Avoid Boring People

Praise

“a deliciously detailed account of his life both in and out of science… insightful, useful and on target about science, competition, leadership, teaching and academic success…His remarkable recall of events…gives the reader the feeling of being there…full of insight into Watson and into a life in science…He is at all times blatantly but entertainingly honest about his likes and dislikes…Watson remains one of the most fascinating scientists of our time, as iconic in some respects ash is double helix.”
-- Huntington F. Willard, Nature

“the ne plus ultra of gadflies, James D. Watson…from his near-octogenarian heights, he passes on what he can to young scientists coming up and to the rest of us as well...Particularly entertaining”
-- Sara Lippincott, Los Angeles Times

“Among James Watson’s gifts is the flying gibe…those who can ignore Watson’s latest gaffe will not be bored.”
-- Brenda Maddox, The London Times

“James Watson is both a scientific genius and a larger-than-life personality...If you want to learn how science gets done in the real world, with all its competitiveness, personal rivalries, collaborations, and pure persistence, Watson makes for a wonderful guide…readers get an entertaining front-row seat on this glitzy world that runs on brains, gossip, and (sometimes) backbiting…The science contained in Avoid Boring People is explained in lucid prose [and] many of Watson’s practical ‘lessons’ will surely help academics of any discipline.”
--Chuck Leddy, Boston Globe

"Aspiring Nobel laureates, pay attention. The road to the prize is laid out for you here. A book to be highlighted and handed down."
--Seed Magazine

"Vintage Watson: brash, bumptious, brilliant--and never boring."
--Kirkus

"Watson proves as engaging as ever."
--Gilbert Taylor, Booklist

"Entertaining and historically revealing."
--Carl Zimmer, Publishers Weekly