The science of corn doesn't exactly sound thrilling. And if that's all this book was it would be a hard sell indeed. McClintock's story, though, is about much more than just corn. It's a story of determination, of defying societal and familial expectations. Even more than that, it's a story of finding the thing that thrills you and pursuing it. McClintock seems to have found real thrills in examining the heredity of corn. And through it, advanced our knowledge of DNA. Alexander tells the story in a traditional narrative fashion with asides explaining the science at the time and how it has advanced over time. The fact that corn is central here may still make it a bit of a hard sell but this book is absolutely worth the effort.
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