Bishop, Jerry E., and Michael Waldholz, Genome: The Story of the Most Astonishing Scientific Adventure of Our Time? The Attempt to Map All the Genes in the Human Body, Simon and Schuster, 1990.

This book highlights the major events leading up to the expansion of the fields of genetics and biotechnology. Its style is very accessible and includes examples of both personal and professional challenges faced during scientific research.

Marinacci, Barbara, ed., Linus Pauling in His Own Words: Selected Writings, Speeches, and Interviews, Touchstone Books, 1995.

Though this book may appeal more to the serious student of science, it is still a kind of memoir by James Watson's most formidable competitor in the search for the structure of DNA. Not as controversial as Watson's book, Pauling's collection provides a good balance in discussing research in DNA and many other areas of science.

Watson, James D., and John Tooze...