Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA by Brenda Maddox

Brenda Maddox’s Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA is a powerful and meticulously researched biography of the brilliant scientist whose work was pivotal in the discovery of the DNA double helix. Rosalind Franklin, a gifted crystallographer, captured the crucial X-ray photograph that revealed the structure of life itself—only for her contributions to be overshadowed by the fame of Watson, Crick, and Wilkins.

Maddox restores Franklin’s rightful place in the history of science, portraying a fiercely intelligent, driven, and private woman navigating the male-dominated world of mid-twentieth-century research. Drawing on Franklin’s letters, diaries, and the recollections of those who knew her, Maddox paints a moving portrait of a scientist whose passion for truth left an indelible mark on molecular biology.