"The monstrous, the strange, the deviant...

...reveal the laws of nature."

A story about -cyclops, mermaids, giants, pygmies, hermaphrodites, albinos, lobster-claw appendages, castrati, cretins, suicidal cells, sonic hedgehogs, glass bone men - in other words, mutants.

And it's true!

Oh, the drama of an embryo, the suspense of fetal development!

Mutants by Armand Marie Leroi is a fascinating book about genetic mutations explained with substantive but not overwhelming scientific-ese, as well as historical details and occasional pictures. It is not a "freak show" type of book. Leroi handles his subject matter with respect, for the story of mutation is the story of human biology. What can and does go wrong reveals the wondrous ways in which our bodies develop inside and outside the womb.

Do not read this if you are pregnant or thinking of having kids because:

"Each new embryo has about a hundred mutations that its parents did not have...of these hundred mutations, about four will alter the meaning of genes...and of these four...about three will be harmful. To be precise, they will affect the ultimate reproductive success of the embryo, at least enough to ensure that, with time, natural selection will drive them to extinction."

That's right, I'm a mutant, and you, yes, you, are a mutant too. We have been mutants since before we were even born.

"We are all mutants. But some of us are more mutant than others."