After graduating high school, Eli takes a job at a transgenics lab, but gradually begins to suspect that there is something fishy going on there that might even center on his own family. One of the most powerful things about this book is that it may be science fiction, but in reality things like this could happen and may even be happening in parts of the world. As such, the message of the book is very resonant, but some people may feel it is mere political agenda being pushed by a fear monger. This message is placed in a great mystery story, with a believable, if slightly immature and self-centered, main character. Much of the early happenings are concerned more with relationships than action, with Eli experiencing troubles with both his father and his girlfriend. If readers can make it through this sometimes slow beginning, they will be treated to an ending that reveals questions that need to be considered regarding science and the future of human life. ( )

Reviewed by Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

After recently reading and reviewing Nancy Werlin's THE RULES OF SURVIVAL, I went in search of some of her other books. I discovered DOUBLE HELIX, and it didn't disappoint me.

Eli Samuels, salutatorian of his graduating class, has decided to postpone college for a year. His father is not pleased. But Eli is struggling to decide just exactly where he is headed in life. Complicating matters are his relationship with his girlfriend and his mother's illness, Huntington's disease.

Eli and his father have been struggling with Ava's illness for many years, but the end is near. She is confined to a nursing home and not even aware of their visits. Eli's future is uncertain because Huntington's disease is hereditary. His mother may have passed him the gene which carries the disease. A simple blood test holds the answer, but Eli is not ready to know the truth.

Dr. Quincy Wyatt, a famous scientific researcher, offers Eli a job at Wyatt Transgenics. It involves caring for research animals and helping in the lab. The more Eli learns about Dr. Wyatt and the work of his company, the more he begins to question what he knows about his own life.

Using clever twists and turns, Nancy Werlin has created a real nail-biter that makes this book hard to put down. ( )

I really enjoy cellular biology/genetics stories (having a biology background and all) and this story is facinating. While not a fresh new idea, the story is a good science thriller/mystery for teens. Double Helix is a mystery thriller set in the modern world of biotechnology, and it's also a love story about Eli and his girlfriend, VIv and it’s also a father-son story. The book raises many important questions on genetic engineering, ethics and morals, loyalty to family and the value of your work. The characters are believeable and realistic as well. You do not need to know everything about genetic engineering to enjoy this book. For the TL, this would be a good addition to the high school or middle school LMC as it ties into the life science (7th grade) and the biology (10th grade) curriculum standards. ( )

Fun story about bio-genetics... a mystery, too. ( )

I read this book many years ago. It was just reviewed by Jen Robinson, so I'm posting her review here, because I forgot to link the book when I read it, I didn't like it as much as she ocviously did, and I've forgotten most of it, but Jen wrote a decent review, so here it is:
Double Helix is a suspenseful novel for young adults, with a cutting-edge, scientific slant. Eli Samuels is a promising student, about to graduate high school in Cambridge, MA. In the presence of his mother's incapacitation from Huntington's Disease, Eli plans to take a year off before starting college. Based on a vague memory that his parents once knew the famous biologist Dr. Quincy Wyatt, Eli applies for a research job at Wyatt Transgenics. To his surprise, he's given a well-paying job working in one of the animal research labs at Wyatt. To his even bigger surprise, Eli finds that his father is downright hostile in regards to Quincy Wyatt. It soon becomes clear to Eli that there's a mystery about his family, one that also involves Dr. Wyatt. Eli works on tracking down the mystery, while also dealing with his complex family dynamics, his relationship with his girlfriend Viv, and the distraction of Dr. Wyatt's beautiful young houseguest.

Nancy Werlin is a gifted writer of eye-opening suspense novels. Her 2006 novel, The Rules of Survival was a finalist for both the National Book Award and the Cybils Award. Double Helixis a quick read that touches on interesting questions about genetics and morality. Eli is a likable protagonist. Even when he's making what are clearly mistakes, you still pull for him. Although he's gifted in many ways, his problems and insecurities keep him utterly relatable for teens. Here are a few passages to give you a flavor for Eli:

"Sometimes--no, often--I hated being a teenager. Hated not having the full control I wanted. Even by the time you're eighteen, adults don't take you seriously. Even at eighteen, you're considered a kid." (Page 9)

"And suddenly I felt like an experimental rat in a lab cage, with sharp objects jabbing at me from all sides. It was the emotional analogue to the way I'd felt yesterday, poked and prodded, tissue- and blood-sampled, lung-capacity and hart-rate measured" (Page 38)

"It was a good week, a rare week. I found myself springing from bed each morning like a piece of toast from the toaster, and my legs seemed to have made an independent decision to fun all the way to work." (Page 69)

I don't want to say much more, because I wouldn't want to spoil the mystery. Let me just say that this is a compelling read that explores intriguing scientific and human questions. I think it will go over especially well with reluctant male teen readers, though there are a couple of strong female characters to appeal to girls, too. It would make a good companion novel to The Adoration of Jenna Fox. Because of the ages of the main characters, and the nature of some of the issues, I do think it's more a high school book than a middle school book. ( )