As a biographical work this book is first dedicated to presenting the lives of Elizabeth Cavert Miller and James A. Miller. While the first half of the book is about the Millers’ scientific achievement, the biographical part takes place in the second half. Even though the subject of this book is the history of science, we learn here as much about the Millers’ work lives as about their family background and history. The author gives us details about Elizabeth Cavert Miller and James A. Miller's childhood, studies, research and, eventually, encounter. These biographical chapters then tell us about their parenthood and family life. They are filled with anecdotes collected from their daughters, colleagues and friends which allow the reader to enter their family life and see from the inside what living day-to-day in the Millers’ home meant, in terms of organization, education and holiday planning. It also questions Elizabeth's relation to feminism as a working mother in the post-Second World War world. Despite the great scientific work of the couple, the author shows us how important and strong family was to the Millers. Moreover, the book emphasizes the special bond that united Elizabeth Cavert Miller and James A. Miller, and how it was a real motor to their work but also strongly affected their family life.

However, the author also aims to give the most complete overview of the field studied by the Millers. The first part of the book explains the reasons why the book was written in terms of mortality statistics, lack of recognition for the Millers’ work and, therefore, the wish to remedy this mistake. In order to show the importance of the Millers’ research the introductory chapter is followed with a historical chapter titled ‘Cancer for novices’. It is aimed at explaining to non-specialist readers what a cancer is, and what research helped us to understand how cancer cells develop, as well as introducing the different theories that developed to explain the reasons for its existence and the discovery of possible cures. It enables the reader to have a wider view of the field, from the first occurrences of the word ‘cancer’ in Greek medical writings to the invention of chemotherapy through the use of animal testing. This type of explanation is sadly rare in the history of science, but here helps the reader comprehend the basics of what cancer is. Hence it helps in understanding the importance of the research of Elizabeth Cavert Miller and James A. Miller in this field.

The fact that the author is a researcher in cloning and cancer and not a historian plays a role in his explanations, which tend to be more medical than historical. Indeed, Robert Gilmore McKinnell is more interested in making his readers understand the importance of the Millers’ biographical elements to their research than in reflecting on the historical stake of their story. The scientific explanations are much appreciated since the following chapters get increasingly more specialized. The author explains in detail the Millers’ works: they studied the enzymes that activate chemicals allowing them then to combine with DNA, start the mutation of genes and eventually result in the development of cancer cells. He then develops what have been the different steps in the Millers’ theories, research and discoveries, but also their applications and what has followed from them, such as the creation of tests to detect DNA change in hosts infected with carcinogens.

This book's main quality is to remind us of the importance of research as a whole. Indeed it enlightens the value of scientific works that are considered ‘basic science’ because of the apparent remoteness of their fields of research from their possible application, and which are by consequence not considered major scientific achievements, such as the study of the metabolic activation of carcinogens by Elizabeth Cavert Miller and James A. Miller. With his book Robert Gilmore McKinnell allows us to reconsider what we think is ‘useful science’.