Werlin tackles bioethics headon in this pageturner, and touches some nerves with difficult questions. First, bragg states its scientific interest as an account of one of. The title of this book is double helix and its by nancy werlin. A personal account of the discovery of the structure of dna is the authors own account of perhaps the greatest biological breakthrough of the twentieth century. They focus their efforts on other things, but dna is always somewhere in the. The strongest aspect of this book is how expertly and lovingly werlin depicts a complex and new kind of hero. One of the main protagonists in this book, eli samuels, plays an important role. The double helix foreword, preface, and prologue summary. The double helix by james watson of watsoncrick fame is a scientific even the words scientific memoir brings up an image of a long and boring book. Discovery of the structure of dna article khan academy. Jim watsons book the double helix demonstrated how watson and his colleague francis crick engaged in popperian conjecture and refutation here crick did even better because he reflected on the way they worked and especially explained the role of criticism. Double helix by nancy werlin synopsis the ap biology.
Reviews and praise werlin is a mistress of intelligent, imaginative mystery writing for the ya crowd, and double helix. As the author himself says, the book is a record of impressions rather than historical facts. While its a pageturner with an engaging protagonist, the ground it treads is a bit too familiar. He then moved to copenhagen, where this story begins. In 2012, the double helix was named as one of the 88 books that shaped america by the library of congress. The double helix has everything a book should and shouldnt have. A new annotated and illustrated edition of james watsons book the double helix adds interesting details about the rivalries in the race to decode the structure of dna. Dna at the heart of this book is the riddle of the dna moleculeboth its structure and its implications. Brilliant eli has been fighting with his father for months. Watson, however, neglects to take notes on the lecture, believing he can. As in her other novels, werlin brings each character in double helix to full reality.
It has earned both critical and public praise, along with continuing controversy about credit for the nobel award and attitudes towards female scientists at the time of the discovery. Dna is the genetic material of all living organisms. There are a lot of good books written about scientists, but not by scientists. Those who figure in the book must read it in a very forgiving spirit. A personal account of the discovery of the structure of dna paperback june 12, 2001. The double helix summary has everything a book summary should and. Aug 19, 20 without explicitly stating, watson admires linus pauling his achievements of the.
He is very credible in this field because he is the one that discovered structure of dna along with francis crick. Watson born in chicago in 1928, james watson studied at the university of chicago and then got his phd from the university of indiana at the tender age of 22. The double helix forward, preface and chapter 1 summary. Otherwise, you wouldnt need to read the book in order to find out what the secret is. The critical reception of the double helix is as much a part of the books reputation as the content itself. Sometimes suffering happens, and you have to accept it, not change it. The double helix refers to the spiral staircase shape or structure of the deoxyribonucleic acid dna molecule. He is reluctant at first to let eli take the job with wyatt transgenics because of his secret. The double helix the discovery of the structure by crick and watson, with all its biological implications, has been one of the major scientific events of this century. You should read it because you want to be a smarter fellow. Also described as a twisting ladder, this double helix model enabled scientists to finally account. Dna pioneer james watson reveals helix story was almost.
The double helix follows a sequential format through twentynine brief chapters that cover the period from 1951 to. Double helix is published by nancy werlin and is one of her many entries into the genre. By the early 1950s, the greatest unsolved mystery in science was the secret of life itself the process which all living things have reproduced themselves, generation upon generation, since the beginning of life on earth. Double helix is the kind of book i wish i could read inwith group because of all the issues it touches on. James watsons book the double helix is rated as one of the greatest books written about science in the past century. She has sought to resurrect the name and fame of a lesser known woman physical chemist in. Also described as a twisting ladder, this double helix model enabled scientists to finally account for both the similarities as well as the immense variety of life. Though an important book about an immensely important subject, it was and remains a controversial account.
Watsons personal account of the discovery of the structure of dna 1953, for which he, francis crick, and maurice wilkins were awarded the nobel prize in 1962. This book is filled with questions and hidden answers. Watson this study guide consists of approximately 72 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the double helix. Those nucleotides, themselves comprising a number of components, bond together to form the double helix first discovered by the scientists james watson and francis crick in 1956. The next generation, and cross over with elements of other series. Sep 04, 20 later in the book, his view on things change and became more broad.
Braggs forward introduces watsons book and describes its value in four different ways. The book became quite famous for giving a glimpse of how science was done in the 50. Jun 16, 2010 a final idea is write something on the concept of beauty in biology. Double helix explores identity, intimacy, and the complicated ethics of genetic engineering. They have been given this name for the simple reason that they are made up of structures called nucleotides. Watsons book is an excellent firsthand account of this important discovery. The double helix i recently came across a copy of the double helix by james watson and will put forth some highlights in this post.
Double helix is appropriate for use in a science curriculum as well as an english curriculum. Watson published the double helix in 1968, however. Another concept was looking at dna to see which genes the baby has, just like how wyatt looked through eli and kayla to see if they had. Wyatt, which you find out at the end of the book, so i wont tell you what it is. The double helix by james watson of watsoncrick fame is a scientific memoir with a difference. He decides to get a job at wyatts transgressions but his does not like dr. I had previously been fairly uninterested in any of these three topics, but had enjoyed her previous novel so much that i gave it a try.
The idea was that people from all walks of lifeintelligent. Tragedy and family politics combine for a suspenseful exploration of love and bioethics. The double helix chapter 20 summary freebooksummary. Visiting in geneva, watson is eager to hear gossipy tidbits that pauling, at cal tech, has somewhat unraveled the structures of proteins. Click below to download the full study guide for the double helix. The double helix summary and study guide supersummary. Commentary on francis cricks book what mad pursuit, on. Watson describes key events and people that contributed the missing pieces to the puzzle of dna structure.
A personal account of the discovery of the structure of dna by james d. As you know from they very short book, watson and crick were obsessed with the idea that dna, the building block of humanity, had to have a beautiful structure and the double helix gave them that. Bragg, the double helix, p1 in the story of the double helix, james watson tells of the road that led to the discovery of lifes basic building blockdna. The double helix book download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi.
He gets the data from a researcher in geneva who went to the talk where pauling declared his revelation. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers high quality. Watson describes the period before and after the famous letter to nature paper about a possible structure of dna, not scrimping on the details and being quite frank. Watson includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 29 chapters, as well as several more indepth. Its a relatively quick read, dwelling less on science and more on the research atmosphere in postwwii england and the struggles of those involved in. The novels in the series are set in various eras connected with star trek. Books like most things, are best enjoyed with coffee and chocolate last week i had some traveling to do and took the opportunity to reread a classic. The book starts of with a boy named eli who is tall smart and athletic. Wyatt and elis parents, and all eli knows about the connection is that it has something to do with his mother, who has huntingtons disease. It discusses the morality of genetic engineering and the dangers and opportunities it presents, and encourages discussion of a major hot button issue. The double helix summary and study guide supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. The double helix chapter 5 summary freebooksummary.
If you pick up this book, you can figure out the mystery of elis parents and dr. Watson, in his preface to the double helix, indicates that his goal in writing the book was to recreate the atmosphere of the early 1950s cambridge, to describe the characters of the involved. Double helix is bursting with protagonists, multiple conflicts, and a deep fundamental theme found within the novel. Double helix, by nancy werlin, is a mysterythriller about modernday scientific advancement and the ethical price humanity pays when trying to play god. The first third of the double helix introduces the main players in the research and discovery of dnas structure. A personal account of the discovery of the structure of dna is an autobiographical account of the discovery of the double helix structure of dna written by james d. The critical reception of the double helix is as much a part of the book s reputation as the content itself. A personal account of the discovery of the structure of dna. This study guide consists of approximately 72 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the double helix. The next generation double helix is a selfcontained miniseries within the numbered pocket tng series, published by pocket books in 1999. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
He has a phd from indiana university and has received a nobel prize. Watson saw chargraff again, briefly, at the international biochemical congress in paris, but they didnt speak. James watson and francis crick discovered the structure of dna together. Published to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the nobel prize for watson and cricks discovery of the structure of dna, an annotated and illustrated edition of this.
Apr 20, 2018 the double helix summary has everything a book summary should and shouldnt have. One cannot read it without assuming the impact it must have had on the people whose names appear on its pages in an unfavorable light. The structure of dna double helix and how it was discovered. A summary of nucleotides and nucleic acids in s structure of nucleic acids. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. Dna pioneer james watson reveals helix story was almost never told. Watson includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 29 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis. Can someone give me a summary of the double helix by j. The genetic disease that will eventually kill her has left elis onceloving mother. An important thing to remember about the structure of the dna helix is that as a. It becomes apparent throughout the whole book the elegant. A book report on the double helix 1968 by james watson the journey of reading the book the double helix. Vanessa bryant speaks at celebration of life for kobe and gianna bryant duration. Written by james watson in 1968, it tells the story of how he and francis crick figured out the structure of dna.
Double helix relates to the science concept of making zygotes in vitro and placing it back in the mother, like how quincy wyatt did that to elis parents twenty years before elis birth, seeing which eggs would survive and which did not successfully go through. A personal account of the discovery of the structure of dna a norton critical edition by james d watson and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. This book makes interesting reading in parallel with poppers introductory lectures on the philosophy of science. Double helix 2004, a novel by nancy werlin, is about 18yearold eli samuels, who works for a famous molecular biologist named dr. The forward by sir lawrence bragg summarizes what the book will be about, discussing first the scientific. Essay about double helix summaries 2231 words bartleby.
Although the mystery had a name, the gene, nobody knew what it was or how it worked. Chargaff, watson and crick, and wilkins and franklin. Double helix was a fascinating view into gene research, sailing and computers, enveloped in a heartstopping tale of suspense. One must remember that his book is not a history, but an autobiographical contribution to the history which will some day be written. The book proposes that, while elis life was saved by avoiding the huntingtons disease gene, his concept of life and self were destroyed when he found out he was genetically engineered to be a certain way. One of the major themes in the book double helix is that suffering should not be avoided. To ask other readers questions about the double helix, please sign up. A chicago public library best of the best books for teens list selection for 2004. A personal account of the discovery of the structure of dna 1968 by james d. The fight began when eli refused to apply to college, but the communication breakdown is rooted in their unshared and inarticulate grief over elis mother. Prev major character analysis next important quotes.
Foreword by lawrence bragg summary lawrence bragg was the director of the cavendish laboratory where cricks and watson were based while working on their solution to the structure of dna. This book is about a young, 18 year old boy, eli, whose mother has huntingtons disease. Watson the classic personal account of watson and cricks groundbreaking discovery of the structure of dna. Nancy werlin plot as he tries to figure out who he really is, he finds his boss is a reason why he is alive. Although the mystery had a name, continue reading double helix notes. The talk, were told, was loaded with sensational energy 25, with pauling uncovering the model of his progressive a helix with. Two days later i emerged from this intelligently written book, thoroughly. Double helix attempts to explore the life saving and life destroying aspects of genetic engineering.
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