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The Secret of Life: Rosalind Franklin, James Watson, Francis Crick, and the Discovery of DNA's Double Helix
An NPR Best Book of the YearAn authoritative history of the race to unravel DNA’s structure, by one of our most prominent medical historians.
James Watson and Francis Crick’s 1953 discovery of the double helix structure of DNA is the foundation of virtually every advance in our modern understanding of genetics and molecular biology. But how did Watson and Crick do it—and why were they the ones who succeeded?
In truth, the discovery of DNA’s structure is the story of five towering minds in pursuit of the advancement of science, and for almost all of them, the prospect of fame and Watson, Crick, Rosalind Franklin, Maurice Wilkins, and Linus Pauling. Each was fascinating and brilliant, with strong personalities that often clashed. Howard Markel skillfully re-creates the intense intellectual journey, and fraught personal relationships, that ultimately led to a spectacular breakthrough. But it is Rosalind Franklin—fiercely determined, relentless, and an outsider at Cambridge and the University of London in the 1950s, as the lone Jewish woman among young male scientists—who becomes a focal point for Markel.
The Secret of Life is a story of genius and perseverance, but also a saga of cronyism, misogyny, anti-Semitism, and misconduct. Drawing on voluminous archival research, including interviews with James Watson and with Franklin’s sister, Jenifer Glynn, Markel provides a fascinating look at how science is done, how reputations are undone, and how history is written, and revised.
A vibrant evocation of Cambridge in the 1950s, Markel also provides colorful depictions of Watson and Crick—their competitiveness, idiosyncrasies, and youthful immaturity—and compelling portraits of Wilkins, Pauling, and most cogently, Rosalind Franklin. The Secret of Life is a lively and sweeping narrative of this landmark discovery, one that finally gives the woman at the center of this drama her due.
James Watson and Francis Crick’s 1953 discovery of the double helix structure of DNA is the foundation of virtually every advance in our modern understanding of genetics and molecular biology. But how did Watson and Crick do it—and why were they the ones who succeeded?
In truth, the discovery of DNA’s structure is the story of five towering minds in pursuit of the advancement of science, and for almost all of them, the prospect of fame and Watson, Crick, Rosalind Franklin, Maurice Wilkins, and Linus Pauling. Each was fascinating and brilliant, with strong personalities that often clashed. Howard Markel skillfully re-creates the intense intellectual journey, and fraught personal relationships, that ultimately led to a spectacular breakthrough. But it is Rosalind Franklin—fiercely determined, relentless, and an outsider at Cambridge and the University of London in the 1950s, as the lone Jewish woman among young male scientists—who becomes a focal point for Markel.
The Secret of Life is a story of genius and perseverance, but also a saga of cronyism, misogyny, anti-Semitism, and misconduct. Drawing on voluminous archival research, including interviews with James Watson and with Franklin’s sister, Jenifer Glynn, Markel provides a fascinating look at how science is done, how reputations are undone, and how history is written, and revised.
A vibrant evocation of Cambridge in the 1950s, Markel also provides colorful depictions of Watson and Crick—their competitiveness, idiosyncrasies, and youthful immaturity—and compelling portraits of Wilkins, Pauling, and most cogently, Rosalind Franklin. The Secret of Life is a lively and sweeping narrative of this landmark discovery, one that finally gives the woman at the center of this drama her due.
576 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 21, 2021
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4373 people want to read
About the author
Howard Markel
17 books78 followersHoward Markel, M.D., Ph.D., is the George E. Wantz Distinguished Professor of the History of Medicine, professor of pediatrics and communicable diseases, professor of psychiatry, and director of the Center for the History of Medicine at the University of Michigan. His books include the award- winning Quarantine! and When Germs Travel. His articles have appeared in The New York Times, The New England Journal of Medicine, and The Journal of the American Medical Association. A member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, Markel lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews
May 10, 2022
This book is the story of the discovery of the double helix. It is a well rounded and fair treatment of the many scientists involved and it acts as a counterbalance to some of the previous one-sided accounts (yes, I am calling you out James Watson). There are a lot of brilliant, complicated, ambitious, driven and eccentric characters in this book, but the most compelling are James Watson, Francis Crick and Rosalind Franklin. Franklin is the one who did not get a Nobel Prize, partly before she died too soon but mostly because Watson and Crick appropriated her research and failed to credit her. There was a lot of misogyny and anti-Semitism involved. The old boys’ network was in full operation.
Written by a doctor, there is a lot of science in this book. At times I felt sorry for Donald Corren, the narrator of the audiobook, but he did an excellent job. I like science in my history of science books, but a lot of this was over my head. Nevertheless, I found the book very entertaining as well as educational. The way the research developed and the interactions of the scientists were fascinating.
Written by a doctor, there is a lot of science in this book. At times I felt sorry for Donald Corren, the narrator of the audiobook, but he did an excellent job. I like science in my history of science books, but a lot of this was over my head. Nevertheless, I found the book very entertaining as well as educational. The way the research developed and the interactions of the scientists were fascinating.
September 13, 2022
Science drama! The Secret of Life: Rosalind Franklin, James Watson, Francis Crick, and the Discovery of DNA’s Double Helix by Howard Markel is an in-depth look at the fierce competition between two London colleges in the 1950s to be the first to make a breakthrough on DNA.
As much about science history as it is about the complex people helping make it, I found myself by the end stunned at just how much I hadn’t known about the discovery of DNA. The version of the story I grew up with largely focused on the genius of Francis Crick and James Watson for making the discovery that DNA is a double helix. If Rosalind Franklin was mentioned at all, it seemed like she was a footnote of a footnote, hidden within the tiniest of fine print.
This book just made it more clear to me how much Rosalind Franklin was done dirty by her scientific peers. Dr. Rosalind Franklin was by all accounts very intelligent, detail-oriented, and fierce, traits that in the 1950s were frowned upon by society, not to mention the scientists she worked with.
In addition to her fierce exactitude when it came to the conduct of science—Franklin was a dedicated experimentalist—she also went up against racism. As a Jewish woman, Franklin’s appearance was heavily scrutinized by those she worked with, as much as her focus on experimentalism and the gathering of data over modeling. Her failings, or perceived failings, were often due to her background and her gender, both strikes against her from the start.
I don’t think the author set out to dunk on Watson and Crick, as Markel took a balanced approach to the story, doing a great job of weaving the personal and the historic, having interviewed a wide variety of subjects to inform the narrative. However, the more that was mentioned about the petty squabbles that got in the way of the scientific process, the more I got angry on behalf of Dr. Franklin.
While Watson and Crick and their close collaborators focused on a three-helix model of DNA, it became clear to all concerned that they just didn’t have the data to definitively solve the dilemma. However, Franklin had. She produced some of the most advanced DNA crystallography images, and by all accounts, was very close to figuring out that DNA was a double helix herself.
(Watson & Crick with Dr. Franklin's data)
There is much scientific backstabbing going on throughout this whole process, but nothing was as egregious as how Watson & Crick “happened” to get Rosalind’s images and the data that came with them. This led to them getting Nobel Prizes for their 1953 discovery of double helix DNA, and the intense and concerted cover-up of Dr. Franklin’s key contributions to the discovery by all her male colleagues. Some of these colleagues later regretted their conduct, but Watson seemed to stick to his guns, telling the author during an interview that:
There was also much accusation by those involved that Dr. Franklin should have reached out and collaborated more, at which I threw up my hands in frustration. The male scientists largely shunned her and made her life miserable but chose to use this to deflect from the fact that without Dr. Franklin’s crystallography work, they probably wouldn’t have won their Nobel Prizes.
Not only did she put up with constant racism and misogyny, but Dr. Franklin’s work with X-ray crystallography also probably contributed to her dying of an aggressive form of ovarian cancer, a death that struck me as cruel and protracted.
Again though, without her X-ray images, history might not have been made in the same way. That aspect of women and marginalized populations trying to climb the ladder in the scientific hierarchy against considerable headwinds explored in The Secret of Life reminded me also of the stories told in Hidden Figures and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Very similar stories there.
I enjoyed most about this book the profiles of the complicated and imperfect humans involved in this scientific story, but found some of the discussions around X-ray crystallography a bit technical for general readers like myself, who did not do especially well in biology classes.
Overall, this journey through scientific history left me with a lot of food for thought in addition to additional historical knowledge. I think it’s worth a read for anyone curious about the history of DNA’s discovery and those that enjoy nonfiction written like a good novel.
Happy reading!
-Cora
Find this book and other titles within our catalog.
As much about science history as it is about the complex people helping make it, I found myself by the end stunned at just how much I hadn’t known about the discovery of DNA. The version of the story I grew up with largely focused on the genius of Francis Crick and James Watson for making the discovery that DNA is a double helix. If Rosalind Franklin was mentioned at all, it seemed like she was a footnote of a footnote, hidden within the tiniest of fine print.
This book just made it more clear to me how much Rosalind Franklin was done dirty by her scientific peers. Dr. Rosalind Franklin was by all accounts very intelligent, detail-oriented, and fierce, traits that in the 1950s were frowned upon by society, not to mention the scientists she worked with.
In addition to her fierce exactitude when it came to the conduct of science—Franklin was a dedicated experimentalist—she also went up against racism. As a Jewish woman, Franklin’s appearance was heavily scrutinized by those she worked with, as much as her focus on experimentalism and the gathering of data over modeling. Her failings, or perceived failings, were often due to her background and her gender, both strikes against her from the start.
I don’t think the author set out to dunk on Watson and Crick, as Markel took a balanced approach to the story, doing a great job of weaving the personal and the historic, having interviewed a wide variety of subjects to inform the narrative. However, the more that was mentioned about the petty squabbles that got in the way of the scientific process, the more I got angry on behalf of Dr. Franklin.
While Watson and Crick and their close collaborators focused on a three-helix model of DNA, it became clear to all concerned that they just didn’t have the data to definitively solve the dilemma. However, Franklin had. She produced some of the most advanced DNA crystallography images, and by all accounts, was very close to figuring out that DNA was a double helix herself.
(Watson & Crick with Dr. Franklin's data)
There is much scientific backstabbing going on throughout this whole process, but nothing was as egregious as how Watson & Crick “happened” to get Rosalind’s images and the data that came with them. This led to them getting Nobel Prizes for their 1953 discovery of double helix DNA, and the intense and concerted cover-up of Dr. Franklin’s key contributions to the discovery by all her male colleagues. Some of these colleagues later regretted their conduct, but Watson seemed to stick to his guns, telling the author during an interview that:
“You don’t usually win the Nobel Prize for data you can’t interpret.”
There was also much accusation by those involved that Dr. Franklin should have reached out and collaborated more, at which I threw up my hands in frustration. The male scientists largely shunned her and made her life miserable but chose to use this to deflect from the fact that without Dr. Franklin’s crystallography work, they probably wouldn’t have won their Nobel Prizes.
Not only did she put up with constant racism and misogyny, but Dr. Franklin’s work with X-ray crystallography also probably contributed to her dying of an aggressive form of ovarian cancer, a death that struck me as cruel and protracted.
Again though, without her X-ray images, history might not have been made in the same way. That aspect of women and marginalized populations trying to climb the ladder in the scientific hierarchy against considerable headwinds explored in The Secret of Life reminded me also of the stories told in Hidden Figures and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Very similar stories there.
I enjoyed most about this book the profiles of the complicated and imperfect humans involved in this scientific story, but found some of the discussions around X-ray crystallography a bit technical for general readers like myself, who did not do especially well in biology classes.
Overall, this journey through scientific history left me with a lot of food for thought in addition to additional historical knowledge. I think it’s worth a read for anyone curious about the history of DNA’s discovery and those that enjoy nonfiction written like a good novel.
Happy reading!
-Cora
Find this book and other titles within our catalog.
January 30, 2022
The long--very long--story of how James D. Watson and Francis Crick used, without acknowledgement, Rosalind Franklin's X-ray diffraction measurements and her "Photograph No. 51 of the B form of DNA" to build the double helix model of DNA that they subsequently published in the April 25, 1953 issue of Nature; and how they and their male colleagues colluded in obscuring the fact that Franklin's data was crucial to making their discovery (pp.385-90).
That Markel's book provides more than I wanted to know about this sorry tale is hardly the author's fault. For my taste, there is too much about what people were wearing and the sound of their laughter, as well as too many sentences containing strained metaphors such as
"[Linus] Pauling was not the only scientific heavy hitter of his era hoping to knock the protein problem out of the park" (p.102), or "the Ides of March blossomed into a perfect English spring" (p.374).
Still, Markel certainly succeeds in depicting vividly the competitive boys' world of university science labs in the postwar period. Need to read Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA by Brenda Maddox one of these days.
That Markel's book provides more than I wanted to know about this sorry tale is hardly the author's fault. For my taste, there is too much about what people were wearing and the sound of their laughter, as well as too many sentences containing strained metaphors such as
"[Linus] Pauling was not the only scientific heavy hitter of his era hoping to knock the protein problem out of the park" (p.102), or "the Ides of March blossomed into a perfect English spring" (p.374).
Still, Markel certainly succeeds in depicting vividly the competitive boys' world of university science labs in the postwar period. Need to read Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA by Brenda Maddox one of these days.
August 24, 2021
In spring of 1968 I was sitting in my high school biology class listening to Mr. Gasiorowski explain the miracle of life. He was excited, transported, his face illuminated. He reverentially talked about James Watson and the discovery of the double helix. Sometime afterward, I found Watson’s book The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA on the shelf of the drug store I passed on my walk home from school and spent my meagre allowance to buy it.
My teacher knew that the discovery marked a watershed moment. But Watson’s book was part mythos and novelized for effect.
James Watson and Francis Crick were young and brilliant, two people in a race to discover the structure of the building blocks of what makes us what we are. Also in the race was “the world’s greatest living chemist,” Linus Pauling of the California Institute of Technology. Maurice Wilkens and Rosalind Franklin were at King’s College working “the old-fashioned, scientific way–with the slow work and steady accretion of data.” Pauling and Watson/Crick were on the wrong track; Pauling’s idea had a glaring flaw, and they were looking for a triple helix.
James Watson, left, and Francis Crick, right, with the model of DNA
Watson solved the dilemma only after he saw a xray of DNA taken by Franklin, shared without her knowledge. And he never properly accredited her work as contributing to his discovery. Now, Howard Markel writes, it is time to tell how it really happened.
Franklin’s x-ray of DNA that inspired Watson
The Secret of Life is filled with big personalities, flawed and eccentric. Inevitably, these scientists clashed over theory and they clashed personally.
Rosalind Franklin was brilliant, dedicated to her work, committed to scientific facts, and “devastatingly blunt”. She worked in X-ray crystallography of DNA. As a Jewish female scientist she had everything stacked against her. She grated on Maurice Wilkins, “a bag of neuroses” who may have been in love with her and angry that she kept her distance.
Rosalind Franklin at work
Watson was impatient and clumsy; he didn’t do experiments but envisioned things in his head and then built a model. Crick was the mathematician with a “dazzling” grasp of biophysics. The two hit it off right away.
Wilkens and Franklin were doing the bedrock of scientific research.
Also in the race was the eccentric Pauling, who had helped create the Atom bomb and now wanted to contribute something monumentally positive to science.
Watson and Crick’s structure explains everything.
Linus Pauling quoted in The Secret of Life
Markel follows the scientific advancement of understanding DNA, first with the history. Then, he follows the rivals in their research and their personal lives, showing all the steps in their understanding along the way. Watson and Crick won the acclaim for discovering the structure of DNA, forgetting to mention the x-ray that gave Watson the insight he needed.
Franklin’s early death from cancer was likely caused from the radiation she was exposed to in her work. Before her death, she became close to Crick and she and Watson forgot their differences.
Watson invited Wilkens to share in the prize, but not Franklin. “You don’t usually win the Nobel Prize for data you can’t interpret,” Watkins said to the author. But he also admitted his actions were not “exactly honorable.”
Markel’s book is at once high drama and an explanation of the science that lead up to Watson’s ah-ha moment. I grasped the idea of the chemistry without understanding chemistry (chemistry was not one of my finer achievements in high school). It was a challenging read for me, but my interest was caught by the wonderful portraits of these personalities.
I received a galley from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.
My teacher knew that the discovery marked a watershed moment. But Watson’s book was part mythos and novelized for effect.
James Watson and Francis Crick were young and brilliant, two people in a race to discover the structure of the building blocks of what makes us what we are. Also in the race was “the world’s greatest living chemist,” Linus Pauling of the California Institute of Technology. Maurice Wilkens and Rosalind Franklin were at King’s College working “the old-fashioned, scientific way–with the slow work and steady accretion of data.” Pauling and Watson/Crick were on the wrong track; Pauling’s idea had a glaring flaw, and they were looking for a triple helix.
James Watson, left, and Francis Crick, right, with the model of DNA
Watson solved the dilemma only after he saw a xray of DNA taken by Franklin, shared without her knowledge. And he never properly accredited her work as contributing to his discovery. Now, Howard Markel writes, it is time to tell how it really happened.
Franklin’s x-ray of DNA that inspired Watson
The Secret of Life is filled with big personalities, flawed and eccentric. Inevitably, these scientists clashed over theory and they clashed personally.
Rosalind Franklin was brilliant, dedicated to her work, committed to scientific facts, and “devastatingly blunt”. She worked in X-ray crystallography of DNA. As a Jewish female scientist she had everything stacked against her. She grated on Maurice Wilkins, “a bag of neuroses” who may have been in love with her and angry that she kept her distance.
Rosalind Franklin at work
Watson was impatient and clumsy; he didn’t do experiments but envisioned things in his head and then built a model. Crick was the mathematician with a “dazzling” grasp of biophysics. The two hit it off right away.
Wilkens and Franklin were doing the bedrock of scientific research.
Also in the race was the eccentric Pauling, who had helped create the Atom bomb and now wanted to contribute something monumentally positive to science.
Watson and Crick’s structure explains everything.
Linus Pauling quoted in The Secret of Life
Markel follows the scientific advancement of understanding DNA, first with the history. Then, he follows the rivals in their research and their personal lives, showing all the steps in their understanding along the way. Watson and Crick won the acclaim for discovering the structure of DNA, forgetting to mention the x-ray that gave Watson the insight he needed.
Franklin’s early death from cancer was likely caused from the radiation she was exposed to in her work. Before her death, she became close to Crick and she and Watson forgot their differences.
Watson invited Wilkens to share in the prize, but not Franklin. “You don’t usually win the Nobel Prize for data you can’t interpret,” Watkins said to the author. But he also admitted his actions were not “exactly honorable.”
Markel’s book is at once high drama and an explanation of the science that lead up to Watson’s ah-ha moment. I grasped the idea of the chemistry without understanding chemistry (chemistry was not one of my finer achievements in high school). It was a challenging read for me, but my interest was caught by the wonderful portraits of these personalities.
I received a galley from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.
August 22, 2021
Fabulous - reads like a great who-done-it
I absolutely loved this book. As a history of the discovery of the structure of DNA, it excels and is the best book I’ve read on the subject. I was already familiar with the story as I had studied biology and had read other books on the subject, particularly, “The Dark Lady of DNA” by Brenda Maddox. But Howard Markel’s excellent story-telling makes the story seem completely new. There is a lot of biographical information which I loved, because this story is not just about science; it’s about scientists and their shortcomings as humans. Some of the wording was so clever that I would re-read some of the passages. I did find however, that some knowledge of biology is required to get maximum benefit from the book. If I had to pick nits, they would be that some of the discussion around crystallography was too technical. And I felt that some of the quotes should have been paraphrased by Markel as the original quotes were not always clear. Overall, this is a fabulous book and is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of science. Thank you to Netgalley and W. W. Norton & Company for the advance reader copy.
I absolutely loved this book. As a history of the discovery of the structure of DNA, it excels and is the best book I’ve read on the subject. I was already familiar with the story as I had studied biology and had read other books on the subject, particularly, “The Dark Lady of DNA” by Brenda Maddox. But Howard Markel’s excellent story-telling makes the story seem completely new. There is a lot of biographical information which I loved, because this story is not just about science; it’s about scientists and their shortcomings as humans. Some of the wording was so clever that I would re-read some of the passages. I did find however, that some knowledge of biology is required to get maximum benefit from the book. If I had to pick nits, they would be that some of the discussion around crystallography was too technical. And I felt that some of the quotes should have been paraphrased by Markel as the original quotes were not always clear. Overall, this is a fabulous book and is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of science. Thank you to Netgalley and W. W. Norton & Company for the advance reader copy.
November 4, 2021
***I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway***
James Watson is a creep and a wanker and embodies everything that is wrong with the "old boys club" of elite science. Last I checked he's still alive, ruining everything, so I hope he reads this and realizes deep down in that black hole where his heart should be that he ain't shit. Facts is facts, Jim.
Historians and scientists have debated for more than half a century now how the discovery of the double helix played out and I greatly appreciate the author for sticking to information that could be validated and using a logical and consistent approach to the story telling. When all the bluster and ego is tossed aside, the story is clear. All anyone had to do was talk to a scientist who happens to be a woman to understand.
Was Rosalind Franklin a genius? Probably. Was she difficult to work with? PROBABLY. Have you ever met a genius that wasn't? The crux of the matter is that women in the hard sciences are not allowed to be difficult like the men are. The men around Rosalind's response to her personality is completely out of proportion to anything she supposedly said or did and that is what sexism is, kids.
I found myself getting so angry as I recognized these behaviors...the dismissals, the strawman arguments, the "well if only she was nicer" bullshit...UGH. I can't change what happened in the 1950s. All I can do is continue to call out what an utter wanker and waste of skin men like James Watson are.
Anyway, good book if you're into nerdy history and feminist rage.
James Watson is a creep and a wanker and embodies everything that is wrong with the "old boys club" of elite science. Last I checked he's still alive, ruining everything, so I hope he reads this and realizes deep down in that black hole where his heart should be that he ain't shit. Facts is facts, Jim.
Historians and scientists have debated for more than half a century now how the discovery of the double helix played out and I greatly appreciate the author for sticking to information that could be validated and using a logical and consistent approach to the story telling. When all the bluster and ego is tossed aside, the story is clear. All anyone had to do was talk to a scientist who happens to be a woman to understand.
Was Rosalind Franklin a genius? Probably. Was she difficult to work with? PROBABLY. Have you ever met a genius that wasn't? The crux of the matter is that women in the hard sciences are not allowed to be difficult like the men are. The men around Rosalind's response to her personality is completely out of proportion to anything she supposedly said or did and that is what sexism is, kids.
I found myself getting so angry as I recognized these behaviors...the dismissals, the strawman arguments, the "well if only she was nicer" bullshit...UGH. I can't change what happened in the 1950s. All I can do is continue to call out what an utter wanker and waste of skin men like James Watson are.
Anyway, good book if you're into nerdy history and feminist rage.
September 15, 2021
"The Secret of Life is a story of genius and perseverance, but also a saga of cronyism, misogyny, anti-Semitism, and misconduct. Drawing on voluminous archival research, including interviews with James Watson and with Franklin’s sister, Jenifer Glynn, Markel provides a fascinating look at how science is done, how reputations are undone, and how history is written, and revised."
This quote from the publisher's description sums up the book nicely. It's more about personalities than about science, though science plays a huge role. As a woman, it was painful but unsurprising to read about how Franklin was abused and slandered by her male colleagues.
Above all, this book elevates Franklin to the place she deserves. Her X-ray work likely cost her her life, but revealed the structure of DNA that led to Watson and Crick's Nobel Prize winning breakthrough. Her name belongs beside theirs for the rest of time.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
This quote from the publisher's description sums up the book nicely. It's more about personalities than about science, though science plays a huge role. As a woman, it was painful but unsurprising to read about how Franklin was abused and slandered by her male colleagues.
Above all, this book elevates Franklin to the place she deserves. Her X-ray work likely cost her her life, but revealed the structure of DNA that led to Watson and Crick's Nobel Prize winning breakthrough. Her name belongs beside theirs for the rest of time.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
November 25, 2021
Though Markel's account of the race to discover the double helical structure of DNA moves at the pace of a good detective story, in the end I believe he makes too much of Watson & Crick's "theft" of Franklin's X-ray photographs of DNA molecules. While acknowledging that Maurice Wilkins, at the same college as Franklin, willingly and knowingly showed a photograph to the Cambridge scientists, Markel continues to treat this as some kind of intellectual dishonestly. The fact is that Franklin, and Wilkins, had this photograph in their possession for a long time, and were simply unable to properly interpret it, while Watson and Crick immediately understood the implications, and used that evidence to construct an accurate model of DNA in a few weeks' time. Franklin herself acknowledged that all scientists stand on each other's shoulders, no more true than in this case. Too much is made of the fact that Franklin was not liked by any of the three Nobel winners, since they became at least cordial colleagues, and in one case close friends. All that beside, this is a very good history illuminating how science advances, in fits and starts, and never as cleanly as the hindsight view would lead us to believe.
October 19, 2021
To me this was a cross between a scientific magazine and 'Days of Our Lives'. There is a lot of technical info and a lot of interpersonal drama. I started getting a bit bored when I checked and found that I was only 13% through it. I kept going though. The actual book ended at 61% and the other 39% is a listing of supporting references. So, the main premise is that Rosalind Franklin did not get the credit due her because of discrimination within the scientific community. There was a lot of detail about 'the guys' going out for drinks and dinner over and over. Just a strange book to me.
August 17, 2023
30 Books in 30 Days / Book #17
4.5*
4.5*
November 22, 2025
Good book and content, maybe more of a 3.5/5 for me. Honestly it goes into too much detail to the point where the central figures seem slightly fictionalized. Yes, Howard, for the fifteenth time, I understand that Francis Crick was widely regarded as a braying donkey and James Watson was a nasty skank ho. Thank you for firmly being on Rosalind Franklin’s side though.
August 19, 2025
JUSTICE FOR ROSALIND!!!! however the quote “rosalind truly haunted him for the rest of his life” spoke volume. life changing book is an understatement.
January 11, 2022
For my first nonfiction book in 2022, I could not have chosen better than Howard Markel’s The Secret of Life: Rosalind Franklin, James Watson, Francis Crick, and the Discovery of DNA’s Double Helix.
It’s safe to say that the environment in which Rosalind Franklin conducted her work in 1950s England was drenched to saturation point with male chauvinism, misogyny, cronyism, and antisemitism. Thus, Franklin had three strikes against her from the moment she started working at King’s College, London: she was female, Jewish, and a scientist. The cronyism materialized in the form of immediate colleague, Maurice Wilkins, and the all-male hierarchy above him, and more remotely at Cambridge University with Francis Crick and American James Watson. The result was that the men of Franklin’s network went on to fame and fortune, even winning the Nobel Prize, while she got nothing.
In his magnificent book, author Markel makes a heroic effort to right the wrong. And though much has been written on the injustice towards Franklin, Markel’s exhaustive and meticulous research stands out and above the extant literature in confirming known facts and introducing new, irrefutable evidence about the egregious misconduct of key players in this story. He even gains access to notes and communications related to deliberations as part of the due diligence surrounding the awarding of the Nobel Prize, that point to Franklin’s critical contribution to discovering the double-helical structure of DNA.
Markel’s comprehensive and sweeping account of this drama expands the story beyond Franklin, Watson, and Crick. He includes in-depth detail about another contender in the race for discovering DNA’s structural secret, the formidable scientist in America, Linus Pauling, and also describes the machinations of Maurice Wilkins as he engineers isolation and ostracism of Franklin, depriving her of visibility and opportunity to participate in important advances.
Watson and Crick’s solution to the structure of DNA would have been nothing without Franklin’s expertise in X-ray crystallography. Her rigorous experiments amassed vital data on the molecular structure of DNA, which not only guided the two men in their model-building efforts, but also enabled them to subsequently verify the correctness of their physical model. The wickedness was that they obtained her data without her permission, and then conspired to downplay its critical contribution to their discovery.
But as well as a book about science, this is a book about personalities. Markel provides mini-biographies not just of the five major players—Franklin, Watson, Crick, Wilkins, and Pauling—but builds accurate pictures of the whole person in each case. He incorporates upbringing, ancestry, academic accomplishments, personal relationships, and many other factors that translate into motivations and behavior. But as the single female in a male-dominated world and scientific discipline, the best that Franklin could do was let the caliber of her work speak for itself. As Markel says: “Sadly, Franklin was alone, in an existential quarantine, isolated by gender, religious, and cultural discrimination, petty office politics, patriarchal hegemony, and yes, her fierce, self-protective, and ultimately self-defeating behavior.”
Ironically, it was Franklin’s work that led to her premature death at age 37. Her relentless focus on improving the quality of her photographs of crystals caused her to neglect the amount of exposure to radiation she endured to accomplish her work. And then, even when her contribution to the discovery of the double-helical structure of DNA was well-known, the frustrating rules of the Nobel Prize meant she couldn’t be acknowledged posthumously.
Amidst the mountainous detail of the major and most minor of characters in this drama, science historian Markel ensures it is Rosalind Franklin’s story that soars above the rest. Whatever she suffered as a lone, Jewish, female scientist—and it was considerable—her raison d'être was her work. Its benefit to science and indeed, humanity, is priceless!
More than just a description of the white male-dominated working environment in which professional, educated women and minorities labored in the 1950s, perhaps Markel’s book also provides a valuable metric for comparing how much the situation has improved—if at all—over the last seven decades.
It’s safe to say that the environment in which Rosalind Franklin conducted her work in 1950s England was drenched to saturation point with male chauvinism, misogyny, cronyism, and antisemitism. Thus, Franklin had three strikes against her from the moment she started working at King’s College, London: she was female, Jewish, and a scientist. The cronyism materialized in the form of immediate colleague, Maurice Wilkins, and the all-male hierarchy above him, and more remotely at Cambridge University with Francis Crick and American James Watson. The result was that the men of Franklin’s network went on to fame and fortune, even winning the Nobel Prize, while she got nothing.
In his magnificent book, author Markel makes a heroic effort to right the wrong. And though much has been written on the injustice towards Franklin, Markel’s exhaustive and meticulous research stands out and above the extant literature in confirming known facts and introducing new, irrefutable evidence about the egregious misconduct of key players in this story. He even gains access to notes and communications related to deliberations as part of the due diligence surrounding the awarding of the Nobel Prize, that point to Franklin’s critical contribution to discovering the double-helical structure of DNA.
Markel’s comprehensive and sweeping account of this drama expands the story beyond Franklin, Watson, and Crick. He includes in-depth detail about another contender in the race for discovering DNA’s structural secret, the formidable scientist in America, Linus Pauling, and also describes the machinations of Maurice Wilkins as he engineers isolation and ostracism of Franklin, depriving her of visibility and opportunity to participate in important advances.
Watson and Crick’s solution to the structure of DNA would have been nothing without Franklin’s expertise in X-ray crystallography. Her rigorous experiments amassed vital data on the molecular structure of DNA, which not only guided the two men in their model-building efforts, but also enabled them to subsequently verify the correctness of their physical model. The wickedness was that they obtained her data without her permission, and then conspired to downplay its critical contribution to their discovery.
But as well as a book about science, this is a book about personalities. Markel provides mini-biographies not just of the five major players—Franklin, Watson, Crick, Wilkins, and Pauling—but builds accurate pictures of the whole person in each case. He incorporates upbringing, ancestry, academic accomplishments, personal relationships, and many other factors that translate into motivations and behavior. But as the single female in a male-dominated world and scientific discipline, the best that Franklin could do was let the caliber of her work speak for itself. As Markel says: “Sadly, Franklin was alone, in an existential quarantine, isolated by gender, religious, and cultural discrimination, petty office politics, patriarchal hegemony, and yes, her fierce, self-protective, and ultimately self-defeating behavior.”
Ironically, it was Franklin’s work that led to her premature death at age 37. Her relentless focus on improving the quality of her photographs of crystals caused her to neglect the amount of exposure to radiation she endured to accomplish her work. And then, even when her contribution to the discovery of the double-helical structure of DNA was well-known, the frustrating rules of the Nobel Prize meant she couldn’t be acknowledged posthumously.
Amidst the mountainous detail of the major and most minor of characters in this drama, science historian Markel ensures it is Rosalind Franklin’s story that soars above the rest. Whatever she suffered as a lone, Jewish, female scientist—and it was considerable—her raison d'être was her work. Its benefit to science and indeed, humanity, is priceless!
More than just a description of the white male-dominated working environment in which professional, educated women and minorities labored in the 1950s, perhaps Markel’s book also provides a valuable metric for comparing how much the situation has improved—if at all—over the last seven decades.
November 29, 2021
I thoroughly enjoy this novel. The last time I took a science class was Biology in College and, of course, Biology in High School, but even with this limited background, I could still follow the writing. Markel is able to write and explain the information so well that you do not need to be an expert in the sciences to understand and enjoy this book. It is fantastically well written, and even though it is a nonfiction book, it isn't dry as one may expect from reading a book about history or science. I found myself devouring each page. Markel is able to bring to life "the secret of life" (pun intended) through Markel's beautiful storytelling. I could not help but be engulfed in this story that when I finally saw photograph No 51, I couldn't help but get teary eyes, after reading about this journal to see it, this magnificent, significant discovery.
You can quickly tell how much work and research Markel conducted to write this brilliant book. Markel shows you the complete picture of the discovery of DNA, showing the strengths and weaknesses of the key players and others who played a role in the race to the discovery.
Additionally, he showcases Rosalind Frankin's vital role in discovering DNA's double helix and, through thoughtful observation and research, explains why she was not recognized in her time. This book is not just for science lovers or history lovers but for every reader to know the history of the discovery and learn some of the science of the blueprint we all have.
Disclosure: I received a free book copy from a Goodreads giveaway. The review and opinions are my own
You can quickly tell how much work and research Markel conducted to write this brilliant book. Markel shows you the complete picture of the discovery of DNA, showing the strengths and weaknesses of the key players and others who played a role in the race to the discovery.
Additionally, he showcases Rosalind Frankin's vital role in discovering DNA's double helix and, through thoughtful observation and research, explains why she was not recognized in her time. This book is not just for science lovers or history lovers but for every reader to know the history of the discovery and learn some of the science of the blueprint we all have.
Disclosure: I received a free book copy from a Goodreads giveaway. The review and opinions are my own
May 6, 2022
An excellent, in depth recounting of the complete story of how the double helical structure of DNA was worked out. Markel did a ton of new research and archive diving to tell all sides, provide three dimensional depictions of all participants, and describe who contributed what. Rosalind Franklin comes across as not simply a cheated, unsung hero, but a genuine, complex human being. Crick gets some short shrift, being some of an odd, difficult to understand ghost, however. And then there's Watson... He comes across as even more of a ridiculously rotten, arrogant, dishonorable, lying, scheming, repulsive person than I have always thought him to be. The man was and is brilliant, but he is a thoroughly loathsome model of how not to be as a scientist or human being. (Markel's take on Watson is damning, but as even handed as possible. He notes that his interactions with Watson showed him to be quite charming in person, but also still consumed with hatred for Franklin, and always ready to hold forth on his racist, misogynistic, and antisemitic views.)
I just hope that this book comes to replace Watson's "The Double Helix" as THE popular understanding of this remarkable story of scientific discovery.
I just hope that this book comes to replace Watson's "The Double Helix" as THE popular understanding of this remarkable story of scientific discovery.
July 21, 2024
The author has done the work and research to provide the ultimate details regarding the biological
And chemical search for the structure and function of
Of the DNA molecule. The secret of life provides the life stories of all the researchers that contributed to the final results. For me the extensive biographical
Details were overwhelming. To read this book
Critically it would have taken me the entire summer.
To be fair I speed read thru and skipped over a great
Deal of background details. In the end the credit is given to Watson and Crick and bypasses the critical
Ground work of R Franklin and others.
And chemical search for the structure and function of
Of the DNA molecule. The secret of life provides the life stories of all the researchers that contributed to the final results. For me the extensive biographical
Details were overwhelming. To read this book
Critically it would have taken me the entire summer.
To be fair I speed read thru and skipped over a great
Deal of background details. In the end the credit is given to Watson and Crick and bypasses the critical
Ground work of R Franklin and others.
September 25, 2024
Fascinating, thoroughly researched and absorbing, this is (I think) a fair account of the discovery of the DNA molecule's double helix structure.
Before reading this book I was aware of Watson's less-than-ethical approach to research science but not to what extent he appropriated Rosalind Franklin's research without even a footnote *shakes head* And his racism and misogyny are appalling even for the times in which he lived. No respect, man!
That aside, this is a story about science, about a very important discovery; and it is the story of all these people who took part in it. Their idiosyncrasy, their love for science, their drive, even their pettiness and scabbles. is brought to life in a wonderful way and make this a vibrant tale.
There is a lot of science in this book, and I mean A LOT! It showed me how much I have forgotten over the years *laughs* But I truly enjoyed it.
Before reading this book I was aware of Watson's less-than-ethical approach to research science but not to what extent he appropriated Rosalind Franklin's research without even a footnote *shakes head* And his racism and misogyny are appalling even for the times in which he lived. No respect, man!
That aside, this is a story about science, about a very important discovery; and it is the story of all these people who took part in it. Their idiosyncrasy, their love for science, their drive, even their pettiness and scabbles. is brought to life in a wonderful way and make this a vibrant tale.
There is a lot of science in this book, and I mean A LOT! It showed me how much I have forgotten over the years *laughs* But I truly enjoyed it.
August 31, 2022
I didn't know enough about science to understand everything. However, the strong characters (Franklin, Watson, Crick, and others) shone through the scientific jargon and made this read like a novel. Halfway through, I kept hoping that Franklin would figure it out, outsmart Watson and Crick, and get a happy ending. Sadly, this is history, not fiction, and the ending was already written, but credit to the author for making it into such a gripping story. The ending packs a particular punch; afterward, I went to look up Watson's racist views and...yikes. I have new love for Rosalind Franklin.
First class history, highly recommend. Even if you're like me and you don't really 'get' DNA, you'll enjoy it.
First class history, highly recommend. Even if you're like me and you don't really 'get' DNA, you'll enjoy it.
November 15, 2022
This book was heavy and deeply depressing. I had heard of the theft of Rosalind Franklin's work but all the particular details (and this author does NOT shy away from minutiae) make it so much worse - in some ways a statement about the sexism and antisemitism of the 1950s , in some ways all too familiar to a 21st century academic. This book spends a lot of time describing hair style, dress, mannerisms, and countless meals and pints at the pub. At first, I found this excessive and boring but ultimately I decided maybe it was necessary in order to paint the full picture of the time and place.
December 29, 2021
Markel gives Rosalind Franklin lead billing in the sub-title to his well investigated story of the race to discover the molecular structure of DNA. I have connected the names of Watson and Crick with the DNA double helix ever since viewing a grammar school science movie on genetics. James Watson and Francis Crick were then introduced as young enterprising scientists who, through initiative, creativity and insight, unraveled the secret of DNA. They were presented as scientists we should admire and aspire to be like. Markel's book shines a bright light onto the personalities, prejudices, betrayals, in-fighting and ruthless competition among scientists that resulted in the discovery of DNA's structure.
Markel makes a strong case that Rosalind Franklin should share in the credit for this discovery. Franklin was a brilliant young woman, educated at Cambridge, who loved the exactness of the scientific method and was not pleased with a result unless it was fully supported with provable facts. She became a master of the science of X-ray crystallography, first working on the molecular structure of coal during WWII. After the war she worked for several years in a Paris lab where her scientific career flourished. Franklin desired to return to England. Her expertise in crystallography landed her in a position at King's College in London working for the Medical Research Council of Great Britain to use X-ray crystallography to try to decipher how DNA was structured. While the new position led Franklin into a lab with the resources where she could use her skills to develop concise insights into the molecular structure, she reported directly to a misogynistic superior, Maurice Wilkins, who took credit for Franklin's work, eventually taking credit for DNA's discovery and sharing the Nobel prize for its discovery along with Watson and Crick. Wilkins shared X-Ray photograph #51 of the DNA molecule with Watson without Franklin's knowledge. This information provided Watson with the Eureka! moment that led to the double helix model a matter of months later.
Markel reveals a cruel old-boy network that was science at Cambridge, King's and Cal Tech in the 1950's that assigned credit for scientific discovery through a network of connections equally to scientific insight and creativity.
Perhaps the saddest part of the story is Franklin's eventual death from ovarian cancer in 1958, likely brought on by excessive exposure to X-ray radiation while Watson, Crick and Wilkins were recognized with the Nobel Prize in 1962, a prize that can't be awarded posthumously. To the end Franklin publicly supported the work of Watson and Crick saying they correctly interpreted the X-Ray photographs, calculations and facts she provided. On the flip side Watson in his 1968 memoir The Double Helix and in public statements and interviews throughout his career denigrated Franklin's contributions to the discovery of DNA.
Markel makes a strong case that Rosalind Franklin should share in the credit for this discovery. Franklin was a brilliant young woman, educated at Cambridge, who loved the exactness of the scientific method and was not pleased with a result unless it was fully supported with provable facts. She became a master of the science of X-ray crystallography, first working on the molecular structure of coal during WWII. After the war she worked for several years in a Paris lab where her scientific career flourished. Franklin desired to return to England. Her expertise in crystallography landed her in a position at King's College in London working for the Medical Research Council of Great Britain to use X-ray crystallography to try to decipher how DNA was structured. While the new position led Franklin into a lab with the resources where she could use her skills to develop concise insights into the molecular structure, she reported directly to a misogynistic superior, Maurice Wilkins, who took credit for Franklin's work, eventually taking credit for DNA's discovery and sharing the Nobel prize for its discovery along with Watson and Crick. Wilkins shared X-Ray photograph #51 of the DNA molecule with Watson without Franklin's knowledge. This information provided Watson with the Eureka! moment that led to the double helix model a matter of months later.
Markel reveals a cruel old-boy network that was science at Cambridge, King's and Cal Tech in the 1950's that assigned credit for scientific discovery through a network of connections equally to scientific insight and creativity.
Perhaps the saddest part of the story is Franklin's eventual death from ovarian cancer in 1958, likely brought on by excessive exposure to X-ray radiation while Watson, Crick and Wilkins were recognized with the Nobel Prize in 1962, a prize that can't be awarded posthumously. To the end Franklin publicly supported the work of Watson and Crick saying they correctly interpreted the X-Ray photographs, calculations and facts she provided. On the flip side Watson in his 1968 memoir The Double Helix and in public statements and interviews throughout his career denigrated Franklin's contributions to the discovery of DNA.
January 17, 2022
One of the most fascinating science stories I’ve ever read! If you’ve read The Double Helix, you should definitely pick this up and get the real story about the discovery of the structure of DNA. It’s cutthroat, exciting, and truly eye-opening, plus I enjoyed learning more about the contributions of Rosalind Franklin!
July 29, 2022
A truly fascinating story of the personalities and events that led to the ground-breaking description of the double helix structure of DNA. Incredible details about science and scientists in the 1950s. I thought I knew the bare bones of this piece of history, but it turns out I knew almost nothing! Has a few issues with editing and writing style, but in the end was so compelling I could hardly put it down.
August 13, 2022
Audiobook. I loved how the author spared no effort when explaining the nuances of the science itself, even if a lot of it was over my head. Rosalind Franklin deserves so much better from history!! A compelling read, with plenty of “character” backstory and development, interpersonal drama, and plot.
December 6, 2025
This book details the race to discover DNA and shares about the key players involved: Rosalind Franklin, James Watson, and Francis Crick. The author is not shy at pointing out the ethical issues of Watson and Crick in essence stealing Franklin's data and not crediting her for their discovery. At times the book does get a little into the weeds, but overall I found it riveting.
October 28, 2021
Tedious at times but reveals important details left out of the history books about the discovery of DNA including Rosalind Franklin’s vital role and the unethical and abhorrent actions of Jim Watson.
August 15, 2022
I'm giving this an extra star for attempting to give Rosalind Franklin the credit she deserves, but this was so dry and the audiobook narrator's tone wasn't helping me stay engaged. I felt I might as well have just read all the Wikipedia pages on the various scientists and saved myself some time.
September 10, 2023
Really good. I think the author does a great job of using primary sources but I do think some parts I followed better because I already know the science and many of the people. I still think it’s accessible to your average reader though.
November 15, 2021
Toxic masculinity, professional jealousy and skulduggery. Recognising Rosalind Franklin’s contribution in the race to discover the structure of DNA.
February 8, 2023
Waiting for the ABC drama tv show adaptation
January 14, 2023
DNF. I gave this three stars because I can see how it can be good, and I like the author’s writing style. However, I don’t think I was as interested in the content as I’d anticipated which is why I couldn’t finish it.
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