By identifying the structure of DNA, the molecule of life,
Francis Crick and James Watson revolutionized biochemistry and won
themselves a Nobel Prize. At the time, Watson was only 24, a young
scientist hungry to make his mark. His uncompromisingly honest account
of the heady days of their thrilling sprint against other world-class
researchers to solve one of science's greatest mysteries gives a
dazzlingly clear picture of a world of brilliant scientists with great
gifts, very human ambitions, and bitter rivalries.

With humility unspoiled by false modesty, Watson relates his and
Crick's desperate efforts to beat Linus Pauling to the Holy Grail of
life sciences: the identification of the basic building block of life.
Never has a scientist been so truthful in capturing in words the flavor
of his work.