Katharina Vestre, a doctoral research fellow at the University of Oslo, talks directly to readers. In The Making of You: The Incredible Journey from Cell to Human, she recounts how cells create complex human life. She makes clear her desire to "tell you about the beginning of your life" as she explains intricate biological processes in concise prose.
Most adults understand how an egg is fertilized, but facts like "the sperm is equipped with a basic sense of smell... odorant receptors catch molecules streaming from the egg, confirming that it is on the right path" are eye-opening. Vestre relates some unusual historical misunderstandings about reproductive processes (no, people aren't miniature versions of themselves within the womb) before providing relevant facts. Embryonic development depends on an extraordinary number of factors occurring at exact times and sequences. How is it, for example, that a thumb develops differently from the finger next to it? Vestre unravels what must happen and when, remarking, "even a worm needs genes to make sure its head is different from its tail."
At the end of a nine-month process, an unborn child's hormones change their message from "Not yet, to Let's go." Vestre's chapter on the birth process achieves high drama. And birth, she believes, is really the beginning of a life story. She asks readers, "And what happens next? You know more about that than me." This compact volume is an unconventional, entertaining look at the science of reproduction, perfect for those curious about their biological beginnings. --Cindy Pauldine, bookseller, the river's end bookstore, Oswego, N.Y.