Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Which sections in the book did you find the most moving? What about these sections affected you?

2. Which scientist’s story in the book most resonated with you?

3. Have you read other books by Siddhartha Mukherjee, such as The Emperor of All Maladies? How does The Gene compare with it?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Rosalind Franklin’s story shows how her gender alienated her from the world of science in the 1950s. Have you ever felt similarly dismissed in a profession setting because of discrimination of some kind?

2. One of the book’s key themes is that normalcy is a shifting construct. Have you ever felt hemmed in by normative definitions?

3. Mukherjee wonders if removing or editing a genetic mutation would also change the patient’s unique personality. If you were a clinician, what would you decide in a similar situation? Which factors would influence your decision?

4. Do you share the text’s concerns about the dangers of gene editing? Why or why not?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. The book argues that bad science and totalitarian regimes support each other, using eugenics and Nazism as an example. Do you think the insight is applicable to the political climate in your country. If so, how?

2. Mukherjee terms epigenetics a concept as dangerous as the gene. How does the discourse around epigenetics fit into larger discourses around ableism and expectations of parents and children?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. How does the book’s braided narrative structure of memoir and medical history illuminate its key themes and ideas?

2. How does Siddhartha Mukherjee present himself in the book? How does his personal insertions in the text affect the narrative?

3. Explore the significance of the motif of memory in the narrative.

4. Choose a scientific figure in the text. How is this person depicted and characterized by the author? What is his/her wider significance in the text?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. If The Gene was made into a docu-drama, which actors would you cast in the roles of Gregor Mendel, Francis Galton, Rosalind Franklin, and James Watson?

2. Imagine the moratorium on the genetic editing of embryos and babies was completely lifted. What kind of a society do you envision in this scenario?