4 out of 4 stars
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Winning the War on Cancer by Sylvie Beljanski is a non-fiction book. The book explores scientific research and breakthroughs made by the author's father, Mirko Beljanski PhD. The book was published in New York by Morgan James Publishing. The book seeks to reveal Mirko Beljanski's work while also highlighting the state of medical research throughout the world.
Sylvie Beljanski was raised by parents who were absorbed in their research. As a child, she could not understand the importance of her father's work. When the French military break into her father's lab and take his research, she finally learned what her parents had been working on for most of her childhood. Mirko Beljanski had found an alternative method to curing cancer. His work had been used to save the life of the French president. Due to the political volatility in France, after the president completed his term, he found his life's work taken from him. Sylvie Beljanski dedicated her life to correcting this injustice. She was determined to continue her father's work by spreading the information that the French government wanted to bury. She also took the case against the French government to the European Court of Human Rights. Continuing her father's work proved to be a difficult task. She had to rely on the help of her father's colleagues and start a new foundation in America. Her father had discovered that some natural extracts were able to recognize destabilized DNA, and selectively block its ability to replicate. He also discovered a specific RNA fragment that could be used to increase the numbers of white blood cells and platelets that had been depleted by radiotherapy or chemotherapy. These discoveries were revolutionary, but would have been buried by the French government. Will Sylvie Beljanski be able to replicate her father's work? Will her father's work be accepted in the scientific community? Will she be able to advance her father's research? All these questions will be answered in this amazing book.
This was an interesting book for me. The author wrote a book that was part memoir and part scientific research. She starts by showing how disconnected she was from the initial work her parents were doing. She had decided on following a career in law, but the incident on her father's lab changed everything. The scientific research was explained wonderfully. I was able to understand all the terms that were used. The author presented scientific information on the natural extracts coupled with real-life success stories. The opposition that Mirko Beljanski faces in the scientific community were shocking. The author wrote, "The scientific method is based upon continual challenges to accepted ideas and the recognition that new information inevitably leads to new conceptual formulations." I had hoped that his work would be verified and celebrated for being a breakthrough, but the work faced many bias remarks.
The main theme I encountered in this book was injustice. Mirko Beljanski faced criticism for his discovery. His work was seized by the French government on false charges. He also got poisoned by the French military. These actions by the French government highlighted another major theme, abuse of power. This theme was highlighted a lot throughout the book. Drug companies would rather sell profit-based drugs that are harmful to people than invest on promising research. Alternative medicine was also being discredited in order to remove competition. Getting FDA approval for alternative medicine was virtually impossible. I encountered themes like family, friendship, crime, hope, determination, and change. The author used these themes masterfully to write a captivating book.
I rated the book 4 out of 4 stars. This is because I found the story captivating. After reading a few sentences at the beginning of the book, I was hooked on the author's story and what happened to her father. The author did an amazing job describing the scientific concepts and terms. It made me, as a reader, feel included in the research. The author did an amazing job of presenting the research as part of telling the story. I did not encounter a single spelling or grammatical error. This led me to believe that the book was professionally edited. The main thing I liked about this book was how detailed the author was in presenting her father's work. I did not find anything that I disliked about this book. It deserved the 4-star rating.
I would recommend this book to non-fiction fans. The book would also appeal to readers who like scientific research. This book would not appeal to readers who like fantasy. The sensitive issue of developing a cure for cancer made me appreciate the author's father and his devotion to the issue. I enjoyed how the author narrated her journey. At times, I forgot that she was presenting this story to a class. I look forward to reading more of the author's works.
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Winning the War on Cancer
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