The Making of You: The Incredible Journey from Cell to Human

Debut author Vestre, a University of Oslo doctoral fellow, takes a playful approach to the serious subject of embryology in this charming yet somewhat strained treatise. In whimsical prose, Vestre relates the biological basics of conception and fetal development: “When your parents’ sperm and egg cells were formed, the chromosomes from your grandparents sat right next to each other.” This you is the fetus itself, an inventive narrative ploy, but one that makes the book sound more like a bedtime story than reading for adults. Describing the fetus at week three, Vestre writes: “All that’s happened is that a round plate has become a triple-decker cell sandwich. But you’re already infinitely more interesting than the raspberry you were a short while ago.” In sprightly chapters illustrated with b&w line drawings, Vestre explains a little genetics, shares the history of the microscope, and traces the development of the fetus, by week and month, to full term. Most intriguingly, she emphasizes the ways in which human development resembles that of very different animals, such as through the vital set of Hox genes which humans share with the humble fruit fly. Some readers should find Vestre’s lighthearted, somewhat informative book amusing, while others will find it cloying. (Oct.)