Control

A remarkable combination of intelligence, knowledge, insight and admirable political passion, on a serious moral problem in contemporary society -- CARLO ROVELLI A short, sharp, illuminating overview of the science, politics, uses and abuses of human gene editing -- Tim Adams * OBSERVER, Book of the Week * Weighty and serious but accessible and perfectly pitched. The scholarship is astounding -- ALICE ROBERTS Rutherford tells [the story of eugenics] with great concision and with clarity, both scientific and moral. [He] condenses tricky concepts into smart and often witty prose, combining erudition with humility . . . honest, informed and humane -- Philip Ball * FINANCIAL TIMES * CONTROL is persuasive, sensible and ultimately reassuring, but it is not complacent . . . To know history is to inoculate ourselves against its being repeated , Rutherford argues. From that perspective, this book is a shot worth having -- Katy Guest * GUARDIAN, Book of the Day * Genetics has attracted brilliant, visionary scientists. It has attracted racists and charlatans. CONTROL skilfully weaves together these two strands of the discipline's history -- HELEN LEWIS There are many involving arguments, historical surprises, detailed case studies and amiable jokes in this book, and you'll finish it with renewed respect for, and interest in, what real scientists do -- Sam Leith * SPECTATOR * [Rutherford's] scientific demolition of the eugenic project is brilliantly illuminating and compelling. His book will be indispensable for anyone who wants to assess the wild claims and counter-claims surrounding new genetic technologies -- John Gray * NEW STATESMAN * Discussions around the idea of population control are increasingly resurfacing. CONTROL's strength is that it provides not only much-needed guidance for these conversations by reminding us of the horrors of the past, but also uses scientific evidence to dismantle the viability of these ideas -- Layal Liverpool * NEW SCIENTIST * Rutherford's swift, well-written account of these fascinating scientific and moral issues is well worth a read -- Emma Duncan * THE TIMES * Rutherford sharply undermines the old trope that science is detached from politics, showing that to stand on the shoulders of giants is no barrier to recognising their flaws and fetishes. A vital warning from both history and science of the quiet horrors that can ensue if society becomes overconfident in its ability to 'improve' the population. Smart and surprisingly entertaining -- CAROLINE DODDS PENNOCK Rutherford presents a profoundly sensible take on the complexities of history . . . an important book * MAIL ON SUNDAY * Fizzy and pugnacious . . . brilliant . . . A fierce and funny broadside against eugenics and its admirers * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH * Insightful and compelling -- Sharron Logan * PRESS ASSOCIATION review syndicated across regional press * This is an important book . . . It might be true, as Rutherford claims, that eugenics is a busted flush, a pseudoscience that cannot deliver on its promise , but this book is a reminder of why we must remain vigilant * THE TABLET *