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Double Helix
Aware that his father is unhappy with him taking the job with Dr. Wyatt at Wyatt Transgenics, Eli takes on his new work with enthusiasm until he begins to uncover the connection between his employer, his family, and his mother's Huntington's disease.
244 pages, Hardcover
First published March 30, 2004
67 people are currently reading
1853 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Werlin
29 books1,085 followersNancy Werlin writes young adult fiction: New York Times–bestselling fantasy, Edgar-award winning suspense, and National Book Award-honored realistic novels.
Nancy's newest book is the comedy ZOE ROSENTHAL IS NOT LAWFUL GOOD.
Nancy's newest book is the comedy ZOE ROSENTHAL IS NOT LAWFUL GOOD.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 351 reviews
December 10, 2009
10 December 2008 update added at the end.
Double Helix by Nancy Werlin is young adult mystery which my daughter handed me recently. The main character, Eli Samuels, a recent high school graduate, is at a crossroads in his life in more ways than one. His mother is completely debilitated and dying of Huntington's disease. He can't afford college but his father vehemently opposes a lucrative job offer with prestigious Wyatt Transgenics by its founder, a legendary molecular biologist. And yet Eli's father won't give a reason as to why he shouldn't take the job. Well, of course, Eli takes it and thus we have our mystery.
Woven throughout the tightly constructed plot, however, are perceptive questions about life, death, souls, suffering and the modern responses of technology, such as genetic manipulation (transgenics), cloning, and artificial methods of reproduction. As these are questions we're all going to be facing in the years to come, I highly recommend this book despite the implied acceptability of premarital sex by the main character, Eli Samuels, with his long-time girlfriend. Therefore I do advise parental discretion in recommending this book to young people. However, mature young people and most adults should find this book very enlightening in terms of examining and discussing ethics in the field of transgenic biology.
Double Helix is the kind of book I wish I could read in/with group because of all the issues it touches on. I also would like to quote several sections which are especially appropriate for moral reflection and/or debate, but I will limit myself to the following selection between Eli and his bioethics professor:
'"Many years ago, I was at a national conference on biogenetics. It wasn't purely a scientific conference; it was open to the public. The idea was that people from all walks of life--intelligent, thoughtful people--would discuss our dreams about what this technology might do for us. There were panel discussions on the eradication of MS, and Parkinson's, and Lou Gehrig's disease, and on and on. We'd identify the genetic flaws, and no one would suffer from them ever again...It was electrifying, Mr. Samuels. I was as exhilarated as anyone. But then on the last day of the conference, a young man stood up in the audience. We had been listening to a speech about how prenatal testing was showing promising signs of making it possible to eliminate Down syndrome. And . . . " Dr. Fukuyama leans across the desk her eyes intent on mine. "Mr. Samuels, the young man who stood up in the audience to talk had Down syndrome himself. He was the head of a self-advocacy group of adults with Down syndrome."
I nod.
"We were all a little taken aback," says Dr. Fukuyama. "But this young man stood up, Mr. Samuels, and he said the following. I have never forgotten it.
"'I don't understand. We don't make trouble. We don't steal things or kill people. We don't take the good jobs. Why do you want to kill us?'"
For a few seconds I cannot breathe. I stare at Dr. Fukuyama. She stares back at me. Then she smiles, a little sadly. "That moment changed everything for me. My excitement disappeared. I got a glimpse of the world we might create, with our high-flying ideas about the eradication of suffering...There's a difference between using our gene therapy for the treatment of existing medical conditions, and using our growing, but far from perfect knowledge of genes--or of humanity--to declare that we absolutely know who has--and hasn't--a right to life at all."' (pp. 244-245)
As an interesting personal side note, my oldest daughter was the one who gave me the book. She thought to shock me with me it--that I would dislike it and find it so much worse than Twilight series because the young people actually engaged in premarital sex. So the comparison between the two books provided for some excellent discussion. I was able to show her the redeeming value in this book despite the parts in it which are clearly immoral.
Recommended, with reservations.
10 December 2008 Update: When I wrote this review a few days ago and included the above example about the dangers facing those with Down syndrome, I was thinking future; I didn't expect to encounter concrete evidence that as a class of people, those with the Down gene are already being targeted for extinction. And with "new, noninvasive genetic screens" that are due to arrive in doctor's offices next year as "pos[ing:] no harm to fetuses or mothers", there is virtually no speed bump on the road from pregnancy test to abortion.
Read Mary Carmichael's article "New Era, New Worry," in this week's issue of Newsweek. Interestingly the article has a subhead that says, "New tests for Down syndrome could lead to more abortions and less support for families."
Double Helix by Nancy Werlin is young adult mystery which my daughter handed me recently. The main character, Eli Samuels, a recent high school graduate, is at a crossroads in his life in more ways than one. His mother is completely debilitated and dying of Huntington's disease. He can't afford college but his father vehemently opposes a lucrative job offer with prestigious Wyatt Transgenics by its founder, a legendary molecular biologist. And yet Eli's father won't give a reason as to why he shouldn't take the job. Well, of course, Eli takes it and thus we have our mystery.
Woven throughout the tightly constructed plot, however, are perceptive questions about life, death, souls, suffering and the modern responses of technology, such as genetic manipulation (transgenics), cloning, and artificial methods of reproduction. As these are questions we're all going to be facing in the years to come, I highly recommend this book despite the implied acceptability of premarital sex by the main character, Eli Samuels, with his long-time girlfriend. Therefore I do advise parental discretion in recommending this book to young people. However, mature young people and most adults should find this book very enlightening in terms of examining and discussing ethics in the field of transgenic biology.
Double Helix is the kind of book I wish I could read in/with group because of all the issues it touches on. I also would like to quote several sections which are especially appropriate for moral reflection and/or debate, but I will limit myself to the following selection between Eli and his bioethics professor:
'"Many years ago, I was at a national conference on biogenetics. It wasn't purely a scientific conference; it was open to the public. The idea was that people from all walks of life--intelligent, thoughtful people--would discuss our dreams about what this technology might do for us. There were panel discussions on the eradication of MS, and Parkinson's, and Lou Gehrig's disease, and on and on. We'd identify the genetic flaws, and no one would suffer from them ever again...It was electrifying, Mr. Samuels. I was as exhilarated as anyone. But then on the last day of the conference, a young man stood up in the audience. We had been listening to a speech about how prenatal testing was showing promising signs of making it possible to eliminate Down syndrome. And . . . " Dr. Fukuyama leans across the desk her eyes intent on mine. "Mr. Samuels, the young man who stood up in the audience to talk had Down syndrome himself. He was the head of a self-advocacy group of adults with Down syndrome."
I nod.
"We were all a little taken aback," says Dr. Fukuyama. "But this young man stood up, Mr. Samuels, and he said the following. I have never forgotten it.
"'I don't understand. We don't make trouble. We don't steal things or kill people. We don't take the good jobs. Why do you want to kill us?'"
For a few seconds I cannot breathe. I stare at Dr. Fukuyama. She stares back at me. Then she smiles, a little sadly. "That moment changed everything for me. My excitement disappeared. I got a glimpse of the world we might create, with our high-flying ideas about the eradication of suffering...There's a difference between using our gene therapy for the treatment of existing medical conditions, and using our growing, but far from perfect knowledge of genes--or of humanity--to declare that we absolutely know who has--and hasn't--a right to life at all."' (pp. 244-245)
As an interesting personal side note, my oldest daughter was the one who gave me the book. She thought to shock me with me it--that I would dislike it and find it so much worse than Twilight series because the young people actually engaged in premarital sex. So the comparison between the two books provided for some excellent discussion. I was able to show her the redeeming value in this book despite the parts in it which are clearly immoral.
Recommended, with reservations.
10 December 2008 Update: When I wrote this review a few days ago and included the above example about the dangers facing those with Down syndrome, I was thinking future; I didn't expect to encounter concrete evidence that as a class of people, those with the Down gene are already being targeted for extinction. And with "new, noninvasive genetic screens" that are due to arrive in doctor's offices next year as "pos[ing:] no harm to fetuses or mothers", there is virtually no speed bump on the road from pregnancy test to abortion.
Read Mary Carmichael's article "New Era, New Worry," in this week's issue of Newsweek. Interestingly the article has a subhead that says, "New tests for Down syndrome could lead to more abortions and less support for families."
January 29, 2011
I can't remember why this got added to my "to read" list, but it did and I can't say it was really worth adding. The main character of Eli is not that likable or sympathetic. His attitude towards his girlfriend is frankly appalling and I can't believe that she ends up taking him back after the way he treats her. His relationship with his parents is also very troubling. His mother has a horrible disease and he just wants her to get on with dying so he can get on with his life and his father can move on...really!?!?! He doesn't express any genuine grief at her death.
The science and scientists in the book also seem very limited/one-sided. It doesn't seem like Werlin did that much research into the research. There were several times when I was reading the scientific explanations when I actually thought "is that really accurate?" It's pretty bad when you can't even sell your own writing. And some of the lectures just seemed preachy.
The mystery wasn't mysterious or compelling; the story wasn't that well written, the characters were not likable and the plot was kind of convoluted. Overall not a successful book.
The science and scientists in the book also seem very limited/one-sided. It doesn't seem like Werlin did that much research into the research. There were several times when I was reading the scientific explanations when I actually thought "is that really accurate?" It's pretty bad when you can't even sell your own writing. And some of the lectures just seemed preachy.
The mystery wasn't mysterious or compelling; the story wasn't that well written, the characters were not likable and the plot was kind of convoluted. Overall not a successful book.
August 22, 2016
Eli Samuels hat gerade seine High-School beendet. Uni steht jedoch erst einmal außer Frage. Seine Mutter hat Chorea Huntington im finalen Stadium, die Rechnungen stapeln sich und die Ungewissheit, ob Eli selber die tödliche Mutation trägt, belastet das Verhältnis zu seinem Vater.
Um ein wenig (finazielle) Freiheit zu erlangen und seinen Vater zu entlasten, bewirbt sich Eli in einem Biotechunternehmen auf eine Laborassistentenstelle. Sein Vater ist sauer, denn er kennt Dr. Wyatt aus der Vergangenheit, einer Vergangenheit, die auch mit Eli zu tun hat.
Eli will herausfinden, was es mit dem Hass seines Vaters auf diesen eigentlich recht netten Wissenschaftler auf sich hat, der ein ungewöhnliches Interesse in Eli zeigt.
Das Thema Biotechnologie ist einer der Themenbereiche, die in Klasse 12/13 (11/12 G8) abgehandelt werden. Die Buchtexte sind meist extrem veraltet und nicht sonderlich spannend. Hier bietet es sich wirklich an, diesen Roman zu lesen und zwar aus mehreren Gründen.
1. Er ist wissenschaftlich korrekt. Ich kann das beurteilen, ich bin selber Biologe/Genetiker. Die teilweise, auf normale Menschen schockierend wirkenden Ansichten, sind leider tatsächlich verbreitet in Biotechnologischen Laboren. Es geht um Wissenschaft, die Folgen interessieren nicht, das müssen andere klären, wie der Gesetzgeber. Einer der Gründe, warum ich dem Labor den Rücken gekehrt habe.
2. Das Biotechvokabular ist natürlich und sinnvoll aber nicht ausufernd integriert. Die meisten Vokabeln lassen sich gut mit dem korrekten, teilweise ein wenig veralteten Anhang bearbeitet.
3. Alle ethischen Probleme sind recht explizit angesprochen:
a. Sollen Menschen mit genetischer, tödlicher Krankheit überhaupt Kinder bekommen?
b. Soll/Darf man Embryonen aussortieren, die das tödliche Gen tragen?
c. Die Probleme, die die Unwissenheit mit sich bringt, ob man Genträger ist oder nicht.
d. Die Angst, ob man sich testen lassen soll oder nicht und wie man mit dem Ergebnis umgehen soll.
e. Darf man Beziehungen eingehen und lieben, wenn man weiß, dass der geliebte Mensch einen irgendwann pflegen muss, wenn die Krankheit ausbricht.
f. Wie die Familienmitglieder darunter leiden, wenn die Krankheit den geliebten Menschen für immer verändert.
g. Wie einen diejenigen, die die Mutter im Hospiz pflegen, mitleidig betrachten, weil sie wissen, dass man eine 50% Chance hat, die Krankheit zu entwickeln.
Hier wird nicht schwarz/weiß gemalt, es werden die Vor-und Nachteile beleuchtet und es wird klar, dass das keine einfache Entscheidung ist.
Das Laborleben wird soweit korrekt dargestellt. Es fehlen die wirklichen Insiderwitze, man merkt, dass die Autorin selber nicht im Labor gearbeitet hat, aber sie kommt der Realität sehr nahe.
Einiges, was übertrieben wirken mag, ist tatsächlich so korrekt, ich konnte keine wirklichen Schnitzer feststellen. Bei mir im Labor hingen aber eher andere Poster (Amargeddon: Der letzte macht das Licht aus und District 9: Make sure the lab does not look like District 9). Morbide Witze und Realismus, der auf nicht Naturwissenschaftler zynisch wirkt, sind mein Alltag.
So gesehen auch ein gutes Buch um kulturelle Unterschiede durchzuarbeiten, denn zwischen Geisteswissenschaften und Naturwissenschaften liegen kulturelle Welten, sag ich mal aus eigener Erfahrung nach 4 Semester Kulturschock in einem Geisteswissenschaftlichen Institut. Es hat mich einiges an Zeit gekostet herauszufinden, wo die Unterschiede sind und es sind viele und sie gehen sehr tief.
Daneben gibt es für Lehrer, die selber keinen Naturwissenschaftlichen Hintergrund haben auch die üblichen Klassiker:
• Vater – Sohn Konflikt
• Junger Mann der an der „Logik“ und den Reaktionen von Frauen verzweifelt und zur Standardstrategie „Entschuldigen“ greift, um jede Situation irgendwie zu kitten, die er nicht wirklich versteht. (Die Szenen sind besonders putzig)
• Liebe: Vertrauen oder den anderen Beschützen?
Ja, insgesamt reflektiert Eli für einen Achtzehnjährigen ein wenig viel und betreibt zu erwachsene Nabelschau und Selbstanalyse. Andererseits ist die Krankheit seiner Mutter und seine eigene 50% Chance an Chorea Huntington zu erkranken durchaus eine valide Möglichkeit sein doch recht erwachsenes Gefühlsleben und dessen Reflexion zu begründen, auch wenn es dadurch nicht wirklich realistischer wird.
Fazit: Perfekte Schullektüre für die Oberstufe, um das Thema Biotechnologie und kulturelle Unterschiede Naturwissenschaften – Geisteswissenschaften durchzuarbeiten. Der Englischlehrer sollte aber einen soliden Biotechhintergrund haben, um vor allem den Anhang ordentlich durcharbeiten zu können und aktuelle Beispiele zu haben.
Um ein wenig (finazielle) Freiheit zu erlangen und seinen Vater zu entlasten, bewirbt sich Eli in einem Biotechunternehmen auf eine Laborassistentenstelle. Sein Vater ist sauer, denn er kennt Dr. Wyatt aus der Vergangenheit, einer Vergangenheit, die auch mit Eli zu tun hat.
Eli will herausfinden, was es mit dem Hass seines Vaters auf diesen eigentlich recht netten Wissenschaftler auf sich hat, der ein ungewöhnliches Interesse in Eli zeigt.
Das Thema Biotechnologie ist einer der Themenbereiche, die in Klasse 12/13 (11/12 G8) abgehandelt werden. Die Buchtexte sind meist extrem veraltet und nicht sonderlich spannend. Hier bietet es sich wirklich an, diesen Roman zu lesen und zwar aus mehreren Gründen.
1. Er ist wissenschaftlich korrekt. Ich kann das beurteilen, ich bin selber Biologe/Genetiker. Die teilweise, auf normale Menschen schockierend wirkenden Ansichten, sind leider tatsächlich verbreitet in Biotechnologischen Laboren. Es geht um Wissenschaft, die Folgen interessieren nicht, das müssen andere klären, wie der Gesetzgeber. Einer der Gründe, warum ich dem Labor den Rücken gekehrt habe.
2. Das Biotechvokabular ist natürlich und sinnvoll aber nicht ausufernd integriert. Die meisten Vokabeln lassen sich gut mit dem korrekten, teilweise ein wenig veralteten Anhang bearbeitet.
3. Alle ethischen Probleme sind recht explizit angesprochen:
a. Sollen Menschen mit genetischer, tödlicher Krankheit überhaupt Kinder bekommen?
b. Soll/Darf man Embryonen aussortieren, die das tödliche Gen tragen?
c. Die Probleme, die die Unwissenheit mit sich bringt, ob man Genträger ist oder nicht.
d. Die Angst, ob man sich testen lassen soll oder nicht und wie man mit dem Ergebnis umgehen soll.
e. Darf man Beziehungen eingehen und lieben, wenn man weiß, dass der geliebte Mensch einen irgendwann pflegen muss, wenn die Krankheit ausbricht.
f. Wie die Familienmitglieder darunter leiden, wenn die Krankheit den geliebten Menschen für immer verändert.
g. Wie einen diejenigen, die die Mutter im Hospiz pflegen, mitleidig betrachten, weil sie wissen, dass man eine 50% Chance hat, die Krankheit zu entwickeln.
Hier wird nicht schwarz/weiß gemalt, es werden die Vor-und Nachteile beleuchtet und es wird klar, dass das keine einfache Entscheidung ist.
Das Laborleben wird soweit korrekt dargestellt. Es fehlen die wirklichen Insiderwitze, man merkt, dass die Autorin selber nicht im Labor gearbeitet hat, aber sie kommt der Realität sehr nahe.
Einiges, was übertrieben wirken mag, ist tatsächlich so korrekt, ich konnte keine wirklichen Schnitzer feststellen. Bei mir im Labor hingen aber eher andere Poster (Amargeddon: Der letzte macht das Licht aus und District 9: Make sure the lab does not look like District 9). Morbide Witze und Realismus, der auf nicht Naturwissenschaftler zynisch wirkt, sind mein Alltag.
So gesehen auch ein gutes Buch um kulturelle Unterschiede durchzuarbeiten, denn zwischen Geisteswissenschaften und Naturwissenschaften liegen kulturelle Welten, sag ich mal aus eigener Erfahrung nach 4 Semester Kulturschock in einem Geisteswissenschaftlichen Institut. Es hat mich einiges an Zeit gekostet herauszufinden, wo die Unterschiede sind und es sind viele und sie gehen sehr tief.
Daneben gibt es für Lehrer, die selber keinen Naturwissenschaftlichen Hintergrund haben auch die üblichen Klassiker:
• Vater – Sohn Konflikt
• Junger Mann der an der „Logik“ und den Reaktionen von Frauen verzweifelt und zur Standardstrategie „Entschuldigen“ greift, um jede Situation irgendwie zu kitten, die er nicht wirklich versteht. (Die Szenen sind besonders putzig)
• Liebe: Vertrauen oder den anderen Beschützen?
Ja, insgesamt reflektiert Eli für einen Achtzehnjährigen ein wenig viel und betreibt zu erwachsene Nabelschau und Selbstanalyse. Andererseits ist die Krankheit seiner Mutter und seine eigene 50% Chance an Chorea Huntington zu erkranken durchaus eine valide Möglichkeit sein doch recht erwachsenes Gefühlsleben und dessen Reflexion zu begründen, auch wenn es dadurch nicht wirklich realistischer wird.
Fazit: Perfekte Schullektüre für die Oberstufe, um das Thema Biotechnologie und kulturelle Unterschiede Naturwissenschaften – Geisteswissenschaften durchzuarbeiten. Der Englischlehrer sollte aber einen soliden Biotechhintergrund haben, um vor allem den Anhang ordentlich durcharbeiten zu können und aktuelle Beispiele zu haben.
October 14, 2008
This is very similar to books by Robin Cook, Michael Palmer, and Michael Crichton.
Here, three of the main characters: Eli, Viv, Kayla are all young adults.
When I started reading, it seemed like a light version of those author’s books coupled with the fruition of many teenage boy’s fantasies of having a girlfriend who has sex with him regularly.
But I grew to really like the characters, and the science fiction story is a thought provoking one about issues such as medical and scientific ethics, genetic research, what makes a family, what makes us human, and to what extent do we go to improve quality and length of life.
Here, three of the main characters: Eli, Viv, Kayla are all young adults.
When I started reading, it seemed like a light version of those author’s books coupled with the fruition of many teenage boy’s fantasies of having a girlfriend who has sex with him regularly.
But I grew to really like the characters, and the science fiction story is a thought provoking one about issues such as medical and scientific ethics, genetic research, what makes a family, what makes us human, and to what extent do we go to improve quality and length of life.
April 20, 2009
"Double Helix" is about Eli Samuels who has just graduated as saludictorian as his class. He has a number of problems to deal with - his new job at Wyatt Transgenics that for some reason has his dad angry, his mom who is suffering from Huntington's disease, and his girlfriend Viv who is having trust issues with him. He starts to spend time with a famous scientist named Quincy Wyatt, and through him he finds out dangerous secrets about not only his mom and dad, but he, Eli, himself.
I enjoyed this book. At first I wasn't too sure what to think of it because it seemed to be pure science fiction, which I don't really like, but it surprised me and turned out to be a decent read. More like a 3.5 or 3.8 stars, but I'll round up to 4/5 stars.
I enjoyed this book. At first I wasn't too sure what to think of it because it seemed to be pure science fiction, which I don't really like, but it surprised me and turned out to be a decent read. More like a 3.5 or 3.8 stars, but I'll round up to 4/5 stars.
March 23, 2013
This book was cute, but super annoying in how it kept hinting at things, but took forever to reveal them.
June 6, 2018
I thought that this book was extremely interesting and it had a very good plot that kept me wanting to read the book more and more. The author put this book in recent time and made the book seem like it was an actual event that had happened. There are also lessons that were learned throughout the book. The author also made sure that everything made sense to the readers. I thought that she described the setting very well because I was able to imagine what everything and everyone was like.
There were many lessons that I learned throughout the story. Eli Samuels was going through a lot in the book and I was able to connect him with other people in the world who go through the same problems Eli went through during the book. The book was filled with many conflicts that the characters were able to come together and solve as one instead of individually. There were many questions that I asked while reading the book and most of them were answered as the book progressed.
The author used many descriptions to describe the settings and to describe the characters. With the author using those descriptions I could get an idea about what Wyatt Transgenics looked like and where everything in the building was. I learned a ton of new words and phrases while reading the book. This was helpful because I was able to understand why the author decided to use those words or phrases the way they did.
I recommend this book to anybody that is interested in mysteries. It was very hard for me to find a stopping point when I was reading this book just because I was curious to see what was going to happen next and I didn't want to wait until the next time I was going to read to figure it out. I think that Nancy Werlin did a fantastic job writing this book and it has definitely become one of my favorite books that I have ever read.
There were many lessons that I learned throughout the story. Eli Samuels was going through a lot in the book and I was able to connect him with other people in the world who go through the same problems Eli went through during the book. The book was filled with many conflicts that the characters were able to come together and solve as one instead of individually. There were many questions that I asked while reading the book and most of them were answered as the book progressed.
The author used many descriptions to describe the settings and to describe the characters. With the author using those descriptions I could get an idea about what Wyatt Transgenics looked like and where everything in the building was. I learned a ton of new words and phrases while reading the book. This was helpful because I was able to understand why the author decided to use those words or phrases the way they did.
I recommend this book to anybody that is interested in mysteries. It was very hard for me to find a stopping point when I was reading this book just because I was curious to see what was going to happen next and I didn't want to wait until the next time I was going to read to figure it out. I think that Nancy Werlin did a fantastic job writing this book and it has definitely become one of my favorite books that I have ever read.
Read
December 4, 2017a kid eli Samules fresh out of high school gets a job at a trans genics company. His dad dosen't want him to work there but he does anyway. Eli asks hid dad why he dosent like that company and he dosent answer. and his mom dies. Eli finds out that he is a science expierment and thats why his dad dosent like that company. I cant realy relate it to other books because i dont read books like this. I think overall it was a good book. I would suggest it to someone who likes this part of science.
November 21, 2017
I just went back and left a rating/review for one of Werlin's books I remember hating, so now I feel like I should leave one on this book I remember loving. I read this probably at least ten times in middle school, enough that now that the plot and characters have mostly faded there are a few scenes I still remember vividly. It was thought-provoking.
February 8, 2017
YA. Fiction. Genetic engineering. Bioethics. Huntington's chorea. Science fiction.
January 8, 2023
MC is an absolute Pick Me, everyone in the book acts like a robot, MC thinks his girlfriend is an object and sex toy and he has the ability of making any situation concerning anyone else about himself (and no one calls him out about it).
Writing style is very boring. Author does not link any sentences, which makes the story very tiresome. Is readable in one sitting but feels like torture but had to read it for school, overall would not recommend this to anyone
Writing style is very boring. Author does not link any sentences, which makes the story very tiresome. Is readable in one sitting but feels like torture but had to read it for school, overall would not recommend this to anyone
April 18, 2015
Victor Wright
Due date: April 17, 2015
Honors Composition
Book Review
Double helix Nancy Werlin a mystery filled book with a little bit of sci fi. The book starts of with a boy named Eli who is tall smart and athletic. He decides to get a job at Wyatt’s transgressions but his does not like Dr. Wyatt and Eli does not know this. When he works there he gains a little relationship with him and went over his house one day. While there he meets a girl named Kayla and he stays there a long time. He even forgot that he had a date with his girlfriend named viv. In his life there are a lot of secrets that he does not want people to know. So he makes it a goal to not let people find out about his family because of his mom who has Huntington’s Disease which a hereditary disease marked by degeneration of the brain cells and causing chorea and progressive dementia. But when he makes the mistake of not showing up to the date she finds out everything because she goes to his house and his dad is there and tells her everything about their lives. He starts to flip out and then they broke up because he thought that she betrayed his trust. Then time has passed and his mother dies because of HD and at the funeral viv shows up and so does kayla. Later on we find some things about Dr. Wyatt like he knows Elis mom and that he helped Eli before he was even born to make sure that he wouldn't get HD. He did this by taking Elis moms eggs and finding the eggs with a less chance by looking at their DNA. Earlier in the story Eli finds a secret elevator in Wyatt transgressions and when he goes in it there is an extra button that goes to a lower floor in the building but he couldn't open it . Later on he goes back to the elevator and but kayla was there so they both get on and kayla has a card that will work for the elevator. When they go down there Kayla and Eli both talk about what was happening and tell each other that they are brother and sister. When they walk into the rooms Eli sees something he wishes he didn't want to see it was a room were his other brother and sisters were tested and learned about. When they came back up Dr. Wyatt was waiting for them but he was not mad at them he was more upset because he didn't get to show Eli what was in the basement.
There are some things that I like and dislike about this book. There are Three things that i like about the book. The first thing that I like about the book is how the book got gradually more suspenseful and then ended with a big bang. I liked this because it made the book very interesting and entertaining.The second thing I like about this book is the way that it has a very big plot and an amazing story line. The reason I like this is because of how the story roles and doesn't pause to try to emphasize something but it just keep rolling and everything is smooth. The last reason I like this book is because of the way at the end of the book it leaves a cliff hanger.This is because when they do this there is a big space for the next book to have a very surprise. There are 2 things that I don't like about this book. One reason is of how at the beginning it was very dry and not interesting at all. The reason this is a bad thing for me is because there was a point where I didn't even want to keep reading. The second reason I did not like this book is because of the way that the story was too much explaining. The reason I did not like this is because it was too much explaining for it was almost like have book. These are some of the reasons that I liked and disliked the book.
Although the book had its bad things I would still recommend the book runner. I would recommend this to you if you like to read action or sympathetic books.The action in The book is when he finds the elevator and the anticipation of trying to find a way to open it. The sympathetic part of the story was when his mom dies and everyone comes to his funeral. The other sympathetic part of the book is when the dad has all Elis moms stuff but doesn't want to get rid of any of it because he cant let go yet. There are a lot of questions that i want to be answered. For example will his dad ever tell him if he is going to get HD? Or where are Elis brothers and sisters at? and will he ever get to see them?
April 24, 2025
How could a twenty year old book about the seemingly most idiotic and boring teenage boy in the world and his adventures of studying rabbits in a lab and hanging out with a creepy old scientist hold my attention for so long, until the very last page when I realized my heart was beating out of my chest by the end of the conclusion? This story by Nancy Werlin will absolutely take you for a ride and leave you with deep moral questions you never thought to ask. When does science go too far? Is experimenting with human DNA unethical? When is a person considered a person?
I didn’t know anything about Huntington’s disease before I read this book, and this story left a deep impression on me as the effects of the disease were described with so much heartbreaking detail. The way Eli’s family slowly began to fall apart after the diagnosis was horrifying to read. Werlin did a wonderful job of simultaneously freaking me out and educating me in a thoughtful way.
However, I do believe Eli is one of the most stupid main characters I’ve ever read about.
How does one randomly decide to take a rabbit meant for experimental monitoring out of its cage and the lab MULTIPLE TIMES without thinking twice about it?
Has he never seen a picture of his mother when she was young before? And he sent an email to a powerful business corporation while drunk legitimately asking for a job? I found myself mentally chanting “why, Eli, why” multiple times throughout this book…just about every time Eli poked his nose where it didn’t belong, or asked a dumb question, or said anything to his father at all.
While Eli and Viv relationship woes felt mostly unnecessary and very overdramatic, Eli and Kayla’s friendship growing closer when they realized they were actually half-siblings was raw and gripping. The experiences the two of them shared due to learning about their mother’s fate (and eventually Kayla’s) was agonizing to read after following these two throughout the book and growing very attached to them and their sibling bond.
All of the miscommunication elements between Eli and his father were a stretch - “Hey, son, don’t go working for the man you’ve idolized your entire life now, because he’s the reason you don’t have HD and also owns and experiments on your seven half-siblings to see if they’ll develop a deadly disease too or not” would not have been that hard to explain if you genuinely believed your son was in danger. His father’s lame excuses and teasing of the truth felt incredibly juvenile, I can’t believe the man is a psychologist. Don’t they know how to talk to people, to get them to open up about their feelings? It felt too convenient for Eli’s “character development” to not be told anything until the very end.
The ending of this book, where Eli discussed the ethics of experimentation with another scientist, was chilling to say the least. The story mentioned about the man with Down syndrome asking why scientists wanted to kill those with his condition when they believed they were “helping”, made me stop and think for a while long after I put down the book. I hope everyone who plans to pursue a career in science or medicine reads this book, and truly considers the gravity of their actions when it comes to making their impression on humanity.
I didn’t know anything about Huntington’s disease before I read this book, and this story left a deep impression on me as the effects of the disease were described with so much heartbreaking detail. The way Eli’s family slowly began to fall apart after the diagnosis was horrifying to read. Werlin did a wonderful job of simultaneously freaking me out and educating me in a thoughtful way.
However, I do believe Eli is one of the most stupid main characters I’ve ever read about.
How does one randomly decide to take a rabbit meant for experimental monitoring out of its cage and the lab MULTIPLE TIMES without thinking twice about it?
Has he never seen a picture of his mother when she was young before? And he sent an email to a powerful business corporation while drunk legitimately asking for a job? I found myself mentally chanting “why, Eli, why” multiple times throughout this book…just about every time Eli poked his nose where it didn’t belong, or asked a dumb question, or said anything to his father at all.
While Eli and Viv relationship woes felt mostly unnecessary and very overdramatic, Eli and Kayla’s friendship growing closer when they realized they were actually half-siblings was raw and gripping. The experiences the two of them shared due to learning about their mother’s fate (and eventually Kayla’s) was agonizing to read after following these two throughout the book and growing very attached to them and their sibling bond.
All of the miscommunication elements between Eli and his father were a stretch - “Hey, son, don’t go working for the man you’ve idolized your entire life now, because he’s the reason you don’t have HD and also owns and experiments on your seven half-siblings to see if they’ll develop a deadly disease too or not” would not have been that hard to explain if you genuinely believed your son was in danger. His father’s lame excuses and teasing of the truth felt incredibly juvenile, I can’t believe the man is a psychologist. Don’t they know how to talk to people, to get them to open up about their feelings? It felt too convenient for Eli’s “character development” to not be told anything until the very end.
The ending of this book, where Eli discussed the ethics of experimentation with another scientist, was chilling to say the least. The story mentioned about the man with Down syndrome asking why scientists wanted to kill those with his condition when they believed they were “helping”, made me stop and think for a while long after I put down the book. I hope everyone who plans to pursue a career in science or medicine reads this book, and truly considers the gravity of their actions when it comes to making their impression on humanity.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2010
Double Helix by Nancy Werlin is a book about identity crisis to the extreme. Here, Eli has sent an email to one of the words most famous scientists asking for a summer job at his lab. Eli had no idea what he had unearthed. Deeper in the story, you'll find that the connection between Dr. Wyatt and Eli is more than just employer and employee. Eli's mother was diagnosed with H.D., a neurological disorder, and was told that there was a possibility that if she had children, the gene might be passed on. Eli's mother went to Dr. Wyatt for help, and found that Wyatt's lab could harvest her eggs and sort through them to find only the H.D. negative eggs. This way, if she wanted to have children, she could be sure they wouldn't have H.D..
The price for this seemingly divine intervention was not measured in money. In exchange for his help, Wyatt wanted the remaining eggs for himself, and to breed them as children of his own. Eli finds out that one of his most recent acquaintances, Kayla Matheson, is one of his long lost fetuses. However, Kayla has taken hold of the situation even earlier than Eli. When Eli accidentally discovers the secret elevator leading to the secluded basement level, B5, after a failed attempt,he meets Kayla in the elevator shaft, and they decide to go to B5 together. At the time, there was no one in B5, but it was clear to Eli that one of the rooms was meant for children.
In this book, Nancy ties the topic of ethics in with identity. While Eli is trying to figure out who's he is, he is also questioning whether or not what Dr. Wyatt did was right. Without Wyatt, Eli might have been born with H.D., or not born at all. And of the other children, was their birth right or ethical? Some may argue that the artificial breeding and cloning of human beings is unjust and unethical because of its interruption with natures courses. But Wyatt saw nothing wrong with the operations.
I can connect to Eli at this point because I believe that I would react similarly in the same situation. Hearing that I was bred like some sort of exotic pet would set me off completely. I really don't know how I would handle it, but I know that it wouldn't be the end of me. Same story with Eli, when he went on this crusade, he didn't know what he would find or how he would react to his findings, but from my perspective, he handled it pretty well.
I would recommend this book to anyone, simply because it's a great read, and a well written novel. The way Nancy Werlin gets you inside the character really portrays her writing as not really unique, but well balanced in terms of analogies, metaphors, flashbacks, and other devices to keep the story from being boring.
The price for this seemingly divine intervention was not measured in money. In exchange for his help, Wyatt wanted the remaining eggs for himself, and to breed them as children of his own. Eli finds out that one of his most recent acquaintances, Kayla Matheson, is one of his long lost fetuses. However, Kayla has taken hold of the situation even earlier than Eli. When Eli accidentally discovers the secret elevator leading to the secluded basement level, B5, after a failed attempt,he meets Kayla in the elevator shaft, and they decide to go to B5 together. At the time, there was no one in B5, but it was clear to Eli that one of the rooms was meant for children.
In this book, Nancy ties the topic of ethics in with identity. While Eli is trying to figure out who's he is, he is also questioning whether or not what Dr. Wyatt did was right. Without Wyatt, Eli might have been born with H.D., or not born at all. And of the other children, was their birth right or ethical? Some may argue that the artificial breeding and cloning of human beings is unjust and unethical because of its interruption with natures courses. But Wyatt saw nothing wrong with the operations.
I can connect to Eli at this point because I believe that I would react similarly in the same situation. Hearing that I was bred like some sort of exotic pet would set me off completely. I really don't know how I would handle it, but I know that it wouldn't be the end of me. Same story with Eli, when he went on this crusade, he didn't know what he would find or how he would react to his findings, but from my perspective, he handled it pretty well.
I would recommend this book to anyone, simply because it's a great read, and a well written novel. The way Nancy Werlin gets you inside the character really portrays her writing as not really unique, but well balanced in terms of analogies, metaphors, flashbacks, and other devices to keep the story from being boring.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 3, 2023
I remember getting this book out of my middle school library when I was 12, so my rating is with that in mind.
Reading it now I’m sort of amazed by the maturity of the prose and the complexity of the characters. It’s a thinner, shallower facsimile of the typical sci-fi you might see from adult fiction writers such as Michael Crichton, and while it’s certainly not at *that* level I found it to be better, and less condescendingly, written than many “New Adult” sci-fi.
The most successful thing about this book, though, and why I think it deserves the rating that it has, is how it builds to reveal these fascinating bioethical questions in a way that is so digestible for a young person. I remember learning about Punnett squares in 7th grade science and staying after class to talk to my teacher about the implications of genetic splicing even though I didn’t know what the fuck I was talking about and then urging her to read this book which I offered to lend her even though I was the one who had taken it out of the library. That’s the marker of an excellent book for young people. All the best children and young adult books are books that are not written for a younger audience but just about them. Not belittling, or simplifying, but just a story told in that world with that perspective in mind. That’s why they remain so readable as an adult.
And on a unrelated note, this is why we need to have uncensored middle school libraries! At 29 it is not a book I would have thought appropriate for a 12 year old but I read it as a 12 year old and all it did was spark a complete fascination in a topic I stayed after class to talk about with a teacher and then stay with me for the next 17 years (17!!!!!!). The hypothetical was distinctly non-political in its stated implications and discussion so I wasn’t indoctrinated into anything, just allowed to think. Good for you Nancy Werlin! We need books like these for our children to read and think about.
Reading it now I’m sort of amazed by the maturity of the prose and the complexity of the characters. It’s a thinner, shallower facsimile of the typical sci-fi you might see from adult fiction writers such as Michael Crichton, and while it’s certainly not at *that* level I found it to be better, and less condescendingly, written than many “New Adult” sci-fi.
The most successful thing about this book, though, and why I think it deserves the rating that it has, is how it builds to reveal these fascinating bioethical questions in a way that is so digestible for a young person. I remember learning about Punnett squares in 7th grade science and staying after class to talk to my teacher about the implications of genetic splicing even though I didn’t know what the fuck I was talking about and then urging her to read this book which I offered to lend her even though I was the one who had taken it out of the library. That’s the marker of an excellent book for young people. All the best children and young adult books are books that are not written for a younger audience but just about them. Not belittling, or simplifying, but just a story told in that world with that perspective in mind. That’s why they remain so readable as an adult.
And on a unrelated note, this is why we need to have uncensored middle school libraries! At 29 it is not a book I would have thought appropriate for a 12 year old but I read it as a 12 year old and all it did was spark a complete fascination in a topic I stayed after class to talk about with a teacher and then stay with me for the next 17 years (17!!!!!!). The hypothetical was distinctly non-political in its stated implications and discussion so I wasn’t indoctrinated into anything, just allowed to think. Good for you Nancy Werlin! We need books like these for our children to read and think about.
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January 26, 2016My experience reading Double Helix by Nancy Werlin was very good. The book had a lot of mystery in it which I really enjoy reading. I love the suspense and the plot twists in the book. In the story Eli Samuel's is working at a lab for a famous biologist Dr. Wyatt. There is a strange connection between Eli's parents and Dr. Wyatt that Eli wants to find out. He believes it has to do with his mother who has Huntington's disease. "I was consumed by curiosity… and anxiety. I’d wait all afternoon if I had to” (pg. 3). Eli really wanted to figure out this mystery between Dr. Wyatt and his parents. This quote fits him perfectly because he is super curious about this and at the same time there is some anxiety because the mystery he is trying to discover could be bad and something he shouldn't know.
How does an individual's point of view affect the way he deals with conflict? Eli's point of view is that there is some big secret that he needs to find out. He is so convinced that this secret is bad and something he shouldn't know. Because he thinks it something bad he affects the way he deals with finding out what the mystery really is. I would definitely recommend this book to people my age. Especially people who are interested in mystery books and plot twists.
How does an individual's point of view affect the way he deals with conflict? Eli's point of view is that there is some big secret that he needs to find out. He is so convinced that this secret is bad and something he shouldn't know. Because he thinks it something bad he affects the way he deals with finding out what the mystery really is. I would definitely recommend this book to people my age. Especially people who are interested in mystery books and plot twists.
April 3, 2011
I'm not a fan of science-fiction, which is why I've had this books sitting on my TBR pile for the last 3 1/2 years. But I am a fan of Nancy Werlin, and she didn't let me down with this book. From the little I know of genetics and DNA research, this seems to be heavily based in science and perhaps the future of genetics research. I enjoyed the change in the protagonist as the book progressed. To be honest, I had trouble getting into the book because I really didn't like Eli at first. However, as the plot unfolds, the character evolves, and I found myself reading faster and faster in order to find out how the plot finally resolves itself.
July 16, 2009
I have never read a worse novel. The concept is the worst kind of anti-science-progression bullshit (published as an SF novel, which really makes me wonder what Werlin was thinking). Poorly plotted (the number of coincidences is ridiculous), and filled with some of the worst prose and dialogue I've ever seen. The only reason I didn't abandon the novel after fifty pages is that it's in my research area. And I desperately wish it wasn't.
November 1, 2011
It was a good book but complex on some parts but it was balanced out because the plot was pretty concise. I loved the awkward twist and it was really creepy with the Kayla thing. It was a good science fiction novel and it can be Interpreted as a message to scientists to not get to caught up with scientific discoveries.
October 12, 2016
Great read—engaging, intelligent—and I loved the perspective on Cambridge from someone familiar with it, written the year I moved here, in fact. Unfortunately, I'm only reading it now, post-Orphan Black, so I kept thinking of that and wishing for more Tatiana Maslanys in this. Sorry. Super great book though.
September 11, 2013
I was sick today and spent the day with this good book as my distraction. I liked the topic, having just watched all 10 episodes of BBC's Orphan Black back to back. Genes are a complicated topic and I'm sure I read an entertaining whitewashed version, but I enjoyed it anyway!
October 26, 2013
Meh. I really don't feel like going on another rant but let's just say that this author better have some other books that I will like. The transgenic stuff was pretty cool(ish) but the whole story just felt really blah to me.
March 20, 2008
Good book, great twists and turns. Very thought provoking!!
October 10, 2010
Totally amazing. Makes science so much more interesting. Talks about cloning and transgenic.
June 2, 2019
A scientific YA fantasy mystery. I liked it a lot.
March 17, 2021
sorry but there weren‘t any interesting/likeable characters and the plot kept forever to develop...
July 5, 2021
I read this book in one sitting because it was too frustrating to put down. It's a quick read, but prepare to hate the main character for the never-ending selection of bad choices, cruelty for those in his life, and horrible decision making (note how NOTHING is a decision, he always "floats before he even thinks about it").
After >200 pages of build up, the dramatic mystery reveal is nothing short of nonsensical and dangerous scientific misconceptions which are used to justify the authors' message that genetic interference should not be allowed. Anyone can make a strawman argument that an evil doctor that creates human life for his own self-righteous mission is wrong; most people have the decency to not publish that in a book nor use it as evidence of why a growing scientific field should be halted.
In addition, the author made sure to include some jabs at "her body, her choice," in regards to the main character's mother choosing to donate eggs so that she could pursue egg selection to have an unaffected child. What could have been a thoughtful notion about medical coercion, or the mother's decision to pursue this experimental technology, instead feels empty as a way to further demonize a medical field for something that would clearly be illegal in the real world.
She makes sure to end the book with the sentiment that she has the "unshakable belief in the equality of all human life" but chooses to write the main character in a way that does not reflect this. Every woman he interacts with is ruining his life in some way: His girlfriend Viv is too emotional because she wants him to trust and be open, his mom is holding him back from being normal and holding his dad back from experiencing true love, and his (spoiler) love interest/half-sister Kayla gets him way too aroused by smelling good that he ruins his relationship with his girlfriend and almost misses his mom's death.
I would highly recommend that you read one of the other, much more well-written novels about this topic.
After >200 pages of build up, the dramatic mystery reveal is nothing short of nonsensical and dangerous scientific misconceptions which are used to justify the authors' message that genetic interference should not be allowed. Anyone can make a strawman argument that an evil doctor that creates human life for his own self-righteous mission is wrong; most people have the decency to not publish that in a book nor use it as evidence of why a growing scientific field should be halted.
In addition, the author made sure to include some jabs at "her body, her choice," in regards to the main character's mother choosing to donate eggs so that she could pursue egg selection to have an unaffected child. What could have been a thoughtful notion about medical coercion, or the mother's decision to pursue this experimental technology, instead feels empty as a way to further demonize a medical field for something that would clearly be illegal in the real world.
She makes sure to end the book with the sentiment that she has the "unshakable belief in the equality of all human life" but chooses to write the main character in a way that does not reflect this. Every woman he interacts with is ruining his life in some way: His girlfriend Viv is too emotional because she wants him to trust and be open, his mom is holding him back from being normal and holding his dad back from experiencing true love, and his (spoiler) love interest/half-sister Kayla gets him way too aroused by smelling good that he ruins his relationship with his girlfriend and almost misses his mom's death.
I would highly recommend that you read one of the other, much more well-written novels about this topic.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 9, 2018
Double Helix was one of the best books I have read in awhile. It always made me want to keep reading on, because there was really no good place to stop. It is about a son, Eli, but someone significant was about him. His father kept this significance a secret, because he was very mad about it. The secret doesn’t get revealed until the end of the book, which is what made me keep reading. Eli goes through a lot of stuff, but the most exciting is when he gets hired into what seems like a dream job for someone who hasn’t been to college.
I would recommend reading the book if you are interested in new sciences and medicines, or looking for a good and interesting book to read. The only bad thing about the book is the ending. It just leaves you with a simple statement and doesn’t continue onto what happens next. It didn’t end with a good ending, I could come up with a ton of different endings in my head, but I don’t know which one is right.
There is a lot of drama that comes along with reading the book between the characters, and lots of tension, especially between Eli and his father. The good thing is that it all gets resolved at the end, and part of that ends with his mother's death. The best part is at the end. The end is when it all gets revealed and the truth comes out about everything and the secret about Dr. Wyatt. The bad part is is that it leads us to a dead end, and doesn’t tell us what happens to him. I also don’t know what happened to the kids. Everything in the end is just a mess, and lots of genetic testings that shouldn’t have gone on all because Eli’s mother didn’t want him to have HD.
I would recommend reading the book if you are interested in new sciences and medicines, or looking for a good and interesting book to read. The only bad thing about the book is the ending. It just leaves you with a simple statement and doesn’t continue onto what happens next. It didn’t end with a good ending, I could come up with a ton of different endings in my head, but I don’t know which one is right.
There is a lot of drama that comes along with reading the book between the characters, and lots of tension, especially between Eli and his father. The good thing is that it all gets resolved at the end, and part of that ends with his mother's death. The best part is at the end. The end is when it all gets revealed and the truth comes out about everything and the secret about Dr. Wyatt. The bad part is is that it leads us to a dead end, and doesn’t tell us what happens to him. I also don’t know what happened to the kids. Everything in the end is just a mess, and lots of genetic testings that shouldn’t have gone on all because Eli’s mother didn’t want him to have HD.
May 20, 2025
Book Review: Double Helix by Nancy Werlin
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Yes, that’s 10/10. I did the math.)
Okay, so let me start by saying this: Double Helix was a school book. For biology class. So obviously, I went into it thinking it was going to be a complete snoozefest about DNA and Punnett squares or something. I was fully prepared to suffer. But then, I started reading. And now? I’ve never been more personally attacked by how good a required reading book was. Nancy Werlin, how dare you write something this good for school?
The story follows this guy Eli, who seems like a normal teen at first, but spoiler: he’s not. He starts digging into his past and uncovers secrets that had me gasping like I was in a reality show. And then there’s Kayla, who shows up later and makes everything even more complicated (in a good way, not in a “my homework’s due and I forgot” kind of way).
Somehow, this book managed to mix science, mystery, and drama in a way that didn’t make me want to fling it across the room. In fact, I actually looked forward to reading it. I KNOW. Who am I?
So yeah, Double Helix is that rare school book that doesn’t feel like academic punishment. It’s smart, it’s intense, it made me question everything, and now I can’t stop thinking about genetic experiments and identity crises. Would I recommend it? Absolutely. Would I read it again even without a test? Also yes. Someone give this book a medal, or at least put it in the “School Books That Slap” Hall of Fame.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Yes, that’s 10/10. I did the math.)
Okay, so let me start by saying this: Double Helix was a school book. For biology class. So obviously, I went into it thinking it was going to be a complete snoozefest about DNA and Punnett squares or something. I was fully prepared to suffer. But then, I started reading. And now? I’ve never been more personally attacked by how good a required reading book was. Nancy Werlin, how dare you write something this good for school?
The story follows this guy Eli, who seems like a normal teen at first, but spoiler: he’s not. He starts digging into his past and uncovers secrets that had me gasping like I was in a reality show. And then there’s Kayla, who shows up later and makes everything even more complicated (in a good way, not in a “my homework’s due and I forgot” kind of way).
Somehow, this book managed to mix science, mystery, and drama in a way that didn’t make me want to fling it across the room. In fact, I actually looked forward to reading it. I KNOW. Who am I?
So yeah, Double Helix is that rare school book that doesn’t feel like academic punishment. It’s smart, it’s intense, it made me question everything, and now I can’t stop thinking about genetic experiments and identity crises. Would I recommend it? Absolutely. Would I read it again even without a test? Also yes. Someone give this book a medal, or at least put it in the “School Books That Slap” Hall of Fame.
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June 8, 2018Double Helix is an engrossing mystery novel that never pulls any punches on its themes, reveals or characters. Double Helix is published by Nancy Werlin and is one of her many entries into the genre. I enjoyed Double Helix throughout my time reading but a few elements held it back from being an outstanding novel.
The story revolves around Eli Samuels, a recent high school graduate who somehow lands a job working for one of the world's most acclaimed scientists, Dr.Quincy Wyatt. The book focuses on the relationship between Eli and his father, as well as how they are connected to Dr. Wyatt. The book remains mostly interesting through its relatively short length but ends a little too soon. The book takes a little while to ramp up but once it does Double Helix is very hard to put down. The book suffers from some mild pacing issues near the end and some things are left unexplained, but most character arcs have a satisfying conclusion.
Werlin has written a suspense filled novel with many moments taking me by surprise and throwing me off balance. The novel suffers through some issues regarding pacing and some plot lines weren't given enough time to fully develop. I give Double Helix four stars out of five. The novel held my attention until the end and left me with some interesting moments and questions to think about.
The story revolves around Eli Samuels, a recent high school graduate who somehow lands a job working for one of the world's most acclaimed scientists, Dr.Quincy Wyatt. The book focuses on the relationship between Eli and his father, as well as how they are connected to Dr. Wyatt. The book remains mostly interesting through its relatively short length but ends a little too soon. The book takes a little while to ramp up but once it does Double Helix is very hard to put down. The book suffers from some mild pacing issues near the end and some things are left unexplained, but most character arcs have a satisfying conclusion.
Werlin has written a suspense filled novel with many moments taking me by surprise and throwing me off balance. The novel suffers through some issues regarding pacing and some plot lines weren't given enough time to fully develop. I give Double Helix four stars out of five. The novel held my attention until the end and left me with some interesting moments and questions to think about.
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