After winning the Nobel Prize for his discovery of the structure of
DNA, young Jim Watson expected the girls to swoon over him. When
they didn't, he set about pursuing them instead - with some
hilarious consequences. This may not sound like the sort of
autobiography you'd expect from one of the world's top scientists,
but then Watson is a man of many surprises. The first part of his
autobiography, The Double Helix, was published to worldwide acclaim
in 1968. Watson told how, in his early 20s and barely out of
Cambridge University, he and a few mates made the scientific
discovery that revolutionised 20th-century science. It was a book
full of humour and warmth - a galaxy removed from any previous
scientist's writing. The formula in this belated follow-up is
similar, telling of Jim's further scientific discoveries, his
monumental blunders and his preoccupation with the opposite sex.
The story resumes in 1953, where The Double Helix ended, and brings
us forward to the present. Watson's diary format allows him to pour
in all the intimacies that preoccupied a 20-something celebrity in
the 1950s. There is plenty of science, some of it almost as complex
as DNA although Watson does his best to demystify it; but the real
gems come in his personal anecdotes of practical jokes, faux pas
and friendships with some off-the-wall but likeable characters
(that is where Gamow of the book's title comes in). The
illustrations include many letters of the not-so-serious kind, and
documents that show Watson was still making brilliant scientific
progress despite his seemingly insouciant attitude. Nowadays Watson
is engaged in cancer research and you wouldn't bet against him
making another great discovery. If he does, you can't help thinking
he'll have a whale of a time in the process. (Kirkus UK)
In 1953 Watson and Crick discovered the double helical structure of
DNA and Watson's personal account of the discovery, The Double
Helix, was published in 1968. Genes, Girls and Gamow is also
autobiographical, covering the period from when The Double Helix
ends, in 1953, to a few years later, and ending with a Postscript
bringing the story up to date. Here is Watson adjusting to
new-found fame, carrying out tantalizing experiments on the role of
RNA in biology, and falling in love. The book is enlivened with
copies of handwritten letters from the larger than life character
George Gamow, who had made significant contributions to physics but
became intrigued by genes, RNA and the elusive genetic code. This
is a tale of heartbreak, scientific excitement and ambition, laced
with travelogue and '50s atmosphere.
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