Jon Beckwith is American Cancer Society Research Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Harvard Medical School.
Making Genes, Making Waves consists of a generally chronological
series of vignettes detailing Beckwith’s role in raising the
consciousness of the genetics community and the public (‘making
waves’) interspersed with brief descriptions of his laboratory
research problems at various times (‘making genes’). The prose is
crisp, the episodes engaging and, as a heuristic of a successful
modern American scientist with a social conscience, the book is
probably without peer.
*The Nation*
In 1969, a Harvard Medical School group headed by Jon Beckwith
accomplished a first in molecular biology—the isolation of a gene…
When their paper appeared in Nature, they held an extraordinary
press conference in which they described their work and warned of
the danger that it might lead to… The press conference received
international media coverage, and Beckwith found himself embarked
on a double career—a continuing one in research and a new one of
social activism in science. His Making Genes, Making Waves is an
absorbing account of how these two strands in his life were woven
into a durable braid. The prose is straightforward, and Beckwith is
refreshingly frank, revealing the divagations and doubts that
marked his course in research.
*American Scientist*
In this beautifully written autobiography, Beckwith…vividly
describes aspects of the ‘cultural revolution in science that
molecular biology brought with it,’ epitomized by…major public
controversies about genetics in the United States from the 1960s…
Beckwith has portrayed a fascinating period in the history of
modern biology and of the interaction of science and society in the
Western world. Thanks to him and other activists, social injustices
resulting from the application of genetics are now widely discussed
and, in democracies, meet with legal measures and regulation. In
this book Beckwith, a committed scientist…calls for greater
humility about what science can and cannot accomplish. This is a
call that scientists would do well to take seriously.
*Nature*
Jon Beckwith in Making Genes, Making Waves reminds us that he first
warned about the social impact of genetic engineering back in 1969.
His autobiography shows what hard work it is to combine science and
politics, to keep different networks of interests alive.
*New Scientist*
This autobiography charts [Beckwith’s] journey through both aspects
of his life in the second half of the 20th century: the research of
his professional career, and his personal crusade to inform society
of biological developments and involve us all in deciding how the
new knowledge should be applied. Since he has made a significant
contribution in both areas, the book is a fascinating read. He
provides a frank but kindly description of his collaborators and
other researchers, and an insightful account of science as
practiced in several very different laboratories… Society is very
much the better for the efforts of those such as Beckwith who
clearly enjoy the challenge of describing complex issues to
non-specialists and participating in debates as to how new
knowledge should be used.
*Times Higher Education Supplement*
Making Genes, Making Waves is a compelling history of the
controversies in genetics over the last half century.
*International Microbiology*
Making Genes, Making Waves has special credibility coming from one
of America’s most distinguished microbiologists. It is a must read
for any young scientist who is concerned by the tension between the
beautiful rationality of science and the sometimes disconcerting
outcomes of its application.
*David Baltimore, President, California Institute of Technology,
and winner of the 1975 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine*
The renowned scientist Jon Beckwith wrote Making Genes, Making
Waves so that students could learn an oft-hidden truth: it is
possible to become a successful scientist and still be a social
activist within science.
*Anne Fausto-Sterling, Professor of Biology and Women’s Studies,
Brown University*
Jon Beckwith presents a compelling story of his career-long attempt
to integrate two roles, that of the research scientist and that of
the social activist. With luck, his lucid narrative will inspire
others to follow his example.
*Philip Kitcher, Professor of Philosophy, Columbia University*
Beckwith’s Making Genes, Making Waves shows that the commitment to
social responsibility is entirely compatible with commitment to
science; that love of science can coexist with serious qualms about
its social consequences.
*Dorothy Nelkin, Professor of Law and Sociology, New York
University*
It is rare to find an honest man describing how he became a
first-rate scientist while his mixed feelings about the role and
function of science turned him into an effective social activist.
Making Genes, Making Waves is an excellent account, by a
participant, of the debates about science and society that occurred
in the last 30 or 40 years. It is especially interesting that the
same man who was engaged in social activism was producing the best
of the science that generated so much passion.
*François Jacob, Winner of the 1965 Nobel Prize for Physiology or
Medicine*
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