The Emperor of All Maladies

A Biography of Cancer

By: Siddhartha Mukherjee

Narrated by: Fred Sanders

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE * A NEW YORK TIMES TOP 100 BOOK OF THE CENTURY * A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR * A TIME ALL-TIME 100 NONFICTION BOOK

Updated with FOUR NEW MAJOR CHAPTERS illuminating the new developments in cancer detection, prevention, treatment, and understanding in the fifteen years since the book’s first publication, this New York Times bestseller is “an extraordinary achievement” (The New Yorker)—a magnificent, profoundly humane “biography” of cancer.

Siddhartha Mukherjee’s The Emperor of All Maladies became an instant classic when it was published in 2010. A magnificent, humane “biography” of cancer—from its first documented appearances thousands of years ago through the epic 20th century to cure, control, and conquer it to a radical new understanding of its essence—The Emperor of All Maladies is one of the most highly acclaimed books of its time.

In the years since Mukherjee dazzled readers with The Emperor of All Maladies, much has changed in the universe of cancer—in our understanding of its causes; in our attempts to prevent it; and in the revolutionary new treatments. In four profound and revelatory new chapters—essentially a new book about cancer—he illuminates this disease with both a bird’s eye view of the landscape and an acute focus on the role of the cell. He also looks at imminent new studies—and to the future.

Riveting, audacious, and now more urgent than ever in this vast update, The Emperor of All Maladies is a masterpiece.

The comprehensiveness is astounding

The task of encapsulating this subject into a single narrative is enormous, the challenge of keeping it both interesting and informative daunting. This book does a marvelous job of keeping the reader engaged, informed, and inspired by the work of many who battle this formidable foe. Well worth the investment of time, so hopeful.

Long and sometimes dry, but incredibly illuminating.

You learn so much about cancer from this book and he does a great job linking scientific advances to stories of real patients he has had in his career.

The author's historical, literary and empathetic approach to a frightful ailment put cancer into a new perspective.

I appreciate the author's depth of knowledge and openness to learning from sources ranging from ancient wisdom to AI in an attempt to improve the lives of people stricken by cancer.

Artificial voice in the new chapters

The artificial AI voice used for the new chapters is absolutely awful. I struggled to finish this new section of the book. Use artificial voices is cheap and ridiculous.

AI voice needs improvement

The book was incredible as was the original version in 2010. I agree with other reviewers who disliked the AI voice. There is a tinny quality to the pauses between the words. There must be some way to clean that up. Also, when the book was played at anything besides 1.0 speed it sounded off.