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Genie: A Scientific Tragedy

by Russ Rymer

A human life at the center of a scientific dispute

Critically Recognized
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Awards & Recognition

  • Critical praise

    Praised by Amy Tan

    Amy Tan praises the book’s storytelling and investigative journalism, and its emotional and intellectual impact.

AlbakiReads Editorial

A human life at the center of a scientific dispute

Russ Rymer’s account follows Genie, a young woman who spent her first 13 years strapped to a chair in a closed room before entering the wider world. Her rescue brought her into the orbit of scientists seeking insight into language acquisition, while the description also points to her exploitation. The book connects one person’s experience with questions about human development and the ethics of experiments on people, giving its biographical subject a broader scientific and ethical context.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in biography connected to science and research history.
  • Those exploring language acquisition and questions about human-subject research.
  • Readers seeking accounts of a young woman’s emergence from severe isolation and the scientific attention that followed.

Themes

Language acquisitionHuman-subject research ethicsIsolation and social developmentBiography and science

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

"A tragic tale of obsession, exploitation, and lost souls. And the questions Rymer poses about human experience and experiments on humans make the story both intellectually absorbing and emotionally disturbing. Genie is a wondrous feat of storytelling and investigative journalism, compulsively readable while forcing us to think hard about our own humanity." --Amy Tan, New York Times bestselling author of The Joy Luck Club

The compelling story of a young woman's emergence into the world after spending her first 13 years strapped to a chair in a closed room, and her rescue and exploitation by scientists hoping to gain new insight into language acquisition.

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Customer reviews

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AlbakiReads
Malaika Taylor

I highly recommend to for anyone looking for inner clarity

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Thomas DiMassa

Great service and fast service

Great shopping experience! The book arrived quickly, was well packaged, and matched the description perfectly. I would definitely shop with you again

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Olivia

Smooth.