About the Author

Victor K. McElheny is a distinguished science journalist who has covered the revolution in molecular biology for the New York Times, the Boston Globe, and Science for nearly four decades.

Reviews

"McElheny presents the science in this amazing story with effortless lucidity and sets out clearly Watson's success as scientific impresario."

For over half a century, James Watson has maintained his position as the dominant star within a constellation of Nobel prize winners and outstanding scientists. Eccentric, elusive, and iconoclastic, he lacks tact and grace, and his behavior can be shocking. Yet he is insightfully sharp in science and is also known to be a skillful administrator. Attempting to capture the essence of this genius, distinguished science journalist McElheny catalogs the highlights of Watson's career from his unraveling the mystery of DNA with Francis Crick to current genome projects. While he tells a thrilling adventure story of molecular science, McElheny fails to offer a real sense of the human being behind the scientist. Watson's relationships with others besides Crick are never analyzed, and McElheny relies primarily on countless quotes from Crick's associates to describe his difficult behavior. Still, his book offers exciting science history and is recommended for all public and academic libraries as a companion to Watson's own memoirs (The Double Helix, A Passion for DNA, and Genes, Girls, and Gamow).-Rita Hoots, Woodland Coll., CA Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.