I will be the first to admit that when Dr. Suggs told us we had to read a 472-page book, I was not exactly excited. Honestly, I was dreading it. It was another task on top of all the research papers and lab duties. The book is The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee. Dr. Suggs said this book would help us to learn even more about the fight against cancer, the history, and think about the big picture even within our very specific research projects.
I started reading it and I was beyond interested in the material. It was not a typical scientific book with a whole bunch of words I would not know or understand. It was an easy read with lots of purpose. The author, Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee, has demonstrated how the fight against cancer is not just one person, but includes all of us. He explains the evolution of cancer from the political, social, and emotional standpoint.
I have just started this book and I am already drawn in. I hope The Emperor of All Maladies will not only be a fantastic read, but also something that allows me to keep my research in perspective. We do our research in the hopes to discover new methods and devices to save lives, and this book helps remind myself why the research is so important. Each of our research projects is just a small piece of the puzzle in the fight against cancer.
-Daria Bentley, Southern University and A&M College
