The Dressmaker's Mirror: Sudden Death, Genetics, and a Jewish Family's Secret

(Hardback)

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"Part genetics primer and part memoir, this is a richly compelling read. - Booklist

My niece was 36, newly married, and on top of the world, when she collapsed and died. Her autopsy report caused us to panicthere was something in our blood that could trigger sudden death. As a mother, I prayed for the curse to spare my children. As a geneticist, I plotted to find the killer. Without planning to do so, I became a medical detective.

The book tells of the sorrows a mutation caused my family for generations, revealing a history of resilience and hope. As the stories unfold, I weave in discussions about genetic testing, screening, and gene therapy. The aim is to raise awareness of the crucial role of genetic testing in safeguarding personal health and patient care. I believe I became a geneticist at a time when few women pursued this path because I was destined to help understand the family illness and advocate for genetic testing.
Experts agree on the value of genetic testing when there is a family history of disease, or if the patient has an illness frequently caused by a mutation. Knowing the disease mutation lets other family members find out if they have it too and need preventive care. The book explains that doctors can order tests with genetic counseling at relatively low cost and how this will help them prescribe preventive actions, make earlier diagnoses, and get better outcomes. The books genetic discussions also delve into the implications of broad-based genetic screening without a family history. Policymakers are currently considering the benefits and drawbacks of this approach, and I present both sides of this debate.

While working on this book I uncovered a family secret hidden for over one hundred years. Family lore had it that a heavy dressmakers mirror fell on and killed my uncle when he was four. But the death certificate told a different story. The true cause of my uncles death was heart failure. My grandparents fabricated the dressmakers mirror accident to protect their surviving childrens marriage prospects. Long before the discovery of DNA, my grandparents intuited and feared James Watsons message, "We used to think that our fate was in our stars, but now we know that, in large measure, our fate is in our genes. The book suggests genetic testing and associated medical intervention can yet change our fates.

Reviews

The Dressmaker's Mirror by genetics professor Susan Liebman unfolds as a riveting narrative, tracing the journey from tragedy to triumph over a hidden genetic death sentence. Through skillful storytelling, Liebman interlaces her personal saga with the astounding advancements of the past two decades in combating genetic diseases. The outcome is a compelling argument for the widespread embrace of genetic testing, illuminating its pivotal role in saving lives and enhancing health. -- Siddhartha Mukherjee, author of the The Gene: An Intimate History, #1 New York Times Bestseller
Geneticist Susan Liebman's poignant narrative of love, loss, and resilience seamlessly blends her family's tragic saga with vital insights into genetic technology. Her candid reflections on life and emotions, paired with accessible explanations of genetics and medicine, create a rare and compelling reading experience. The vivid depictions of Jewish life will resonate deeply with many readers, making this book especially significant in todays climate of rising antisemitism. -- Stanley Prusiner, MD, Nobel laureate
In The Dressmaker's Mirror, Dr. Susan Weiss Liebman has given her readers an intimate and captivating window into her own tragic family history which led to a lifesaving scientific discovery. The Talmud teaches us: "whoever saves a single life is considered by Scripture to have saved the whole world." The author's tireless pursuit of a rare genetic mutation will surely save countless lives. This remarkable work details Susan Weiss Liebman's efforts to unravel a family secret hidden for over one hundred years. It is an inspiring journey from fear and secrecy to the exhilaration of a scientific breakthrough and the critical lifesaving value of genetic testing. -- Rabbi Naomi Levy, author of Einstein and the Rabbi
As a research geneticist and member of a family shattered by sudden cardiac death, who better than Dr. Susan Liebman to write about the achingly poignant story of love, loss, and the resilience of the human spirit With heartfelt storytelling, The Dressmaker's Mirror weaves a tapestry of emotions, drawing readers into the intricate fabric of one family's journey through grief and healing. The author deftly navigates the complexities of inherited risk, illuminating the fragile threads that connect us to our past while shaping our future. Through the lens of personal tragedy, she skillfully examines the intersections of science and family bonds, offering tools to those grappling with their own experiences of loss. As the author of novels addressing the myriad of emotions, heartache, and triumph of those experiencing genetic disease, I found this story compelling, thought-provoking, instructive, and ultimately uplifting. I recommend it to anyone interested in learning the science, addressing their fears, healing from loss, and finding peace in the journey. -- Janice Berliner, director, Genetic Counseling Program, Bay Path University and author of Ethical Dilemmas in Genetics and Genetic Counseling
The Dressmaker's Mirror is a remarkable book. Before I read it, I knew Susan Liebman, the geneticist, who displayed a venturesomeness and precision few scientists can match. After reading The Dressmaker's Mirror, I see Susan as woman, wife, mother, and member of a sprawling yet tightly knit, Jewish family. Susan's many life roles coalesce in this humane defense of the importance of knowledge when confronting life events we cannot hope truly to understand or fully control. The book will be of immediate interest to young women with special talents, members of families affected by genetic disease, Americans appalled by resurgent antisemitism, and other definable groups. More expansively, it will appeal to anyone looking for a captivating story about life lived large. -- Mayard Olson, PhD, one of the founders of the Human Genome Project
I love the book The Dressmakers Mirror: Sudden Death, Genetics, and a Jewish Familys Secret by Susan Liebman. It sheds light on the devastating effect that genetic cardiomyopathy can have on a family and to our entire population. Susan has worked tirelessly to help shed light on this devastating disease and we applaud her for her efforts. -- Greg Ruf, founder and executive director of the Dilated Cardiomyopathy Foundation
Technological advances have made possible diagnosis, and, in some cases, treatment of the myriad of inherited/genetic diseases. Professor Susan Liebman, an accomplished geneticist herself, gives a non-technical introduction to the current state of this field, embedded in her own family story contending with one such condition. The special social/emotional implications of genetic diseases are vividly displayed in these personal recollections, and the current and emerging approaches to diagnosis and therapy ably described in an accessible way. -- Reed Wickner, MD, PhD, NIH distinguished investigator, elected to US National Academy of Sciences
The Dressmakers Mirror: Sudden Death, Genetics, and a Jewish Familys Secret is a story of a familys secrets, emphasizing the secrets embedded in their genes. I greatly enjoyed the mixture of the life stories of family members, including details that are reminiscent of most families, coupled with a clear description of the inherited disease afflicting many of the family members. This story is a beautiful example of how an understanding of human genetics and human genomics informs our understanding of the past, the present, and our likely future. -- Thomas Petes, PhD, Minnie Geller Distinguished Professor of Research in Genetics, Duke School of Medicine; elected to US National Academy of Sciences
A sudden death in her family led geneticist Susan Liebman to investigate its origins. She has written a fascinating discovery of an unknown mutation affecting the heart that is unique to the Ashkenazy Jewish population. -- James Haber, PhD, director, Rosenstiel Basic Medical Sciences Research Center, Brandeis University, and elected to US National Academy of Sciences
Did the dressmakers mirror fall on her four-year-old son and kill him Or did the young boy die because a genetic mutation caused congestive heart failure Liebman, granddaughter of the dressmaker and a longtime genetics professor, plays medical detective and learns the truth. Her sleuthing starts after her pregnant, seemingly healthy 36-year-old niece inexplicably dies one day when her heart simply stops beating. Modern humans evolved around 200,000 years ago, and sometimes a disease mutation is handed down generation by generation. Thats the case in Liebmans family. Luckily, the Ashkenazi Jewish author didn't inherit the genetic variant that thickens the wall of the hearts left ventricle. She now speculates that her grandmother concocted the mirror story so her sons, including the authors dad, wouldnt be shunned by potential marriage partners. Possible partners may well hesitate to wed someone who might have a dangerous genetic mutation. Liebman beautifully conveys her love for her family, her faith, and her research. Part genetics primer and part memoir, this is a richly compelling read. -- Booklist

Author Bio

Susan Weiss Liebman, PhD, is a research professor at the University of Nevada and was formerly a biology professor at the University of Illinois Chicago where she taught undergraduate and graduate genetics for thirty-four years. She currently resides in Reno, Nevada.