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Rebel Cell
- Cancer, Evolution and the Science of Life
- Narrated by: Dr Kat Arney
- Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
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Rebel Cell
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Summary
Cancer has always been with us. It killed our hominid ancestors, the mammals they evolved from and the dinosaurs that trampled the ground before that. Tumours grow in pets, livestock and wild animals. Even tiny jelly-like Hydra - creatures that are little more than a tube full of water - can get cancer. Paradoxically, many of us think of cancer as a contemporary killer, a disease of our own making caused by our modern lifestyles. But that's not true. Although it might be rare in many species, cancer is the enemy lurking within almost every living creature. Why? Because cancer is a bug in the system of life. We get cancer because we can't not get it.
Cancer starts when cells revolt, throwing off their molecular shackles and growing and dividing out of control in a shambolic mockery of normal life. This is why we can't avoid cancer: because the very genes that drive it are essential for life itself. The revolution has raged, on and off, for millions of years. But it was only in the 20th century that doctors and scientists made any significant progress in understanding and treating cancer, and it's only in the past few decades that we've finally begun to kick the mob's malignant arse. Now the game is changing. Scientists have infiltrated cancer's cellular rebellion and are finally learning its secrets.
Geneticist and science writer Kat Arney takes the listener back to the dawn of life on planet Earth right up to the present day to get to the heart of what cancer really is and how by better understanding it we might one day overcome it.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
Critic reviews
"A lively study of the Big C, which makes the case that cancer is the price we pay for our marvellously complicated bodies." (The Times, best books of 2020)
"This book is packed with big ideas about life. Every chapter has something in it which made me think wow. Having worked in a major cancer charity for many years, Arney writes with genuine in-depth understanding and is a perfect guide." (Daniel M. Davis, author of The Beautiful Cure)
"Rebel Cell is a bright, engaging read, fizzing with energy and metaphor. Kat Arney is a science writer for all of us - a powerful and talented story teller." (Stephen McGann)
What listeners say about Rebel Cell
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- bookbuyer
- 08-12-22
Fascinating and engaging
I think this book would be brilliant for young people interested in studying cancer as well as people with a cancer diagnosis and their relatives.The author explains, with a very clear voice and some appropriate humour, the complexity of the disease and some hopeful new approaches to the method of treatment. She is definitely a proper scientist who knows her stuff.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rob
- 12-11-20
Rebel Cell - Thought provoking & insightful
The mechanisms of cancer are a smash and grab repurposing of our own cellular processes. In Rebel Cell, Kat Arney expertly guides us through the complicated, and often mis-understood, world of malignancy. In shining a light on the evolutionary processes which allow cancer to form and then develop resistance to drug treatments Kat highlights the limitations of current treatments and points us towards some exciting developments in our approaches to cancer therapy.
Rebel Cell is extremely well informed and written with a clear passion for the topic. Expert story telling and no little amount of well placed humour makes this refreshingly honest account.
An absolute must read for anyone interested in understanding cancer.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- steve b
- 15-10-20
Superb narration, but content was not what I hoped
I have to say the narrators voice is perfect for reading audiobooks, she is a joy to listen to,
When I see "read by the author" it's usually a big red flag, excepting Bill Bryson of course, but
this book appeared to be exactly what I was looking for.
I am 60 years old, heavy smoker for 45 years and diabetic so I think my chances of getting cancer
must be in the 70%+ region and therefore I accept that there's a good chance I will have to face this
monstrous disease sooner or later.
I was under the impression that this book would arm me with all the latest information on cancer treatments, and I assumed
it would also be enhanced by amazing stories of patient cases, but alas there was very little of this.
There are some good chapters but overall I found it all a bit too dry and to be frank large chunks of the book are not engaging enough for me.
Maybe this book is not intended for the layman, though I had no problem understanding most of it, it just wasn't that interesting to me.
The Evolution of cancer theory is interesting though, and I am grateful and glad there are lots of clever and good people like
Dr.Arney working on this on our behalf.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Emma
- 16-07-23
Poorly narrated
If I wanted to know about cancer (which I did) I would ask Dr Arney, who plainly knows her stuff. If I wanted someone to narrate an audiobook, I would ask a voice actor. I wish they had, because I couldn't make it past Chapter 3.
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