Genie: A Scientific Tragedy Paperback – January 12, 1994

There are many reasons to read this book. First of all, it is well written and thoughtful. The author not only communicates beautifully but also understands the essential issues and presents them without blame or rancor. He summarizes very complicated neurological and linguistic ideas in a simple and understandable way. Finally this is an important case in our history and will make you consider professional ethics and the conflict between science and individual human needs. Genie (a pseudonym) suffered first at the hands of her family and then again when scientists and agency personnel were not able to help her. Would the situation be any different if she were discovered today instead of in the 1970's?

Rymer's book starts off a bit slow and academic-y, but that's really just setting the stage. Over the course of reading, you see and hear Genie's story unfold, and the horror -- and that's what it is -- of her solitary confinement, and the extraordinary deficits it led to, are subtly catalogued. As Evolutionary Psychologists often point out, we are so used to human capacities that we don't notice how easily they are developed in us, and how well they work in day to day life. Genie's uniquely-forged mental organization underscores just how miraculous some of these are, by highlighting tasks she picked up with relative ease (vocabulary), those with less ease (word order), and those she found impossible (real syntax), not to mention her ongoing struggles with social convention.Rymer's greatest strength here is his impartiality, since the group of scientists studying Genie eventually dissolved into something like factions, and were sued by a bitter former teacher who'd hoped to foster Genie, along with her biological mother. Rymer is painterly in his fleshing out of the various characters, with only Susan Curtiss appearing like the proverbial Saint, and more than a few others clearly motivated as much by the prospect of scientific fame than the ability to heal a profoundly disturbed child.There are moments in the book where you simply have to put it down; it's too hard to read onward. When you learn that Genie was asked to leave a stable, loving home after four years, and was placed in a bland, strict foster care arrangement, that is bad enough. But when this damaged, language-impaired girl said "I want to go live Marilyn house", meaning back where she was, you realize that her life is a litany of falling through the cracks.The book will also teach you a lot about the subtleties of language, but that's tangential. Read it for Genie's story, well told.

obviously it’s an old book, i saw a cool note written in 1970-90? i forget the date but the spine was a little jammed up but it was a sad but interesting story

A truly good read.This is a fascinating story of a girl who needed the love and patience of others who cared about her.I found myself sympathizing and caring about her plight with great interest.Would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the field of bringing children who lack language and socialization skills into the real world.

It was a very good in-depth story of inhumanity within an uneducated family. It will break your heart. It should be read by everyone, especially those in the field of mental health. Russ Rymer is to be commended for bringing this story to light.

I was very curious about Genie. I remember when she was discovered. She's a couple years older than I am. The PBS documentary about her was very interesting. Rymer seems to have decided that her case was a scientific tragedy based on the opinions of a couple of people, especially one whose thoughts are emphasized toward the end of the book. However, one of the scientists and his wife took Genkie to live with them for four years. That's no small sacrifice, and it demonstrates how much many of the scientists cared about her. Rather than a scientific tragedy, I think her case is a societal or familial tragedy. When she left her foster home, it was to live with her mother, with whom she had developed a loving relationship. Her mother found that she couldn't care for Genie and surrendered her to strangers in the foster care system. She then lived in a series of foster homes, some of which were abusive, and most of the scientists who had worked with her were not allowed to see her. So how is this A Scientific Tragedy? Rymer's use of sources is sketchy. He often supplies information without attribution. The book has no index nor does it have a bibliography. If you decide to read this book, then you should do so with the knowledge that the writing is mediocre and the sources are not always identified.

Genie's story is sad, but the book is a good balance of child development & linguistics, as much as it is how her in particular. This really helps keep me focused on my goals to help children like her.

Love the book! Great condition! No tears or cosmetic damage! Came quickly:)

en el tema de la transaccion, llego antes de lo esperado, en el contenido del libro, magnifico.

Se aprenden conceptos básicos de la lingüística entre líneas y se conoce una historia terrible de la que hay mucho que aprender. Muy bien escrito, ritmo claro y pausado. Además lo tengo siempre como libro de consulta sobre aspectos de la lingüística.

A powerful book, expertly written by Ross Rymer. Incredibly informative and engrossing.

This book may not be for everyone, as it gets quite technical on language and digs deep into the history of feral children. I happen to be interested in both, as well as in Genie's own story, so i couldn't have loved it more.The writing is beautiful and the author manages to engage wth the subject without taking any sides.A fantastic read.

日本語版を読んで、感動したので、ぜひ英語版を手に入れたかったので、満足です。