The forgotten story of the woman whose advancements in DNA research changed the world—while her male colleagues stole the credit
 
She was called angry, irascible, and combative. But more than anything else? She was correct.
 
Ask most people what they know about DNA and they might be able to tell you some basics: It exists inside every living thing. It holds the genetic code that controls much of our development and behavior. And it’s shaped like a double helix—a structure that holds the key to understanding how it works.
But who first figured out the structure of DNA? Who unlocked this crucial key? That’s where Rosalind Franklin came in.
Even as a child, Franklin was passionate about science, and that passion drove her to become a chemist and X-ray crystallographer. Over the course of her career, she studied elements, viruses, and DNA, capturing the first clear image of DNA’s helical structure. But as one of the few women working in science during the 1940s, Franklin faced barriers every step of the way. She believed in finding all the facts and refusing to take shortcuts, while others tried to leapfrog ahead of her with sloppy guesswork. When she disagreed with or stood up to men she worked with, she was labeled difficult, angry, and combative. Her male colleagues dismissed her—and eventually stole her work, winning a Nobel Prize for a discovery they didn’t make.
This is the story of Rosalind Franklin’s courageous and complex life, her game-changing contributions to science, and the double helix at the center of it all.
 
Contributor Bio(s)
 
Debbie Loren Dunn is an author of nonfiction books for children and young adults based in Texas. She graduated with a degree in computer science from the University of Texas at Austin and worked in the computer industry for twenty years specializing in databases and data mining. She holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and loves true stories about people doing amazing things—especially when others have told them they can't, or they shouldn't. Debbie's volunteer work includes having served as a Board Trustee of VCFA, a Board member of The Writer's League of Texas, and Regional Advisor for SCBWI Austin Chapter. She also served on the Board of the ARC—Texas Disability Services and on the Board for the Central Texas Crohn's and Colitis Foundation.
Janet Fox is the author of fiction and nonfiction books for young readers. Her work has received numerous awards and accolades including a SCBWI Golden Kite Award, a Bank Street Best Books Award, and the Florida Sunshine State Young Readers Award Master List. Janet received a Master of Science degree from the University of New York, Albany, in marine geology and authored/coauthored a number of respected scientific research papers. She is a former middle school/high school teacher and has an MFA in from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She lives in Bozeman, Montana.