Blueprint

'Mind-blowing ... It is a hugely important book ... His story is crucial' Matt Ridley, The Times

One of the world's top behavioural geneticists argues that we need a radical rethink about what makes us who we are

Theblueprint for our individuality lies in the 1% of DNA that differsbetween people. Our intellectual capacity, our introversion orextraversion, our vulnerability to mental illness, even whether we are amorning person - all of these aspects of our personality are profoundlyshaped by our inherited DNA differences.

In Blueprint,Robert Plomin, a pioneer in the field of behavioural genetics, draws on alifetime's worth of research to make the case that DNA is the mostimportant factor shaping who we are. Our families, schools and theenvironment around us are important, but they are not as influential asour genes. This is why, he argues, teachers and parents should acceptchildren for who they are, rather than trying to mould them in certaindirections. Even the environments we choose and the signal events thatimpact our lives, from divorce to addiction, are influenced by ourgenetic predispositions. Now, thanks to the DNA revolution, it isbecoming possible to predict who we will become, at birth, from our DNAalone. As Plomin shows us, these developments have sweeping implicationsfor how we think about parenting, education, and social mobility.

A game-changing book by a leader in the field, Blueprint shows how the DNA present in the single cell with which we all begin our lives can impact our behaviour as adults.

Reviews

Plomin finally finds himself at the crest of the wave as cutting edge research begins to back what have long been theories and hypotheses.