Blueprint

How DNA Makes Us Who We Are

By: Robert Plomin

Narrated by: Robert Plomin

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of Blueprint written and read by Robert Plomin.

The blueprint for our individuality lies in the 1% of DNA that differs between people. Our intellectual capacity, our introversion or extraversion, our vulnerability to mental illness, even whether we are a morning person - all of these aspects of our personality are profoundly shaped by our inherited DNA differences.

In Blueprint, Robert Plomin, a pioneer in the field of behavioural genetics, draws on a lifetime's worth of research to make the case that DNA is the most important factor shaping who we are. Our families, schools and the environment around us are important, but they are not as influential as our genes. This is why, he argues, teachers and parents should accept children for who they are, rather than trying to mould them in certain directions. Even the environments we choose and the signal events that impact our lives, from divorce to addiction, are influenced by our genetic predispositions. Now, thanks to the DNA revolution, it is becoming possible to predict who we will become, at birth, from our DNA alone. As Plomin shows us, these developments have sweeping implications for 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.

'A clear and engaging explanation of one of the hottest fields in science' Steven Pinker

©2018 Robert Plomin (P)2018 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

It is a hugely important book - and the story is very well told. Plomin's writing combines passion with reason (and passion for reason) so fluently that it is hard to believe this is his first book for popular consumption, after more than 800 scientific publications. His story is crucial. (Matt Ridley)

An important book, a must-read guide to one enormous aspect of the human future (Bryan Appleyard)

I cannot tell you how well thumbed this book is . . . every single person listening to me qualifies to read this book because it's about human beings . . . this is our story (Jo Good)

Book that changes your mind and the future

This book challenges commonly held beliefs , but in a delightfully robust way. Needs careful listening and warrants reflection and thought. Always a joy to hear the author read their own words.

Challenging, elightening and a bit depressing

Bought after hearing Robert Plomin on Sam Harris' Waking Up podcast episode #211. Listened to on x1.6 speed.

It is difficult not to have mixed emotions about this book and how it impacts all aspects of your life, from your parents, to your upbringing to raising children.

If you are not already on the slippery slope of dispelling your long-held but mostly uninformed beliefs about how people behave, what drives them, and how they change over time, then it's would be easy to dismiss the book.

It's a huge challenge to what I believed you could change and influence in your life as a child growing up, compared to life now and experience as a middle-aged adult. Robert's explanations about behavioral genetics more closely matches the reality of my personal experience and grudging acceptance as an adult to explain things about myself and others around me.

If things like interests, intelligence, behaviors and personalities are more explained by nature and less explained by nurture then the magnitude of the problem becomes more clear if you seek change any of these things in yourself or those around you.

I think that some of the best advice in the book is to try to go with the grain of genetics rather than work against it. We still have a long way to go from a technological level to identify such grains however.

Incredible insight

The insight that this book has given me in my parenthood is quite incredible.
The idea that my child is inheriting traits from my wife and I and that we have to take into account her genetic propensities in a higher degree than I expected fills me with hope and joy for her and finding out who she is during the course of her life.
The author taking such a complex subject and making it understandable for most anyone is very impressive.

What an important book!! A must read!

Fascinating book. A must for any social scientist especially to psychologists and psychiatrists. Thanks for an eye opening book.

good summation on genetics in psychology

don't think the minor political parts were needed, but otherwise good. narration is clear, not annoyingly performed in any way and sped up works well.

Very educational

Loved it! I learned so much from Just this one book! I definitely will have to listen to it multiple times to really appreciate the real essence of this book

good book

Very interesting points, but a lot of repetitions. Not much new if you already heard the interview with Sam Harris

Not what I expected

Genes are amazing, yes I already did know that. I was hoping to learn something deeper more detailed and