Writing for a lay audience, Marcus (psychology, New York U.) goes through the sticky question about how much our genes contribute to our mental lives. He believes genes do not control our destinies, but they do affect our personalities, temperaments, and other qualities that make each person unique. He shows how the brain developed its structure across evolution, how humans are hard-wired to learn and to acquire language in ways other animals are not, which common-sense perceptions about the relationship between genetics, brain structures, and the human mind are simply wishful thinking, and how the new genetics is likely to impact the development of the mind in the future. He takes into account a number of leading-edge experiments, such as those that have produced mice that exhibit behaviors indicating high anxiety. He also works mindfully though the most recent literature. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)