PERHAPS A GIFT VOUCHER FOR MUM?: MOTHER'S DAY
Samanth Subramanian's journalism has appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times Magazine, the Guardian, Harper's and WIRED. His first book, Following Fish: Travels Around the Indian Coast, won the Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize and was shortlisted for the Andre Simon Prize. His second, This Divided Island: Stories from the Sri Lankan War, won the Crossword Non Fiction Prize and was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize and the Royal Society of Literature's Ondaatje Prize.
Attempting to encompass the entirety of the polymath that was J.B.S. Haldane (1892-1964) is no easy task.... Social historians will appreciate the emphasis on the man and his politics, over an emphasis solely on the science, in this excellent biography. * Library Journal * Captures Haldane's outsize character, productive scientific career, and communist convictions.... Explaining clearly Haldane's science and discerning astutely Haldane's personality, Subramanian delivers a well-judged biography. * Booklist * A rich biography of a central figure in the 20th-century genetics revolution... Succeeds superbly. * Kirkus Reviews * Insightful...This portrait of a brilliant, egotistical contrarian illustrates how science and politics can collide, a subject with ample relevance for the modern world. * Publishers Weekly * If you were looking for a model protagonist for a ripping yarn, you could do a lot worse than John Burdon Sanderson Haldane... A Dominant Character turns on the Lysenko affair, examining how scientists wedded to both their work and their political ideals can be forced to choose between them. * Literary Review * Excellent.... Full of insight and felicitous writing. -- David Brown * American Scholar * Sympathetic and astute * The Economist * A marvellous, comprehensive, and entertaining biography of J.B.S. Haldane, who made major contributions to many fields. His biggest impact was on evolutionary biology, as a major founder of the theory of population genetics. Subramanian has done impressive research on Haldane's background, scientific contributions, and political controversies - this will be the definitive work on his life from now on. -- Joe Felsenstein, Professor Emeritus of Genome Sciences and of Biology, University of Washington A wholly delightful, even brilliant, exploration of the scientific mind. Subramanian brings alive J.B.S. Haldane's rollicking, unbelievable life journey from privileged English childhood to Indian asylum. He writes with grace and confidence about both the science and the man, a Darwinian preacher whose life explains why scientists in our age of artificial intelligence and revolutionary genetics need to think politically. A Dominant Character is a captivating story of prickly genius, sexual scandal, and radical politics. -- Kai Bird, Pulitzer Prize-winning co-author of AMERICAN PROMETHEUS The 20th century British geneticist J.B.S. Haldane remains one of the most influential scientists of modern times. And this remarkable biography by Samanth Subramanian, which brings to life Haldane at his brilliant, unpredictable, outspoken, visionary best, will make you see exactly why his light still shines so brightly today. -- Deborah Blum, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of THE POISON SQUAD A wonderful book about one of the most important, brilliant and flawed scientists of the 20th century - that explains much not only about J.B.S. Haldane but about the complex times he lived in. -- Peter Frankopan, bestselling author of THE SILK ROADS
