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Cover of The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Book · Non-fiction, memoir and self-help

The Gene: An Intimate History

by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Page count, estimated reading time and reading quiz: everything to know before you start The Gene: An Intimate History, and the Vread challenge to get to the end.

Pages
592
Reading time
≈ 10 h 40 min
Checkpoints
22
Genre
Non-fiction
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Free on iPhone and Android.

How long does it take to read The Gene: An Intimate History?

At 592 pages, The Gene: An Intimate History is a long book. Expect about 10 hours 40 minutes of reading to finish it, based on 250 words per page and an average reading speed of 230 words per minute. A fast reader will go quicker; a careful read (or reading in a second language) will take longer.

At 30 minutes a day, that is about 22 days of reading. At the median pace of Vread readers, 72 pages per reading day, it takes 9 reading days. For a book of this length (400 to 599 pages), Vread readers who finish it take a median of 5.3 days between the first and the last checkpoint (Vread Reading Barometer 2026).

Reading days to finish it
30 minutes a day22 days
Vread median pace (72 pp./day)9 days

Estimates; see the method at the bottom of the page.

Prove you read it

The Vread challenge: 22 checkpoints

  1. Checkpoint 1, page 27
  2. Checkpoint 2, page 54
  3. Checkpoint 3, page 81
  4. Checkpoint 4, page 108
  5. Checkpoint 5, page 135
  6. Checkpoint 6, page 161
  7. Checkpoint 7, page 188
  8. Checkpoint 8, page 215
  9. Checkpoint 9, page 242
  10. Checkpoint 10, page 269
  11. Checkpoint 11, page 296
  12. Checkpoint 12, page 323
  13. Checkpoint 13, page 350
  14. Checkpoint 14, page 377
  15. Checkpoint 15, page 404
  16. Checkpoint 16, page 431
  17. Checkpoint 17, page 457
  18. Checkpoint 18, page 484
  19. Checkpoint 19, page 511
  20. Checkpoint 20, page 538
  21. Checkpoint 21, page 565
  22. Checkpoint 22, page 592

In Vread, The Gene: An Intimate History is split into 22 checkpoints, one every 27 pages or so. At each checkpoint, a question covers the passage you have just read: a correct answer validates the step, and your progress moves forward like a training plan.

The challenge: validate all 22 checkpoints through to the last page. No giant quiz at the end, no summary to copy out: short questions along the way that prove the book was actually read. It also works as a reading quiz to check your understanding before a test.

Also available in French on Vread.

Illustrative example

Checkpoint 1/22pp. 1–27

What a checkpoint looks like

A short, precise question about the pages you have just read: a character, a place, a choice.

The answer is in the text: reply in the app.

This is not a question from The Gene: An Intimate History: to avoid spoilers, the real questions stay in the app.

Answer in the app, one checkpoint at a time.

Summary, quiz, reviews: frequently asked questions

How many pages is The Gene: An Intimate History?
The edition listed on Vread has 592 pages. The exact count varies by edition (paperback, hardback, ebook).
How long does it take to read The Gene: An Intimate History?
About 10 hours 40 minutes of reading, or 22 days at 30 minutes a day.
Is there a quiz on The Gene: An Intimate History?
Yes: the Vread app has 22 reading questions on The Gene: An Intimate History, one per checkpoint, unlocked as you read.
Where can I find a summary of The Gene: An Intimate History?
Vread does not publish summaries: the app supports reading the book itself, part by part. Checkpoint questions cover what you have just read, which makes them a good way to check you did not miss anything.

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Read The Gene: An Intimate History with Vread

Add the book to your library, read at your own pace in whatever format you use, and validate each checkpoint. Vread is free on iPhone and Android.

Take the challenge

Written by Vread from its catalogue data (page count of the listed edition, checkpoints, ratings aggregated from 10 ratings). No summary or publisher text is reproduced. Reading times are estimates; see the method in the Vread Reading Barometer (in French).