The Double Helix is one of the few non-fiction books I have read that doesn’t have a main theme or thesis. As stated before, it is the recollection of events that led to the discovery of the structure of DNA as told by James Watson. The way Watson writes the book, it seems that he personally discovered the structure, a double helix. Further examination of the story reveals that his discovery was based on information given to him, without the knowledge of the person who owned it. It was the work of Rosalind Elsie Franklin, a British physical chemist, whose work on x-ray diffraction became the greatest insight into the structure of DNA.

        The book itself provides great insight into the events that led to the great discovery. The main facts seem to be there, and are presented in a way that is easily read. This book could be recommended to anyone about 15 years or older, as long as the individual is interested in Biology. The book can get a little boring at times, especially at the parts where Watson and his colleagues have run into a dead end. The book picks up in interest at about the middle of the story, when the scientists start to make the initial findings that lead to their eventual discovery. From then, the book is not easy to put down, because of certain twists and “dead ends” that the scientists encounter.

        Historically, this book is important because the structure of DNA is important in understanding how organisms work. For example, without knowing that the RNA of viruses is a “half” of DNA, then we wouldn’t understand why they are able to easily change their genetic structure. The structure of DNA has had use throughout science and biology, and will remain to be important for years to come.

        The weakest part of the book, in my opinion, is the beginning of it. The story seems too drawn out as Watson tells how he met many of the people named in the story. This was the toughest part of the book to get through, because it was hard to keep reading when there is nothing interesting happening. Overall, the book was very informative, although it was from the point of view of one person, and has received much criticism because of it.

        Much of the criticism about the book is based on how he writes about Rosalind Franklin, whose work became the best proof of the double helix structure. Many people say it is very sexist and Watson writes about her in a bad way. I agree to this to an extent. However, in the epilogue, Watson states that he almost became friends with her, after forgetting all the arguments. He states that he didn’t see her as much as Francis Crick did, as he had moved back to the U.S. More of the criticism is based on the fact that Watson wrote the story in a way that makes himself look like the sole discoverer of the structure, when Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins did more work than he tells in the story.

        Overall, The Double Helix is a great book of the world of Biology. It tells the story of how the structure of DNA was discovered from the point of view of James D. Watson. It was this discovery that led to the award of a Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine in 1962. It is a very interesting read in general, with a few weak points early in the story. James Watson did very well writing this book, and states in his epilogue that almost everyone stated in the story can retell the events as they remember. The Double Helix is a great book that many can read if they want to know how a founding structure in science was discovered.

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