Book Reviews - Review 158

This isn't the first book to read if you want to learn about what DNA actually is and does, but on its own terms it's highly successful. Watson, co-discoverer of the structure of DNA with Francis Crick, recounts the events that led up to the great moment when their revolutionary paper was published in Nature. He makes no attempt to see events from the outside or with the benefit of hindsight; instead, one senses his reliving those halcyon days as he writes. The result is a lively, opinionated and (at least apparently) candid account, vividly conveying the personalities of the half-dozen scientists involved in the quest - and, no less vividly, the rivalries and friendships between them.

Watson is a blunt writer, and his notoriously sardonic portrayal of the prickly crystalographer Rosalind Franklin must now seem decidedly unfair in the light of recent revelations of how great her contribution was, and how unreasonably she was treated by many of her male peers (including Watson and Crick themselves).

Some very basic background knowledge of the functions of DNA, RNA and proteins may be useful before reading this book, but on the other hand its greatest achievement is to convey the thrill, both personal and intellectual, of working at the cutting edge of science. The short chapters and Watson's eager prose make it, perhaps unexpectedly, a breeze to read.