“The Empathy Academy is a thought-provoking thriller that balances action and contemplation. It prompts readers to ponder larger questions even beyond nature versus nurture: What does it mean to be a good person? How should we deal with the faults in ourselves and others? Should we stop loving people if they do bad things? Dustin widens the lens on these topics by including references to related books and psychological experiments. This story’s action-packed plot will keep readers guessing, and the energy it infuses into the deep questions at its core will keep them thinking.”

Booklife

“The Empathy Academy is a commercial techno-thriller at its finest. Equally thought-provoking as it is a page-turner, you will not be able to put this book down. Let’s just say at Woodward Academy, all is not what it seems.”

David Yoo, author of The Choke Artist: Confessions Of A Chronic Underachiever

The Empathy Academy is packed with ideas that can do a great service to readers. It provides a digestible array of questions, concepts, and lessons that could blossom into something big for younger readers to take with them into the rest of their lives.

Independent Book Review

“The Empathy Academy falls into the category that was once called, “faction,” i.e., fiction about fact. Fiction that teaches. The novel, Brave New World, comes to mind. Reading The Empathy Academy was a nostalgia trip through education courses I took in college and later taught. Dustin handles the many references in his text to great books and thinkers with perfect pacing and an unerring eye for the grizzled humanist and the newcomer alike. This book is packed with delights for the intellect.”

Sterling Watson, Author Of The Committee: A Novel

“In The Empathy Academy, the following questions whirl—What makes a good person? What might make a person good? The young protagonist’s quest to find answers is thought-provoking and unsettling in ways that will ensure readers keep turning the pages.”

— Laura Williams McCaffrey, Author Of Marked

“The Empathy Academy combines a relentless narrative and multifaceted characters while probing the ethical ramifications of scientific progress. As in his first two novels, Dustin warns what could happen to human behavior when science can alter the limits of endurance, intelligence, and fundamental human emotions. What defines a good life? Why do otherwise good people do bad things? These questions lie at the heart of The Empathy Academy. Dustin delivers another compelling tour de force with his unique blend of medical technology, philosophy, and storytelling.”

— Albert Leftwich, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army (Retired), Author Of The Attaché’s Dilemma

“Dustin’s command of science and his curiosity of ethics and philosophy has led him on a pursuit for Truth. These traits are reflected in his fiction, which present as cautionary tales about technology with a glimmer of hope.”

— Mark Jednaszewski, Author Of Scales Of The Ouroboros

“While sci-fi readers interested in thriller atmospheres will be the most likely audience for The Empathy Academy, it’s also highly recommended as a discussion piece for philosophy students interested in moral and ethical dilemmas. Placing it on the reading lists of such an audience will assure that its message, couched in strong adventure descriptions and ethical probes, will translate to thought-provoking debates and classroom discussions as students absorb a more contemplative message than the usual sci-fi read offers.”

D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

The Empathy Academy is well-written, fascinating, and beautifully executed.

Jim Gauer, Author Of Novel Explosives

“As a former scientist, Dustin Grinnell’s fiction and nonfiction tackles psychological, ethical, and technological issues. His knowledge and experience in areas like biomedical science, Western integrative medicine, and medical mysteries proves invaluable. In The Genius Dilemma, his first novel, Dustin writes about a new drug that enhances the mind but creates psychopaths. In Without Limits, he explores an innovative and powerful enhancement to the human body. Now, in his third novel, The Empathy Academy, Dustin examines moral and ethical dilemmas involved in cutting-edge genetic engineering.”

— Venise Berry, Author Of Racialism And The Media

“Dustin Grinnell writes speculative fiction that explores how technology (and thus, humanity) can go wrong. In The Empathy Academy, a scientist has invented a gene-altering technology that can “fix” the lack of empathy in adolescents. What could possibly go wrong?”

— Sam Cooke, Playwright Of Unbridled

“The Empathy Academy by Dustin Grinnell is filled with thought-provoking ideas. In the continual search for right and wrong, this book reveals the difficult grey areas that are the hardest to avoid. With relatable characters and a writing style that makes it easy to dive straight in, this book is a must-read. This story is definitely suited for younger readers who find themselves questioning life in general as well as their own path to follow. The more experienced readers who have an interest in science and philosophy will also find this book intriguing. There are quite a few solid ideas regarding sorting our feelings and emotions that I would try myself. I also found the entire storyline quite relevant to our current global situation regarding medicine intended to help us, which really harms us more.”

— Ronél Steyn For Readers' Favorite

“I’ve always felt that Horace described best what makes a work of art memorable and important. ‘He gains everyone’s approval who mixes the pleasant with the useful.’ The Empathy Academy does just this.”

— David J. Elpern, Md, Dermatologist & Founder Of Cell To Soul Blog