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A tiny mutation on the X chromosome can shape a family's history. Passed down from a "carrier" parent to a child, fragile X syndrome is the most common inherited cause of intellectual disability and autism. Beyond that -- and a rarity among genetic disorders -- some fragile X carriers not only transmit the mutation but also experience related conditions themselves. In such cases, carriers can have tremors, infertility, and psychiatric disorders that complicate raising children with fragile X syndrome -- and all too often, they suffer in silence.The Carriers investigates this common but still little-known genetic condition and its life-altering consequences. Anne Skomorowsky reveals how this disorder afflicts families across generations, telling the stories of the mothers and grandparents of fragile X patients and considering how genes interact with family dynamics.



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