the nucleus center? Mukherjeee addresses all of these plus looks at processes like cell reproduction. He also reviews the role of technology, whether hundreds of years ago when single lens microscopes were used or recent work on immunity and cancer cells and many "mysteries beyond mysteries" which still exist. A well-written and fascinating review in which Mukherjee stresses we "don't know what we don't know," THE SONG OF THE CELL received a starred review from Kirkus ("A luminous journey into cellular biology."). I love the Wall Street Journal's description (link below) of this new text: "an audacious, often mesmerizing, frequently dizzying, occasionally exhausting and reliably engaging tour of cell biology and scientific inquiry."

Some related links: The Future of Everything (Wall Street Journal) podcast interview with Mukherjee about the future of cellular medicine:
https://www.wsj.com/podcasts/wsj-the-future-of-everything/siddhartha-mukherjee-on-the-future-of-cellular-medicine/a5257acb-f0ea-4326-b1d1-0274661949dd
plus book reviews from The New York Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/24/books/review/the-song-of-the-cell-siddhartha-mukherjee.html
And The Wall Street Journal:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-song-of-the-cell-book-review-fantastic-voyage-within-11666971992

This book was ah-mazing! Siddharth Mukherjee takes something that is so abstract to most people and explains it in understandable language. We all learned about the cell in school, but there is so much more to learn, and Mukherjee guides you so effortlessly from its discovery to new cellular therapies.

I am studying to be a nurse, and this book helped me gain a much surer foothold on my knowledge of the cell. I will now be looking at Mukherjee's other books that I haven't had the pleasure of reading yet, but I am positive that with his sense of storytelling that they will also be as enthralling as The Song of the Cell.

I received an electronic ARC via NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, but I loved it so much that I have purchased the hardcover to have on hand. I highly, highly recommend this book!

Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this. Stop what you are doing and buy this book. I have read all of this author's previous works. Some books should be required reading and I believe that all of this author's works fall in that category. His writing is such a pleasure to enjoy. So few people can make science so accessible. This author is special. Highly recommended to anyone interested in science writing.

Siddhartha Mukherjee is one of the most engaging nonfiction writers we have. Each of his books is an absolute treasure, not just because his passion for his topic is clearly evident on every page but because they bring life and interest to incredibly complex biological processes that everyone should understand. Every single one of his books is vital reading.

What a gift to get to read an early copy of this book. Anything that Siddhartha Mukherjee writes is amazing, and this book is no exception. As a medical student I loved how he brought to life a topic that can be very dry in the classroom.

4.5/5 Stars

In this vivid return to science nonfiction, Siddhartha Mukherjee chronicles the story of cell biology, and envisions its future in a revolutionary new age of science.

This book is in part an incredibly moving love letter to the people Mukherjee has lost. It feels like paying tribute to their remarkable lives as he tells their stories in the context of cells. Mukherjee breathes life into this single unit, using his characteristic vivid storytelling to take us through the history of cell biology research in the context of people. He gives a face and a name to each chapter of the story, humanizing something that can be a very abstract concept. His reflections on the COVID-19 pandemic were timely and poignant, and fit seamlessly into the narrative of the story.

This book could be heavy on biological terminology, and though Mukherjee explains everything for a lay audience, I recommend having some general background knowledge to best enjoy this book. With that being said, I highly recommend this novel to nonfiction readers!

I will read anything written by Siddhartha Mukherjee. I'm definitely in a position to love what he writes about because I work in biotech. Molecular biology is my thing but cell biology is important to that obviously. But I think he makes it approachable and easy enough to understand if you want to learn.

Siddhartha Mukherjee has done it again with The Song of the Cell. While the writing can be dense in places, each chapter is concise and well-explained enough to hold even a layperson's attention to the science. I especially appreciated the focus on COVID, as it brought home the importance of knowing and researching the cell throughout history to today. Highly recommended.

This is a deep and accessible dive into everything about cells. This the second science book that I've read by Mukherjee and I'm so impressed by his ability to clearly explain difficult, abstract information. This book is long and in depth but by including the human story of the scientists who made discoveries and the people affected by various aspects of the cell, doesn't feel too dense or overwhelming. As a biology teacher, reading this book, helped me stay up to date with the science of the cell as well as learn the human story behind my current knowledge. I will be recommending this book to others who are interested in cellular biology and science in general. Thank you to #Netgalley for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.