Rating: 
Summary: The double helix.
Review: The earlier chapters are somewhat disorganized, but understandably so perhaps: Watson is not exactly a writer. "The Double Helix" is a fascinating tale about how DNA structure was discovered and understood in detail. It is written in novel form, like a biography - which adds a little more humanity and simplicity to it all. Therefore, anyone can read it.
As you get to the middle, it gets quite involved as Watson narrates the ups and downs that he and Crick (and others) encountered. He also writes about the jealousies, tensions, and hardships in science research. He describes his partner, Francis, as a constant talker - almost obnoxious. I found the way Watson described Rosalind Franklin a little unsettling. It seems that he just casts her off as a choleric woman having a hard time in a men's world of science and research. It's clear that he doesn't give her the recognition she deserves. I doubt that Watson and Crick would have solved the structure of DNA without Rose's hard work in crystallography and x-rays.
On another note however, it's good that Watson wrote this book when events were still fresh in his mind, as he claims. As for DNA itself...people shall keep on making more and more discoveries a thousand years from now. Watson and Crick (and others) just helped hurl things up to the horizon. Discoveries on DNA, chromosomes, genes, etc. shall continue to unprecedented heights. And who knows what else is out there that we don't know?
I almost gave it 4 stars, but truth be told: my mind was less than piqued by Watson's writing style. And maybe if he showed the tiniest bit of respect for Ms. Franklin, her contributions, and her hard work.
Rating: 
Summary: The operative word is "personal," but very informative
Review: The title of the book says it all - this is a "personal account of the discovery of the structure of DNA." Told from the point of view of James Watson, who later shared the Nobel Prize with Crick and Wilkins for the discovery. Both Crick and Watson were theorists, who analysed other peoples' data (I've heard more than one biochemist say they "stole" it from Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin) and correctly deduced the double-helix structure of DNA.The drama mostly centres on Cambridge and King's College, the universities where these scientists were studying/working at the time. Also figuring prominently in the story is Linus Pauling, winner of 2 Nobel Prizes (one in chemistry, the other for peace). He was hot on the trail and this competition that gives the narrative a driving energy. It's interesting that both he and the Watson/Crick combo both independently came up with a triple-helix structure with the backbone on the inside before W & C turned that idea inside out and put the backbone in the correct position, on the outside. This brings us to the contribution of Rosalind Franklin. Her contribution to the discovery are significant - she first expounded the idea that the backbone must be on the outside, and her X-ray diffraction pictures led C & W to a helical structure. She did not win the Nobel Prize - the reason is not because she was female or difficult to work with, but because she passed away at 37, before the prize was awarded. Whether her gender or personality would have excluded her were she still alive is, of course, debatable. What is most enjoyable about this book, however, is the personal style - Watson gives us an inside look at London, time spent in pubs, boring conferences, and his relationship with Watson, Bragg, and other famous scientists in London and elsewhere. This is the personal aspect, and he makes no qualms about telling unflattering stories about these people (and himself). These include run-ins with Franklin, Bragg, and his first postdoctoral advisor. Throw in a healthy dose of interdisciplinary squabbling (biologists vs. chemists vs. physicists) and you get an entertaining story of one of the most important discoveries of the 20th century.
Rating: 
Summary: Rotten little cheats and liars don't deserve the Nobel prize
Review: You won't find the truth about the quest to the discovery of DNA from reading Watson's self serving "memoir". He totally distorts the role played by Rosalind Franklin of Kings College, and fails to disclose the central role that her work served in deciphering the double helix. This is one of the greatest disgraces in the history of science, and completely casts a pall upon any credit to which Watson & Crick might lay claim. Had they honored the brilliant contribution of this great scientist, Rosalind Franklin, they could hold their heads high and take great pride in the role that they played in the discovery of DNA. But the fact that they basically stole all the credit, left her out of the picture when telling the story, and distorted, and lied about their dependence on the remarkable work of Rosalind Franklin, turns them into a couple of cheap confidence men, lying and cheating their way to a reputation and a career that would never have been possible it not been for Rosalind.
If you want to know the true story, go elsewhere. Watsons claims are far from the truth of the matter.
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