The Exceptions: Nancy Hopkins and the fight for women in science

By Kate Zernike

‘Outstanding’ Bonnie Garmus, bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry

The remarkable untold story of how a group of sixteen determined women used the power of the collective and the tools of science to inspire ongoing radical change. This is a triumphant account of progress, whilst reminding us that further action is needed.

These women scientists entered the work force in the 1960s during a push for affirmative action. Embarking on their careers they thought that discrimination against women was a thing of the past and that science was a pure meritocracy. Women were marginalized and minimized, especially as they grew older, their contributions stolen and erased.

Written by the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who broke the story in 1999 for The Boston Globe, when the Massachusetts Institute of Technology made the astonishing admission that it discriminated against women on its faculty, The Exceptions is an intimate narrative which centres on Nancy Hopkins – a surprisingly reluctant feminist who became a hero to two generations of women in science.

In uncovering an erased history, we are finally introduced to the hidden scientists who paved the way for collective change.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Release date: Apr 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9781398520028

Kate Zernike

Kate Zernike has been a reporter for The New York Times since 2000. She was a member of the team that won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting for stories about al-Qaeda before and after the 9/11 terror attacks. She was previously a reporter for The Boston Globe, where she broke the story of MIT’s admission that it had discriminated against women on its faculty, on which The Exceptions is based. The daughter and granddaughter of scientists, she is a graduate of Trinity College at the University of Toronto and the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and sons.

Reviews for The Exceptions

[spinsterrevival · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was truly one of the most infuriating books I’ve read, and I had to parse out my listening chunks in order not to be constantly seething with rage. The author really does an amazing job at telling Hopkins’s story along with many other women at MIT and their fight against sexism and discrimination. I’m not sure if it was the intention of the author, but what I most took away from this is the inherent distrust and lack of connection that these women seemed to have with each other (I almost lost my mind when Hopkins whiffled forever and finally decided not to go through with a lawsuit). I know that their community is what made changes happen, but it took decades for it which is mind boggling.