The Carriers - by Anne Skomorowsky (Hardcover)

About the Book

The Carriers investigates a common but still little-known genetic condition and its life-altering consequences. Anne Skomorowsky reveals how fragile X syndrome afflicts families across generations, telling the stories of the mothers and grandparents of fragile X patients and considering how genes interact with family dynamics.

Book Synopsis

A tiny mutation on the X chromosome can shape a family's history. Passed down from a "carrier" parent to a child, fragile X syndrome is the most common inherited cause of intellectual disability and autism. Beyond that--and a rarity among genetic disorders--some fragile X carriers not only transmit the mutation but also experience related conditions themselves. In such cases, carriers can have tremors, infertility, and psychiatric disorders that complicate raising children with fragile X syndrome--and all too often, they suffer in silence.

The Carriers investigates this common but still little-known genetic condition and its life-altering consequences. Anne Skomorowsky reveals how this disorder afflicts families across generations, telling the stories of the mothers and grandparents of fragile X patients and considering how genes interact with family dynamics. She interweaves the personal narratives and family histories of the people affected by fragile X disorders with clear and accessible explanations of the science behind them. Skomorowsky unpacks the latest research on the fragile X mutation and explores the history of its discovery. She highlights the roles of women as carriers, caregivers, and researchers who have made astonishing scientific breakthroughs over the last three decades.

The Carriers is an essential book for fragile X families, including those just learning they are carriers, and for all readers interested in the complexities of heredity, the ethical dilemmas of genetic medicine, and the relationship between genes and personality.

Review Quotes

Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, and enhanced with an especially informative Foreword by pediatric professor and Fragile X researcher Randy J. Hagerman. Essential reading for Fragile X families, including those just learning they are carriers, and for all professional and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the complexities of heredity, the ethical dilemmas of genetic medicine, and the relationship between genes and personality.

-- "Midwest Book Review"

Anyone who's been gripped by the title of the book or its description would find it a delightful read, especially those interested in the biomedical sciences.-- "Mustafa Abbass"

Recommended-- "Choice"

The Carriers offers a lucid and insightful look at the many consequences of an expansion-type mutation of the fragile X gene. A remarkable quality of this book is the way Anne Skomorowsky emphasizes the humanity of those experiencing its consequences, because of the gene itself and the lack of understanding on the part of caregivers. A must-read for both clinicians and families.--Paul J. Hagerman, distinguished professor, UC Davis Mind Institute

Lucid, comprehensive history of Fragile X. A compassionate medical account. Blending stories and interviews with science and statistics, The Carriers balances the worldwide scope of a disease with intimate details.

-- "Foreword Reviews"

Skomorowsky deftly interweaves science and narrative. The heroic efforts of astute researchers ... read like a fast-paced detective story and have ramifications beyond medicine. [An] enlightening account.-- "Science Magazine"

Skomorowsky's clear, frank, and compelling writing, [ensures] that this book is appealing and accessible to all audiences. In addition, she brings the vantage point of a psychiatrist who has firsthand experience working with those with intellectual disabilities. As such, she presents complex and comprehensive scientific information about fragile X and the premutation in a simple and engaging manner. The book is well researched, captivating, and an important contribution to better understanding our relationship with genes.-- "H-Net Humanities and Social Sciences Online"

This is the book I wish I'd had when my bloodwork came back mid-pregnancy, and the book I'm glad my daughter will have. I'm grateful that Skomorowsky, a gifted writer and practitioner, has woven together narrative and research to help us see and understand what is invisible and unknown to so many of us.--Lauren Sandler, author of This Is All I Got and One and Only

Who would have thought that the carrier state of a genetic mutation--fragile X syndrome--would warrant a book? With great insight and kindness, Anne Skomorowsky tells the fascinating story of a group of people who may appear unaffected but struggle mightily with a remarkable number of inherited medical conditions.--Barron H. Lerner, author of The Good Doctor: A Father, A Son and the Evolution of Medical Ethics

Wonderfully reported and written in close-up about people and their families, their tears, and medical challenges, The Carriers is the rarest book in science, a beautifully readable investigation made from a set of portraits. Like a biography of a genetic mutation, it tells the story of fragile X syndrome through people it most affects. The result is both personal and rigorous, particular and general, science that examines things, but also feels them.--Edward Ball, author of The Genetic Strand and Slaves in the Family

About the Author

Anne Skomorowsky is a clinical instructor in psychiatry at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and attending psychiatrist at NYU Langone Hospital. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, Scientific American, and Slate.

Randi J. Hagerman is a distinguished professor of pediatrics at the University of California Davis Medical Center and director of the Fragile X Research and Treatment Center at the MIND Institute, where she holds an endowed chair in fragile X research.