A Study Guide for James D. Watson's "The Double Helix"

By Gale and Cengage

A Study Guide for James D. Watson's "The Double Helix," excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Nonfiction Classics for Students. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Nonfiction Classics for Students for all of your research needs.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cengage Learning - Gale
• Release date: Sep 20, 2016
• ISBN: 9781535836289

Book preview

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The Double Helix

James D. Watson

1968

Introduction

Accounts of scientific discovery often go unread by the general public, falling only into the hands of members of the scientific community and students preparing for the field. When James D. Watson published The Double Helix in 1968, however, many readers from the general population were attracted to the book—for two reasons: it was not laden with so much scientific detail that it was incomprehensible, and, perhaps most appealing, it was controversial. Watson's story is more a personal memoir than a recording of data. While unraveling the structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is one of the most remarkable discoveries in history, Watson's telling of how it was discovered is just as astounding in the world of scientific publishing.

What makes this book so unusual is the author's honesty in describing the actions and personalities of his colleagues and in admitting his own role in the shady side of research. Sneak peeks at other scientists' data, withheld information, alcohol, attraction to women, heated arguments, and the joy of watching a competitor make a public blunder all play as large a role in The Double Helix as X-ray crystallography, genetics, and molecular structure. Although Harvard University Press had agreed to publish Watson's book, it reneged on that agreement when prepublication galleys caused an uproar among offended members of the scientific community. Picked up by Atheneum Press, this account of the discovery of the secret of life is one of science's most provocative, unorthodox, and fun publications.

Author Biography

James Dewey Watson was born in Chicago, on April 6, 1928. He was an exceptionally bright child who excelled far beyond his school course work, resulting in early high school graduation. As an adolescent, Watson became one of the original Quiz Kids, named for a radio show featuring young people competing in games of intelligence. At age sixteen, Watson entered the University of Chicago, earning his bachelor's degree in zoology in 1947. Three years later he completed his graduate and doctoral studies at Indiana University, earning his Ph.D. in genetics with a dissertation concerning the lethal effect of X-rays on bacterial