Book Review: The Cure

So I'm not as good as Monkey when it comes to book or movie reviews, but I thought I should write a quick blurb about a book I recently read called The Cure. The book was originally recommended by Spike and Kristen and unfortunately has been sitting on our shelf collecting dust for many a months now. I'm not sure why I suddenly decided to read it, but I'm certainly glad I did.

The book is based on the true story of the Crowley family, as written by Geeta Anand, a well known reporter for the Wall Street Journal. He originally wrote a newspaper article about the family and decided to expand it into a book. The story of the Crowley family is pretty remarkable. Two of their children were diagnosed with Pompe disease, a genetic disease in which the patient lacks an enzyme that processes glycogen. The excess glycogen affects muscle function causing the patient to slowly lose strength until typically they die of heart failure. Anyway, the book mostly follows John, the father, who dedicates his life and career to finding a cure for Pompe. He starts a foundation, which raises millions of dollars, progresses to becoming the CEO of a startup to produce a treatment, and eventually sells the startup to Genzyme, one of the largest biotech companies ever, who eventually start a clinical trial involving the Crowley children. It's a pretty inspiring story. Sad but inspiring and ultimately ending in hope. Definitely recommended.

Shortly after finishing the book, Renee mailed us a different book called The $64 Tomato, about one man's adventures in gardening. It should provide a nice humorous counterpart to my recent read. Can't wait to start!