Genetic Engineering

by Steve Parker, Fiona Macdonald, Emma Haughton

Genetic engineering allows today's scientists to affect life itself. This book asks whether this will prove to be a blessing or a curse. What exactly is genetic engineering? How can it help the fight against sickness and famine? Is GM food really safe? What does the cloning of human beings mean for the future?

64 pages, Hardcover

First published August 22, 2002

About the author

Steve Parker is a British science writer of children's and adult's books. He has written more than 300 titles and contributed to or edited another 150.

Born in Warrington, Lancashire, in 1952, Parker attended Strodes College, Egham and gained a BSc First Class Honours in Zoology at the University of Wales, Bangor. He worked as an exhibition scientist at the Natural History Museum, and as editor and managing editor at Dorling Kindersley Publishers, and commissioning editor at medical periodical GP, before becoming a freelance writer in the late 1980s. He is a Senior Scientific Fellow of the Zoological Society of London. Parker is based in Suffolk with his family.

Parker's writing career began with 10 early titles in Dorling Kindersley's multi-award-winning Eyewitness series, from the late 1980s to the late 1990s. He has since worked for more than a dozen children's book publishers and been shortlisted for, among others, the Rhone-Poulenc Science Book Prize, Times Educational Information Book of the Year, and Blue Peter Book Award.

Reviews

[Hannah O'Reilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciated how the author of World Issues: Genetic Engineering presented the book’s namesake in a factual and opinion based manner. By providing diverse information (like quotes from both proponents and opponents, facts about genetic engineering, potential dangers, and what the author titled “Debate” boxes), Parker has managed to give us a well-rounded look at the topic. For instance, one of the boxes proposed a question concerning whether or not “genetic engineering” should be considered an “art form” (Parker, 10). Both opinions are then stated, along with their reasons. Nowadays, most sources of information tend to overlook (or even infantilize) their opponents, so this book presented a refreshing change from the norm. The book also differs from standard media through its implicit expression of the importance of respecting others with differing opinions. Parker manages to present both sides of the genetic engineering coin without suggesting either is “right,” showing that it is possible to be kind to people who disagree with you. I recommend this career book to young adults interested in the career and an introduction to the topic.

[Shiva · Rating 5 out of 5]

its small......but very valuable.