See the hottest books publishing this Summer

Down Syndrome

Summary |  Excerpt |  Reading Guide |  Reviews |  Beyond the Book |  Read-Alikes |  Genres & Themes |  Author Bio

The Shock of The Fall by Nathan Filer

The Shock of The Fall

(originally published in hardcover in USA as Where the Moon Isn't)

by Nathan Filer
  • BookBrowse Review:
  • Critics' Consensus (4):
  • Readers' Rating (14):
  • First Published:
  • Nov 5, 2013, 320 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Oct 2014, 320 pages
  • Rate this book

About This Book

Down Syndrome

This article relates to The Shock of The Fall

Print Review

In Where The Moon Isn't, the protagonist's brother, Simon Homes, has Down syndrome.

Down syndrome manifestation Down syndrome is the most common genetic abnormality being present in one of every 691 births in the United States. All humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes. Down's is caused when the 21st set has a partial or a whole extra copy, which means that there are three copies of the 21st chromosome (trisomy). Trisomies can occur with other pairs of chromosomes as well, giving rise to different disorders, but Down's is defined as the one affecting the 21st pair only. This error in cell division happens at conception and its causes are still unknown.

Down's manifests itself with a particular set of facial characteristics including flattened profile and slight upward slant to the eyes. There is a greater chance of heart problems with Down's and babies are usually screened immediately to identify these. Individuals with Down's usually have a higher rate of thyroid and respiratory infections as well. Most have mild to moderate intellectual disability although with special education, adults can hold jobs in well-supervised atmospheres.

The syndrome, which is named after the British physician, John Langdon Down who described the condition in 1866, can be detected by means of neonatal tests including more invasive ones such as amniocentesis.

In 2013, U.S. researchers reported finding a technique that would disable the extra copy of the 21st chromosome from being expressed, in effect suppressing the cells that cause Down's. An RNA gene called Xist was spliced into lab-grown stem cells with Down's. The result was that Xist modified the extra copy so as to deactivate most of its genes and the protein production associated with Down's. Scientists hope that this method will help further research into Down's and its treatment, although they caution that it's still too early in the research stage to be successfully carried through.

Picture of Down syndrome trisomy from National Human Genome Research Institute

Filed under Medicine, Science and Tech

This "beyond the book article" relates to The Shock of The Fall. It originally ran in January 2014 and has been updated for the October 2014 paperback edition. Go to magazine.

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $60 for 12 months or $20 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

BookBrowse Book Club

  • Book Jacket
    Lies and Weddings
    by Kevin Kwan
    A forbidden affair erupts at a lavish Hawaiian wedding in this wild comedy from the author of Crazy Rich Asians.

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    Erased
    by Anna Malaika Tubbs

    In Erased, Anna Malaika Tubbs recovers all that American patriarchy has tried to destroy.

  • Book Jacket

    Songs of Summer
    by Jane L. Rosen

    A young woman crashes a Fire Island wedding to find her birth mother—and gets more than she bargained for.

Who Said...

There are two kinds of people in the world: those who divide the world into two kinds of people, and those who don'...

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

B a L

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.