Family Gene

Joselin Linder is a regular contributor to the NEW YORK POST, whose work has also been featured on THIS AMERICAN LIFE, MORNING EDITION and LIFE OF THE LAW. She spoke at the TEDX GOWANUS event in Brooklyn in 2014, presenting for the first time on the subject of her family gene and the deadly illness to which it leads. Exclusive to just fourteen people, the story of the gene will be told in Linder’s new book, THE FAMILY GENE, coming out in 2017. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two dogs.

“Surprisingly buoyant . . . Describing how it feels to face the likelihood of a shortened life-including her conflicted desire to be a mother, despite the risks for any child-Linder reminds us that hope ‘isn’t the same thing as truth.’” — New Yorker“The Family Gene [is] both congenial and engaging, despite the long shadow of a broken gene.” — New York Times Book Review“Linder’s memoir is a personal tale of loss, illness, ethical dilemmas and emotional fallout. Some of the details are harrowing. But Linder tells her story in a smart, wry voice devoid of self-pity.” — Chicago Tribune“Crisply written, deeply informed. . . . Linder captures the dread and fatigue that accompanies such an odyssey. The Family Gene nails this truth in a clear, honest voice, an invaluable addition to the literature that dramatizes severe illness and its impact.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune“Linder not only knows how to tell a compelling story but also how to use numbers to good effect and how to spell out complicated concepts… Her brutal honesty contributes to the power of this thoroughly researched chronicle of the quest to conquer chromosomal abnormalities.” — Booklist, Starred Review“Moving and deft. . . . Linder expertly balances the serious and often tragic with an indefatigable charm and warmth. This book is a wonderful blend of reflections on coming of age, medicine, and what it means to live against all odds.” — Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)“Linder’s narrative is a combination of a fascinating medical detective story and an absorbing, powerfully written family chronicle. . . . She successfully integrates cutting-edge genetic research into her personal quest. — Kirkus“[Linder] views her future with measured optimism…Genealogists and readers interested in popular medicine may find this book more relatable than Alice Wexler’s Mapping Fate.” — Library Journal“The science is enthralling, the narrative’s race-against-the-clock tension is nail-biting, but at its core, this book is about the remarkable bond of family—and curse and gift of inheritance.” — Susannah Cahalan, author of Brain on Fire“A riveting story of a family, a disease, genetics, and the eternal path of living and dying we all walk. Intimate and instructive, immeasurably wise, Linder’s big-hearted and intelligent story of her tenacious search for answers to her family’s singular disease will leave you breathless.” — Jennifer Gilmore, author of Golden Country“Linder’s writing is magnetic. She weaves this deeply personal story with fascinating scientific discoveries—somehow leaving us hopeful, heartbroken, and inspired all in the same breath.” — Abby Sher, author of Amen, Amen, Amen“The Family Gene is both a riveting medical mystery and a heart-wrenching family memoir. With compassion and humor, Joselin Linder keeps us turning the pages until we fully share her stunning insight: that genetics is equal parts science and love.” — Andrew Blum, author of Tubes“Three of the most powerful forces in life are family, love and science. Joselin Linder, through a combination of the fates, found herself in a position to tell a first-person tale of how those forces can intersect.” — Bob Greene, author of Once Upon a Town: The Miracle of the North Platte Canteen“This unique book is at once a compelling mystery, a moving personal story, and a fascinating exploration of cutting-edge science. Scary and hopeful, perceptive and empathetic, it will give you new perspective on your own life choices and those of the people you love.” — Rachel Fershleiser, editor of Not Quite What I Was Planning