Kevin Davies’ new 338-page book “Curved Air” frames sickle cell disease as both a long-neglected illness and a modern gene-editing frontier, ending with the FDA approval of CRISPR therapy.
More than 500,000 babies are born with sickle cell disease each year worldwide, while over 40 million people carry one copy of the mutation that warps red blood cells and can trigger pain, stroke and organ damage.
Davies argues the disease, first identified more than 120 years ago, was long marginalized as a “Black disease,” a bias that helped limit research despite cases also affecting white patients.
The review says the book offers strong, current science and useful history for patients and families, though its acronym-heavy explanations and occasional journalistic padding can make it demanding to read.