The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA

Book Description

By identifying the structure of DNA, the molecule of life, Francis Crick and James Watson revolutionized biochemistry and won themselves a Nobel Prize. At the time, Watson was only twenty-four, a young scientist hungry to make his mark. His uncompromisingly honest account of the heady days of their thrilling sprint against other world-class researchers to solve one of science's greatest mysteries gives a dazzlingly clear picture of a world of brilliant scientists with great gifts, very human ambitions, and bitter rivalries. With humility unspoiled by false modesty, Watson relates his and Crick's desperate efforts to beat Linus Pauling to the Holy Grail of life sciences, the identification of the basic building block of life. Never has a scientist been so truthful in capturing in words the flavor of his work.

Customer Reviews:

enough to fire your enthusiasm.......2006-08-09

I read this book as a new science teacher, and it made me realise that all research and teaching can be enlivened by the characters that populate the scientific world. It certainly is not just for academics. I recommend this to everybody - I loved every page. Both Watson and Crick were insufferably arrogant, loud, ostentatious, obnoxious - but it allows the reader to see that enthusiasm and shear pushiness gets places. One sees the boundries set in academic research, and understands also the content of their work. A MUST read. As relevent today as in 1968.

a favorite........2006-05-25

this is easily one of my favorite books. some dislike it for watson's dramatization of certain social elements in the story, and for the way in which crick and watson made their discovery. but i think the book should be appreciated as a text which makes science more accessible to the general public. and perhaps most impressive is how watson does manage to include some science in a way which i think will not distract the lay reader, or bore him.

take it with a grain of salt.......2005-11-24

While James Watson is not on the list of authors I'd generally recommend reading, this book is an exception. Those interested in the history of molecular biology should definitely read this book. Given the nature of the topic, it is light and enjoyable reading. Certainly this account is biased to some extent, which makes it necessary to read other books on the topic as well. Further reading on Francis Crick and Rosalind Franklin, among other personalities mentioned in the Double Helix, are highly recommended, and necessary for fair balance.

2 Helix as 1.......2005-11-23

The Double Helix was a one of the books on my high school biology teacher's reading list for the class. The name itself, The Double Helix, had shied me away from reading it; it sounds like some boring old book that will describe the structure of DNA in some very big and boring words. However, after finally reading the book, I completely changed my thoughts on this book. I found the novel to be an easy and exciting to read in an almost fictious hero-like story.
Watson's story is not just a mere account of the events that occurred, but it also contains many of his personal thoughts and views of the events. Watson's purpose for writing The Double Helix was to explain that scientific research was a combination of "the contradictory pulls of ambition and the sense of fair play." Watson involves the reader in the "race" of the DNA structure with Linus Pauling and in the underhanded use of Rosalind Franklin's X-ray data. I, like many others, was sucked into the thrill of Watson's first-hand account of this dishonest race. During many points in the course of the novel, I was anxiously waiting to turn the page to see what Watson or Crick might do next. As Sir Lawrence Bragg puts it in the foreword, "I do not know any other instance where one is able to share so intimately in the researcher's struggle and doubts and final triumph."
The Double Helix was not only a good read, but also it has reinvigorated my spirit in the field of research, especially the active field of genetics. My first year of college courses in chemistry and biology had began to turn me away from research in particular areas, for the courses just did not seem to interest me anymore. However, this book has provided me with a new avenue into the exciting world and life of scientific research; I am again looking forward to going into the genetic research field.
I observed a very interesting point in the book, which is that all the data and diagrams that were discussed throughout the novel are also taught in our chemistry classes; it is in this fact that I find science's beauty, that only 50 years ago this data was used to solve the structure of a totally unknown molecule/idea and is now taught in elementary chemistry classes.
The Double Helix is an exceptional novel that I recommend to all.

A dishonourment to Rosalind Franklin's memory.......2005-11-18

This book is an innaccurate version of events in the the discovery of teh structure of DNA. What most people don't know is that Rosalind Franklin was crucial to the discovery of the structure of DNA. Watson and Crick actually stole most of her data via Wilson, her supervisor, adn passed it off as their own discoverery. She was a brilliant scientist and should have been an independent researcher at Kings College, but because she was a woman she was made an assistant to Wilson. She was extremely dedicated and plowed through all the obstacles at Kings College. However, her supervisor, Wilson, showed most of her data to his old friend Crick, who shared it with his partner Watson. They too were studying DNA, although they were on completely wrong track. The data that was pilfered included the famous photo 51, which Franklin obtained over a course of years' work and revealed the spiral shape of DNA. They also positioned the competent of DNA, such as the bases, exactly as she hypothesized. Watson, Crick, and Wilson received the Nobel Prize, while Franklin could not, because she died at the age of 38 due to radiation exposure from the X-rays she used to capture photo 51. The men only mentioned her in passing when accepting their prize, and definitely not as the source of the actual discovery. Then Watson had the gall to write a book that casts her in a horrible light, as an inferior person who was bad tempered and selfishly hoarded her information. He also calls her `Rosy' throughout the entire book, although she despised that name. He once even went up to Rosalind and demanded that she hand over her data. He was a complete bigot, and thought her inferior and was furious when she refused to share her own findings to him. He harps about her appearance in the book, and it is obvious that is the only way he perceives her, and not as a thinking person. And for the record, she was actually quite striking, and wore the latest in French fashions. She was extremely dedicated, and her level of determination would have been completely accepted in a man. That's why I give this book a one, and if I could I'd give it a zero. Watson is just begging for comeuppance for what he wrote in this book. I would reccomend reading other books about Rosalind's struggle, such as 'Rosalind Franklin: The dark lady of DNA'

The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA (Norton Critical Editions)

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Which edition to get ?
DNA discovery
The drama behind the DNA
Understated Account of a Really Big Event
The Double Helix

The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA (Norton Critical Editions)
James D. Watson
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0393950751

Amazon.com

"Science seldom proceeds in the straightforward logical manner imagined by outsiders," writes James Watson in The Double Helix, his account of his codiscovery (along with Francis Crick) of the structure of DNA. Watson and Crick won Nobel Prizes for their work, and their names are memorized by biology students around the world. But as in all of history, the real story behind the deceptively simple outcome was messy, intense, and sometimes truly hilarious. To preserve the "real" story for the world, James Watson attempted to record his first impressions as soon after the events of 1951-1953 as possible, with all their unpleasant realities and "spirit of adventure" intact.

Watson holds nothing back when revealing the petty sniping and backbiting among his colleagues, while acknowledging that he himself was a willing participant in the melodrama. In particular, Watson reveals his mixed feelings about his famous colleague in discovery, Francis Crick, who many thought of as an arrogant man who talked too much, and whose brilliance was appreciated by few. This is the joy of The Double Helix--instead of a chronicle of stainless-steel heroes toiling away in their sparkling labs, Watson's chronicle gives readers an idea of what living science is like, warts and all. The Double Helix is a startling window into the scientific method, full of insight and wit, and packed with the kind of science anecdotes that are told and retold in the halls of universities and laboratories everywhere. It's the stuff of legends. --Therese Littleton

Book Description

The classic personal account of one of the great scientific discoveries of the century.

By identifying the structure of DNA, the molecule of life, Francis Crick and James Watson revolutionized biochemistry and won themselves a Nobel Prize. At the time, Watson was only twenty-four, a brilliant young zoologist hungry to make his mark. His uncompromisingly honest account of the heady days of their thrilling sprint against other world-class researchers to solve one of science's greatest unsolved mysteries gives a dazzlingly clear picture of a world of brilliant scientists with great gifts, very human ambitions, and bitter rivalries. With humility unspoiled by false modesty, Watson relates his and Crick's desperate efforts to beat Linus Pauling to the Holy Grail of the life sciences, the identification of the basic building block of life. He is impressed by the achievements of the young man he was, but clear-eyed about his limitations. Never has such a brilliant scientist also been so gifted, and so truthful, in capturing in words the flavor of his work.

Customer Reviews:

Which edition to get ?.......2007-04-18

I ended up getting copies of two different paperback editions.

The Simon & Schuster Touchstone Book, with a little bit of an introduction by Sylvia Nasar, has easy-to-read print and the photographs are pleasantly large. Good for reading in the subway.

But the Norton Critical edition, edited by Gunther S. Stent, is the one to get if you can only afford one. Its typeface leaves much to be desired, and, in my copy, some of the pages are hard to read because the printer seems to have run out of ink in the middle of the job. But the edition has materials that are indispensable for an understanding of this classic work of science. I enjoyed, most of all, Stent's essay "reviewing the reviews," showing both the wisdom (by some) and the foolishness (by others) with which the Double Helix was received by the scientific community.

DNA discovery.......2007-03-18

Excellent book formulating the personalities and egos behind the race for DNA. Interesting and well written. Add a star if you are in the field.

The drama behind the DNA.......2007-03-09

I read this as a requirement for a class but actually found it interesting. It show the human sides to the people behing the discovery of DNA and exposes the drama and gossip going on. It also shows just how difficult it was and is to be a woman scientist (Rosalind's story).
It is a short book, an easy read, I recommend it.

Understated Account of a Really Big Event.......2002-11-08

Clarification is in order. First of all, this is not a substantive science book. For all the significance of the discovery it chronicles, The Double Helix never bothers to explain how, for example, x-ray crystallography actually works, or what the difference between a keto- and an -enol is, or even why Watson's and Crick's discovery brought on a new era in the life sciences. Aspiring students of genetics and molecular biology are urged to inquire elsewhere for answers to these questions.

Second, to label The Double Helix a book on scientific method is almost equally misleading - the reason being that there is no room in the rarefied formalism extolled by the likes of Karl Popper for Watson's subjectivity and sarcasm, not to mention the latter's frequent excursions on nubile au pairs and the deplorable student housing market at Cambridge.

Third (not that it matters for an appreciation of the book, but it's a common misunderstanding), Watson and Crick did not discover DNA itself, or even the function of DNA. Rather, they were awarded the Nobel Prize for solving the molecular structure of DNA.

With those clarifications in mind, The Double Helix is a profitable read. Watson shows us non-scientists that the practice of science is "just" another human endeavor, and not some remote, sterilized activity conducted by emotional eunuchs in white coats. Watson's first-person narrative is downright conversational, as if he's talking shop over a pint of stout in an English pub. He is unabashedly honest about both his ambitions and his naivete (he was only 23 at the time the events in the book took place). And his sometimes scathing portrayals of his colleagues - in all their brilliance and banality - give the impression that working in a world-class research facility is a lot like working anywhere else.

Francis Crick comes across as that certain guy we all knew in college (wherever and whenever that was) - impish and boisterous, egocentric but big-hearted, who might be dapper if he didn't sleep in his clothes, whose eccentricity is the bane of faculty advisors, whose attention is everywhere but on task, whose breath sometimes smells like beer after lunch, and whose serendipitous genius comes through at all the right times. The supporting cast is equally colorful: Maurice Wilkins, the quintessential English academic stuffed corpse; Rosalind Franklin, a Freudian caricature of icy feminine competence in a man's world; the godlike Linus Pauling playing with his tinker toy molecular models in California.

And it wasn't just his colleagues who made Watson's work interesting. There were the aforementioned au pairs, the pubs and the parties and the formal receptions, there was the professional competitiveness between the English and the Americans - with Watson (a Yank in Cambridge) more of an American insurance policy against the Brits getting all the credit for solving DNA if Pauling wasn't fast enough. And there was the Cold War, which had an impact on research priorities and, sometimes, hampered communication in the scientific community.

But most importantly - although Watson never deigns to make this point explicit - The Double Helix is a fascinating chronicle of the scientific method in action, notwithstanding the politics, the distractions, and the idiosyncrasies of the protagonists. The task itself was daunting. Watson and Crick already knew what DNA was composed of, and they knew with some certainty the proportions in which the bases were represented, but there could only be one correct way to put all the pieces together and the haystack was a big one. The researchers were quick to offer and to accept criticism, and false leads were abandoned without regard to ego or sunk time. Even though each wanted to get there first, London shared their findings with Cambridge, Cambridge shared their insights with London, and England and California held nothing from each other for long - admirable examples of the "sociable competition" of science that expedites discovery.

In the end, Watson's and Crick's success relied heavily on Wilkins's and Franklin's crystallography, with important contributions from whomever happened to stop by the lab during the two year period, and insights from conferences and the textbooks and articles Watson happened to read at the time. Creativity, serendipity, and openness to the ideas of others eventually yielded hypotheses, which were tested using Pauling's modeling methods. It could not have been done alone, as Watson makes clear, and the structure of DNA would have been discovered sooner or later. While ultimately it doesn't matter who gets the credit for the discovery, the world seems a better place for James Watson's being involved, if only because The Double Helix is such an entertaining read.

The Double Helix.......2002-10-29

The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA written by James D. Watson is a rather engaging with a easily readable down to earth style book on the discovery of the structure of DNA. James D. Watson and Francis Crick worked on the structure of DNA, as did other of the time L. Pauling and R. Franklin were hot on the heals of Watson and Crick.

This is the story of how they made history, a story by a scientist about scientists, this is a superbly human tale of how a very unusual 23 year old American saw his chance for scientific immortality and set out to seize it.

If you like reading about about discovery and how it was done, then you'll like this book. Written in a folksy mannor, this is a book that is thrilling as you get to experience the discovery firsthand. Here you'll read about observation, the suspense of making this discovery before others and the mounting tension associated with science. You'll feel Watson's brilliance come through the narrative, his frank tone mixed with humor all making this a fast read, but never boring.

Book Description

Eli Samuels, barely out of high school, is offered a job at prestigious Wyatt Transgenics by its founder, a legendary molecular biologist. The salary's amazing, the work is interesting, and Dr. Wyatt seems to want to mentor him. It's almost too good to be true. But Mr. Samuels is vehemently against Eli's taking the job, and he won't explain why. Eli knows that there's some connection between Dr. Wyatt and his parents—something painful for his father. Something to do with his mother, now debilitated by Huntington's disease. As Eli works at the lab and spends time with Dr. Wyatt, he begins to uncover some disconcerting information—about himself.

Customer Reviews:

Amazing!!!.......2007-05-19

This book is about an eighteen-year-old boy named Eli and the mystery of his secret past and his job at Wyatt Transgenics where he discovers things about himself.
When I started reading this book, I immediately got sucked into the story. The word choice is phenomenal, and I felt like I was actually there. When I saw the book it just screamed, "Read me!" maybe because I'm into this technology stuff. But, I think anyone from age 13+ will enjoy this book. It has so many different styles in it. Science fiction, romance, suspense, and mystery are all crammed into this one book!
I also like how the title of the book is subtlety slipped into the story. So when you notice it you say, "So that is why it's named Double Helix." Another thing I like is the cover; I know they say not to judge a book by its cover, but I do. If the cover doesn't look good I usually won't pick it up off of the shelf.
The whole time I was reading this book it was like nothing else in the world mattered. I just could not put the book down. Out of the many books I have read this is one of the best.

Awesome Mystery.......2007-04-22

Eli's father has a secret. What does it have to do with Eli going to work for Dr. Quincy Wyatt, molecular biologist, at Wyatt Transgenics? Is there a connection between Dr. Wyatt and Eli's mother, who is in a nursing home, suffering from Huntington's disease? As he searches for the truth, Eli makes some chilling discoveries. And the truth is worse than he could ever imagine. This is one mystery you'll not be able to put down, until you, too, learn the secret.
Listen to the Ghost
The Secrets I Have Kept

Courtesy of Teens Read Too.......2006-12-31

After recently reading and reviewing Nancy Werlin's The Rules of Survival, I went in search of some of her other books. I discovered DOUBLE HELIX, and it didn't disappoint me.

Eli Samuels, salutatorian of his graduating class, has decided to postpone college for a year. His father is not pleased. But Eli is struggling to decide just exactly where he is headed in life. Complicating matters are his relationship with his girlfriend and his mother's illness, Huntington's disease.

Eli and his father have been struggling with Ava's illness for many years, but the end is near. She is confined to a nursing home and not even aware of their visits. Eli's future is uncertain because Huntington's disease is hereditary. His mother may have passed him the gene which carries the disease. A simple blood test holds the answer, but Eli is not ready to know the truth.

Dr. Quincy Wyatt, a famous scientific researcher, offers Eli a job at Wyatt Transgenics. It involves caring for research animals and helping in the lab. The more Eli learns about Dr. Wyatt and the work of his company, the more he begins to question what he knows about his own life.

Using clever twists and turns, Nancy Werlin has created a real nail-biter that makes this book hard to put down.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

Can't Believe What the Author's Trying to Say.......2006-08-16

Um. I really liked the idea of this book, and when I started it I had very high hopes for it. The idea of a boy with an interest in genetics that's somehow connected to his past sounded so original compared to the slews of books that conform perfectly to the stereotypical demands of their respective genres (for example, the sword-and-magic-wielding fantasy hero who grew up on some country farm, or the teenager trying to get over the death of a parent and find who he/she truly is in the process) that I thought it had to be good. I was devastated when I turned out to be wrong.

I still have to give the author credit for the idea. I think it's really cool, and it's a good way (or so it seemed) to get kids interested in science. So I've decided to dedicate my first section to the various flaws in the presentation of that idea. None of them are very big, but their collective strength started to get on my nerves by the middle of the book.

First, the writing. It just had no detail. I couldn't visualize any of the characters; I knew that Eli was very tall, and Viv was very short, but nothing else. The lack of description made the story feel like a ghost world, without any reality or definition.

Second, the characters themselves. Like the descriptions, they had no depth. Maybe Eli was smart, a little cocky, too, but what else was he? None of his actions showed any personality. They were all just the expected reactions of an eighteen-year-old boy to a given situation.

Third, the plot. It moved more quickly than it should have, and it didn't fit together very well. The event at the end with Kayla and Dr. Wyatt didn't make sense no matter how I looked at it.

And fourth, the sexual references. I guess the author wanted to make the story realistic considering Eli's age, but the repeated mentions were completely unnecessary and I found them gross.

I could have dealt with these issues, because although they lowered the quality of the book they left the idea intact, and as I've already said, I loved the idea. That's why I felt so betrayed when I figured out what the author was really trying to say.

Double Helix is an insult to science. There's no other way to put it. It makes all scientists involved with genetic research on human eggs and embryos seem like crazy, soulless, twisted fiends who either don't understand ethics or don't care about them anyway. They're supposed to believe that the human awareness is just an illusion, and that's supposed to be a bad thing; they're supposed to sacrifice human rights for an impossibly perfect future. Sure, the author mentions at the end of the book that science could be used in more humane ways. But that doesn't change the impression that the book gave about science and its place in human culture. In a time when many important scientific practices are in danger of becoming illegal, America absolutely doesn't need stereotypical pictures of mad scientists murdering babies being stamped on the minds of its kids. We need science, and we need to be rational when we consider the idea of scientific progress. Double Helix was far from rational.

I know that a lot of this was my opinion, and maybe I shouldn't let it bias my view of this book. But if you read my review and think I'm wrong, remember this: no matter which view of science is right, the author's presentation of her views was prejudiced and inaccurate, and making an argument for or against anything with such prejudices isn't right.

So I didn't like Double Helix, and I still hate to admit it. I wanted to like it, more than I usually want to like a book. That's why I'm giving it two stars instead of one, in tribute to what it could have been. Because it could have been very, very good.

great read!.......2006-07-12

Double Helix was very entertaining, suspenseful, and...real. I felt connected to the characters and enjoyed reading it the whole way through. It had a lot of interesting twists, and I just could not stop reading it. It is a great book teens--both boys & girls.

Israeli And Palestinian Narratives of Conflict: History's Double Helix (Indiana Series in Middle East Studies)

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On the wrong track
It's hard to hear the other side

Israeli And Palestinian Narratives of Conflict: History's Double Helix (Indiana Series in Middle East Studies)

Manufacturer: Indiana University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Israel | Middle East | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0253218578

Book Description

-- A ForeWord Magazine "Book of the Year" Finalist--

Why does Hamas refuse to recognize the legitimacy of the state of Israel? Why do Israeli settlers in the West Bank insist that Israel has a legitimate right to that territory? What makes the Israeli-Palestinian conflict so intractable? Reflecting both Israeli and Palestinian points of view, this provocative volume addresses the two powerful, bitterly contested, competing historical narratives that underpin the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Compelling contributions by Israeli and Palestinian authors show how the intertwined reckonings of the historical past--history's double helix--provide powerful ammunition for current battles. Just when a resolution of the conflict might seem to be on the horizon, the gulf of history resurges to separate the contenders. Palestinians and Israelis remain locked in struggle, tightly entangled and enveloped by a historical cocoon of growing complexity, fundamental disagreement, and overriding miscalculation.

This book creates a dialogue among Palestinian and Israeli authors, who examine opposing versions of the historical narratives in the context of contemporary Israeli-Palestinian relations. In hard-hitting essays the contributors debate the two justifying and rationalizing constructions, laying bare the conflict's roots and the distorted prisms that fuel it. Israeli and Palestinian Narratives of Conflict is an invaluable resource for anyone seeking to make sense of today's headlines.

Customer Reviews:

On the wrong track.......2007-08-12

Narratives of conflict?

What's that supposed to mean? Does it mean that some folks have a bunch of anecdotes which they use to present a somewhat misleading picture of reality while others have a bunch of anecdotes which they use to present a horribly misleading picture of reality?

What we need are truths, not "narratives."

Yes, a bunch of people who committed crimes and fought as aggressors have "narratives." But that does not negate the reality of what happened. Sure, those families in the American South who fought to deny human rights to Black slaves have a narrative. And they suffered. But that would not get me or any other honest person to consider the emancipation of the slaves a catastrophe! The emancipation of the slaves was a triumph for human rights that has been a benefit to society as a whole. The victory over National Socialism was a similar triumph. The lifting of the siege of Jerusalem in 1948 was another such triumph. If we instead call it (or the existence of human rights for Jews in Israel) a "catastrophe," we're being both insulting and dishonest. And I think that some of the contributors in this book are encouraging such dishonesty.

In order to reduce strife, I think we do need to focus on truth. But that is not the same thing as accepting lies! I know that it is very difficult to admit that one is wrong if one wants to fight. But it is also difficult to admit that one is right if one wants to be diplomatic. And I think we need to strive to be more honest, and value truth whether one has been right or wrong.

There are some things in this book that I did find interesting. Mordechai Bar-On had some things to say about Israel from his perspective, and reasons why such people as Flapan or Zertal are unlikely to be taken seriously by most Israelis. In addition, he makes the excellent point that some Arabs like Israeli revisionist history because they feel it admits the truth of some Arab claims (I might call it the truth of some Arab falsehoods). Instead, he thinks that Arabs ought to see it as a call to try some revisionist history of their own, and reconsider some of the more dubious things they've tended to agree upon in the past.

Does this one good point make the book worth two stars rather than one? Definitely not. Its entire theme is no good.

It's hard to hear the other side.......2007-01-02

This is a very useful book for anyone who wants to understand the roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Each side tells the story in a way that blends fact, emotion, and a particular point of view. It's hard to build relationships with others when we don't have an understanding of how differently they view reality.

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BEWARE! THIS IS A CHRISTIAN THRILLER MARKETED TO MAINSTREAM
A disgusting book. A huge disappointment
Welcome to a new Christian author of thrillers!
Edge of your seat thriller
Best read this year!

Double Helix
Sigmund Brouwer
Manufacturer: Thomas Nelson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0849939380

Book Description

Slater Ellis is in the race-against time, a hit man, and a professor who plays God in his spare time. The results are a showdown with stakes no less than the future of the human race. A prophetic novel on the dangers of genetic manipulation and cloning.

Customer Reviews:

BEWARE! THIS IS A CHRISTIAN THRILLER MARKETED TO MAINSTREAM.......2007-07-10

I've got nothing against Christina lit, but I think it's pretty unChristian for the publisher to deceive the reader by promoting this as a mainstream thriller. Great premise. Bad execution.

A disgusting book. A huge disappointment.......2005-12-10

This is the first (and probably last) book I read from Sigmund Brouwer. It is just vile in so many places in graphic descriptions of torture, amputations, and other physical abuse. At many points I thought about just quiting, but I hoped it would have some redeeming value. I was wrong. I should have not continued reading. I found the story line poor, rather like a bad episode of a cheap sci-fi movie. The characters are unbelieveable and the ending is terrible. I found nothing uplifting or encouraging, or of value. It is just a disgusting book that should never have been published by Word. I was really disappointed. It would fit in much better into a horror genre with some secular publisher. The few references to God or spiritual matters seem tacked on and not appropriate. I wish I had not read this book.

Welcome to a new Christian author of thrillers!.......2004-05-21

Slater Ellis gets involved when a mysterious naked child with a number tattooed on his forehead assaults him in the desert. Paige Stephens gets involved after her husband's suicide when she begins unravelling cryptic suggestions that his company is involved with a sinister business of some kind. Their paths converge as they uncover the horrifying plans of Dr. Josef Van Klees, who operates the "Institute", a secret clinic for genetic experimentation and cloning that exploits fetal tissue from abortion clinics and refugees from third world countries. The story is fiction, but the evil behind the characters is very real, and the scientific possibilities Brouwer explores are closer to reality than speculation - making the story even more chilling.

One thing is clear: Sigmund Brouwer knows how to write a suspense thriller. While there are no obviously Christian themes evident anywhere in the book (Brouwer is a Christian), this is a very clean and riveting thriller story. It equals the very best of Robin Cook and other secular thriller writers, minus the moral garbage. If Brouwer can produce more books like this, I'll welcome seeing many more of his books on my shelves! Thumbs way up! -GODLY GADFLY

Edge of your seat thriller.......2004-02-07

What begins as a mystery the plot in this book unravels an underground mad-science project using human DNA. This book can keep you up real late, page after page, just trying to figure out what's going to happen next. An excellent read if you like X-Files related material.

Best read this year!.......2003-02-25

I can't speak for those looking for ethics or sound medicine, but as a voracious reader looking for good, clean stories, this is my best find of 2003. On par with the best secular thrillers, yet showing dignity of life without a single scripture, Brouwer is a master writer and thinker. His characterization is great too. I could spot Zuwaan a mile away (and I'd be running in the other direction!)

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The Double Helix
James D. Watson
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0451037707

Genes, Girls, and Gamow: After the Double Helix

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More than you want to know
Somewhat Interesting but Not a Must Read
Frank but somewhat mundane account of the quest for RNA
How silly and vacous can a grown man be?
A light-hearted reminiscense

Genes, Girls, and Gamow: After the Double Helix
James D. Watson
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0375727159
Release Date: 2003-01-07

Amazon.com

Readers unfamiliar with James D. Watson's previous memoir, The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA, may be surprised that his new one pays as much attention to his pursuit of the perfect woman as to the pursuit of knowledge. But Watson's 1968 book wasn't a bestseller because of its scientific material (though it was lucidly written for the general public); it was his candid portrait of professional rivalries, consuming ambition, and personal eccentricities that made it both popular and controversial. Even today, Watson's lively prose and decidedly frank opinions are still far from the norm. Oh sure, Girls, Genes, and Gamow contains plenty of information about his efforts (with colleagues ranging from bongo-playing Richard Feynman to the free-spirited George Gamow) to unravel the complexities of the RNA molecule from 1953 to '56. But Watson--still in his 20s at the time--also devotes pages to hard drinking, bitter marital breakups, and unwanted pregnancies among his not-so-high-minded peers, and his own anguished affair with a Swarthmore undergrad who left him for a German engineering student. It's not every Nobel Prize-winning biologist who would admit he was thrilled to have his photo in Vogue because it would "make 'with it' American girls more eager to know me," but that boyish openness gives Watson's book its charm. --Wendy Smith

Book Description

In the years following his and Francis Crick’s towering discovery of DNA, James Watson was obsessed with finding two things: RNA and a wife. Genes, Girls, and Gamow is the marvelous chronicle of those pursuits. Watson effortlessly glides between his heartbreaking and sometimes hilarious debacles in the field of love and his heady inquiries in the field of science. He also reflects with touching candor on some of science’s other titans, from fellow Nobelists Linus Pauling and the incorrigible Richard Feynman to Russian physicist George Gamow, who loved whiskey, limericks, and card tricks as much as he did molecules and genes. What emerges is a refreshingly human portrait of a group of geniuses and a candid, often surprising account of how science is done.

Customer Reviews:

More than you want to know.......2006-05-21

Normally I wouldn't take the time to add to a chorus of negative reviews, but this book was a doozy. The contrast between the author's reputation and what he reveals about himself is breathtaking.

The best part of this book: seeing how so many brilliant people wandered into so many dead ends while trying to figure out the structure of RNA and the genetic code in the 1950s. This is much more interesting than the usual presentation of scientific discoveries as faits accomplis.

Many physicists were drawn into this quest, including Richard Feynman. But it was the intuitions of (ex-physicist) Francis Crick that were right on the money, including his predictions of "RNA adaptors" much like transfer RNA, and of a triplet code with multiple reading frames (with S. Brenner). And unlike Watson and many others, he hadn't even been working on the problem full-time.

You do need to know at least a little about virology and molecular biology to enjoy this aspect of the book, because the text leaves a lot unexplained. So one wonders whom Watson intended as an audience - if he was thinking about his audience at all.

Watson certainly does think a great deal about, and of, himself. In his prologue he describes a 1986 visit to his old Cambridge office, where he found a grad student "who had no idea who I was ... The manners that Cambridge so long ago instilled in me did not let me reveal my identity." Later, describing a 1956 trip to Israel, he mentions his "relief" at "finding hosts who knew who I was."

His self-infatuation informs the "girls" aspect of the book too. Watson doesn't only kiss and tell, he holds hands and tells, hugs and tells, exchanges long meaningful glances with wives of friends and tells, and guides "once-ripe" mothers of friends on the dance floor and tells. He freights the slightest incidents with unspoken meaning -- but ultimately comes across like the virginal Eric Idle character in the "Nudge, nudge" Monty Python routine. Thankfully, we never hear if he ever made it to second base or beyond.

How could he recall all this 50 years later? According to the introduction, his former heartthrob, Christa Mayr Menzel, gave him access to 60 letters he'd sent her during this period. (He started pursuing her when she was a 17-year-old high school senior, and he was a Ph.D. of 25 or so.) But if his letters really detailed every time he walked on the beach with some other girl after a drunken party before a chaste good-night, it's no wonder Ms. Mayr grew cold to him. Watson thinks it appropriate to include reproductions of two banal postcards from her (one of which is signed "love, Christa", as if he has something to prove to us), plus the text of the whining letter he wrote to her father after she dumped him.

By the book's epilogue it becomes clear that even after his Nobel Prize, Watson pursued only women who worked in his lab or were undergraduates. The water pistol comment quoted by a reviewer below leads one to suspect that they were nonetheless more mature than he.

The "happy ending" is his marriage to a Radcliffe sophomore less than half his age, a few days before his 40th birthday. His celebratory postcard to a Harvard colleague, "19 year old now mine," is creepy and chilling. Watson claims this has been a happy and durable union, and there's no grudging him that. But one wishes he'd kept some aspects of his life known only to his intimate circle, instead of sharing them with the unsuspecting reader.

Somewhat Interesting but Not a Must Read.......2006-01-04

This book is perhaps more interesting in giving a little window into the lives of a small community of wealthy elite scholars in that era of Cambridge, with their summers climbing mountains and their academic reputations sometimes secured more by lineage than personal accomplishment.

I was disappointed with this book mainly because there is a dearth of science in it, and the many characters in the book lack personality. In some ways it reads like a laundry list: So and so met so and so here and they did so and so.

Frank but somewhat mundane account of the quest for RNA.......2005-02-03

Having read the truly exciting and insightful account of the discovery of the double helical structure in Watson's `The Double Helix', I was looking forward to more insights on science, the process of discovery if not insights into how great minds collaborated. I found none of this in the book.

The book is an honest account of Watson's experiences, thoughts and feelings during 1950-1970. Much of the book relates to his being enamoured and his insecurities in relation to Christa, who turns out to be a love lost.

More interesting are the descriptions with Gamov - a giant both figuratively and literally - who impacted Watson deeply. Gamov made lasting contributions to both biology as well as physics.

Other interesting aspects of the book include the formation of the `RNA Tie Club' of 20 members aiming to solve the structure of RNA, various travels, accounts of lively parties (with copious consumption of alcohol) and practical jokes everyone seemed to enjoy / revel in. At times one can't help but feel that this was a concerted attempt to shake lose the nerdy image.

In parts, the book reads like a journal, in other instances the discussions of specifics requires a deeper understanding of Chemistry. I was hoping for a insightful and cogent description of efforts, how science works, how the best minds pool ideas to extend knowledge and how significant was the contribution by key players outlined in the book. In these areas, the book left more than a little to be desired.

From someone who co-discovered `the secret of life' readers should be forgiven to expect more than is delivered by Watson in Girls, Genes and Gamov.

How silly and vacous can a grown man be?.......2004-01-17

I bought this book hoping to understand more about the circle of people who relates to the DNA problem; I found an author who thinks and talks like a l3 year old and has nothing to say..well yes a name is dropped here and there 2 sentences later he is off talking about something else, usually girls. What a waste of money this is unless you want to have nothing but contempt for scientists, but this is a very unrepresentive book and person to appreciate science..a silly 300 pages of drival. Those who wonder what his relationship with Franklin was might find interesting that initially in California he dreaded seeing her again, found her pleasant, pretended to do this and that to help her, but in reality skips off looking for girls! What a jerk! What a vacuous book, worse than one could ever imagine.

A light-hearted reminiscense.......2003-09-08

Anyone expecting a stoic recollection of the works of a great scientist will find many such books available.This is not one of them. It is, however, a very real self-portait of a man in his latter years who, while being a great scientist, admits to not being a great 'everything'. It makes the legend human, just as the anecdotes about his peers makes them less stone gods of science, and more multi-dimensional people. 'Genes, Girls, and Gamow' is the kind of book you might hear orally from the author in his den in a comfortable leather chair.It is definitly not lab coat and sterile conditions reading. If you want a genetics text, BUY a genetics text. If you want a good example of how great insight in an art or science does not make one immune from the human condition, then give this book a read.

The DNA Detectives: How the Double Helix is Solving Puzzles of the Past

Average customer rating:

Genetics Takes On History's Mysteries
A shallow, but intersting investigation
Anastasia, the Black Death, and Jurassic Park
interesting

The DNA Detectives: How the Double Helix is Solving Puzzles of the Past
Anna Meyer
Manufacturer: Thunder's Mouth Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Biotechnology | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1560258632

Book Description

What caused the Black Death? What really happened to the Russian Royal Family? Did Anastasia survive the Russian revolution? Could the unnamed victims of the Titanic be returned to their families?

In The DNA Detectives, Anna Meyer provides a fascinating glimpse into one of the newest and most intriguing areas of scientific research.

Any DNA that still exists in the remains of living things after their death is called "ancient DNA." But the death doesn't have to be recent — the DNA could be from an organism that died a few days ago, or from an extinct species, such as the Australian thylacine or the New Zealand moa, or from one that died tens of thousands of years ago, such as a Neanderthal or a mammoth.

That DNA can survive for such a long time is one thing, but there is much more to it than that. The study of ancient DNA has been the key to some amazing discoveries. There's a whole smorgasbord of stories to sample — tales of murder, deadly disease, and mysterious disappearances, and even the origins of human life.

From the Cretaceous period to the mysteries of the last century, the quest for ancient DNA is revolutionizing our picture of the past.

Customer Reviews:

Genetics Takes On History's Mysteries.......2006-10-23

"The DNA Detectives" is an engaging look at how the science of genetics can be used to solve zoological, anthropological and historical mysteries.

Were the Neanderthals the ancestors of modern day humans, or were they a completely different species that could never interbreed with homo sapiens? Could scientists someday clone dinosuars? How about a more recently extinct animal, like a wooly mammoth or a giant moa? Was the Black Death caused by bubonic plague--or was another pathogen to blame? Did the "Lost Dauphin" survive the French Revolution? Did Princess Anastasia escape the Bolsheviks? DNA offers the answers to all these questions and more.

Meyer's book offers fairly current solutions to these mysteries. At the same time, the book is light enough that it makes for quick and entertaining reading--the short chapters and paperback format make this an especially good book to enjoy on an airplane flight.

If genetics and history interest you, try Nicholas Wade's superb "Before the Dawn" (what DNA tells us about human evolution in 2006) or Sean Carroll's "The Making of the Fittest: DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution."

A shallow, but intersting investigation.......2006-09-19

I'll admit, Meyer's DNA Detectives was fun to read, but if you're expecting a detailed understanding of ancient DNA extraction you won't find it here. What you will discover is a basic understanding of how DNA can solve the mysteries of the past.
This book is perfect for the beginner, and presents a wonderful way to stir interest among the genetically illiterate. By solving the legends to convey the power of ancient DNA, Meyer convincingly displays what a valuable tool this technique will be, and is.

Anastasia, the Black Death, and Jurassic Park .......2006-09-13

This is a lightweight book on a heavy subject: the use of DNA to solve mysteries of the past and to do neat things in your spare time such as clone a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

In a little more than 200 pages the author takes up several fascinating questions, including: Might it become possible to clone a dinosaur or a moa or a mastadon? Was Anastasia Romanov really murdered in 1918? Or did she survive? Did the Dauphin, Louis XVII, die in 1795? Was the "Black Death" the bubonic plaugue or something else? Did early humans make whoopee with Neanderthals? The author relates light and engaging stories about how scholars have used DNA extracted from fossil and skeleton cells to try to answer these questions. It is pretty amazing what can be done with DNA.

Is there a Tyrannosaurus Rex in our future? A mammoth or a moa seem more likely, but stay tuned. The author's science seems solid, but don't expect too much in the way of scientific heft in this book. It's a good quick read.

Smallchief

interesting.......2006-07-15

I haven't finished this book yet, but it is enjoyable. The author jokes around a bit, but the science is clear and understandable. It even helped me explain it to my mom who knows nothing about science.
It is definitly an interesting topic... ancient DNA... it talks about Jurasic Park, the Russian Royal Family, and also stuff like the Black Plauge. Really enjoyable.

In Search of the Double Helix: Quantum Physics and Life

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In Search of the Double Helix: Quantum Physics and Life
John Gribbin
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Evolution | Science | Subjects | Books

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Average customer rating:

An Ok Series
A great set inside a great series!!
A great Omnibus for a great series!

Double Helix Omnibus (Star Trek)
Peter S. David , Diane Carey , John Vornholt , Dean Wesley Smith , Kristine Kathryn Rusch , Christie Golden , John Betancourt , and Michael Jan Friedman
Manufacturer: Star Trek
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0743412729
Release Date: 2002-10-08

Book Description

Like a strand of mutating DNA, a deadly conspiracy winds its way through the Alpha Quadrant, even as it stretches across several years of Starfleet history. This special omnibus volume contains the entire bestselling saga-by some of Star Trek's most popular authors:

Book One: Infection
John Gregory Betancourt

Deanna Troi's life is endangered by a mysterious plague that threatens to spread throughout the Federation and beyond!

Book Two: Vectors
Dean Wesley Smith & Kristine Kathryn Rusch

On the Cardassian space station known as Terok Nor, Dr. Katherine Pulaski struggles to heal the planet Bajor!

Book Three: Red Sector
Diane Carey

An elderly Dr. McCoy reunites with Ambassador Spock to save the Romulan royal family-and a new generation!

Book Four: Quarantine
John Vornholt

Lieutenant Tom Riker joins forces with the outlaw Maquis to rescue a world in peril!

Book Five: Double or Nothing
Peter David

Along with Captain Mackenzie Calhoun of the Starship Excalibur, Jean-Luc Picard tracks the deadly contagion to its source!

Book Six: The First Virtue Michael
Jan Friedman & Christie Golden

Years before commanding the U.S.S. Enterprise™, a young Picard must prevent a war -- and witness the secret origin of a diabolical threat that would someday menace all he cares for!

Customer Reviews:

An Ok Series.......2003-07-24

This is the omnibus for the Star Trek: Double Helix series about a mysterious villain who has been releasing biological agents across the Alpha Quadrant over a period of years.

Book One reads the most as a medical thriller, as one of the Enterprise-Dýs first missions is to stop a plague killing people of mixed descent on a Federation colony troubled with racial tensions. Book Two has Dr. Pulaski, of TNGýs season two fame, travel to Trek Nor to stop a plague killing Bajorans and their Cardassian overseers alike. Book Three is supposed to be about Spock and McCoy taking care of a virus assassinating the Romulan royal family, but itýs actually about a young Starfleet officer coming to terms with his past as a POW and insecurity about not measuring up to his ancestors and old heroes such as Kirk. Book Four has Tom Riker team up with Chakotayýs Maquis crew to fight a plague on a world populated by people of interspecies descent. Book Five concludes the series with Captain Mackenzie and the crew of the ýExcaliburý teaming up with Picard and Riker to stop the villain from destroying the Federation in one blow. Book Six is a prequel that sets up the series by showing how Picard, then captain of the Stargazer, drove the villain to plot his diabolical plan to destroy the Federation.

Thereýs a little bit of something for everybody here: New Frontier and Stargazer adventures, cameos galore, and details on how Dr. Pulaski left the Enterprise and how Tom Riker joined the Maquis. By themselves, the books are pretty good. However, overall as a series itýs a bit of a dud. The medical thriller aspect which is supposed to be the basis of the entire series is not used much, and in some books is totally absent. The mysterious villain started off with promise but by the end of the series became nothing more than your typical madman. And the prequel did nothing to explain just how the villain turned to biological weapons, let alone became so powerful. Other than that, itýs ok.

A great set inside a great series!!.......2002-12-27

This is one of those sets where you read the second book, and are curious about the second. When I bought them, I bought them individually and then I wanted the next and the next. I had a hard time finding one, and went nuts. The other good thing is you don't necessarily have had to read the one before to understand if you come in late. I like it when that happens. I recommend reading them all, and now you can buy them all together. Happy reading!

A great Omnibus for a great series!.......2002-10-30

"Infection" by John Gregory Betancourt

The Enterprise is called to Archaria III, a planet jointly colonized by humans and Peladians. A new disease has cropped up and is only treatable (the double helix), in a temporary fashion. The Enterprise supposed to deliver the drug, quarantine the planet and see what help they might render. What follows is an excellent story, primarily using Dr. Crusher in her quest to find the cure. The author set everything up very well and wrapped up his portion beautifully.

"Vectors" by Dean Wesley Smith & Kristin Kathryn Rusch

Finally we have a story using Dr. Pulaski, who was unceremoniously dumped from the show. Not that she was anywhere near a replacement for Dr. Crusher. It is particularly interesting to see "Terok Nor" during the occupation and have the interaction with Gul Dukat. I felt the character development was very good and the Ferengi portions were written very well. The only true complaint is that the author's seemed to have done a poor job of closing out Kira's story.

"Red Sector" by Diane Carey

Red Sector is a fantastic story. It's very refreshing having a book that concentrates almost primarily on a non main character in John Eric Stiles. The character is extremely well thought out and written. The author nailed Spock and a hundred and thirty something Dr. McCoy perfectly. I'm dying to find out who the voice is at this point. Hopefully the next three in the Double Helix series will be as good as this one and the other two were.

"Quarantine" by John Vornholt

John Vornholt kicks out another fantastic story. Quarantine gives us a good idea of how "Tom Riker" ends up joining the Maquis. As is par for the course with John Vornholt, he goes into great detail describing a beautiful planet and all of its surroundings. Not a lot of Trek authors do that. I thought Torres seemed a little soft, considering her personality, but that can be explained away.

"Double or Nothing" By Peter David

This is another great installment to the New Frontier and the Double Helix series. Not having read the last of the Double Helix books yet, it seems that this one pretty much finishes the Double Helix storyline???? A favorite quote from the book, Riker - "I've got to get off this ship." Peter David did an excellent job of integrating Picard and Riker into the New Frontier. It's really interesting and well done how he brought Riker and Shelby together again. That portion was done very well and even better than I'd expected in another meeting of those two.

"The First Virtue" by Michael Jan Friedman & Christie Golden

The First Virtue is an excellent conclusion. It pretty much wraps up the reasoning to everything we learned in "Double or Nothing." In the First Virtue, we learn why Gerrid Thul wanted to create the Double Helix virus and why he wanted so much revenge for the loss of his only child. Both authors did a great job with their portions. The plot is well thought out, especially the portions of the book with Commander Jack Crusher and Lieutenant Tuvok. I felt that they captured Tuvok's personality quite well and gave a precursor to some of the decisions and general personality we saw on screen in Voyager.

Overall, I would recommend this Omnibus to any fan of good Star Trek fiction.

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