The Exceptions

Nancy Hopkins, MIT, and the Fight for Women in Science

By: Kate Zernike

Narrated by: Kathe Mazur

A New York Times Notable Book

As late as 1999, women who succeeded in science were called “exceptional” as if it were unusual for them to be so bright. They were exceptional, not because they could succeed at science but because of all they accomplished despite the hurdles.

“Gripping…one puts down the book inspired by the women’s grit, tenacity, and brilliance.” —Science
“Riveting.” —Siddhartha Mukherjee, author of The Gene

In 1963, a female student was attending a lecture given by Nobel Prize winner James Watson, then tenured at Harvard. At nineteen, she was struggling to define her future. She had given herself just ten years to fulfill her professional ambitions before starting the family she was expected to have. For women at that time, a future on the usual path of academic science was unimaginable—but during that lecture, young Nancy Hopkins fell in love with the promise of genetics. Confidently believing science to be a pure meritocracy, she embarked on a career.

In 1999, Hopkins, now a noted molecular geneticist and cancer researcher at MIT, divorced and childless, found herself underpaid and denied the credit and resources given to men of lesser rank. Galvanized by the flagrant favoritism, Hopkins led a group of sixteen women on the faculty in a campaign that prompted MIT to make the historic admission that it had long discriminated against its female scientists. The sixteen women were a formidable group: their work has advanced our understanding of everything from cancer to geology, from fossil fuels to the inner workings of the human brain. And their work to highlight what they called “21st-century discrimination”—a subtle, stubborn, often unconscious bias—set off a national reckoning with the pervasive sexism in science.

From the Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist who broke the story, The Exceptions chronicles groundbreaking science and a history-making fight for equal opportunity. It is the “excellent and infuriating” (The New York Times) story of how this group of determined, brilliant women used the power of the collective and the tools of science to inspire ongoing radical change. And it offers an intimate look at the passion that drives discovery, and a rare glimpse into the competitive, hierarchical world of elite science—and the women who dared to challenge it.

©2023 Kate Zernike (P)2023 Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Unbelievable women

For those of us who came after or overlapped only with some of the challenges these women faced, it is remarkable that they accomplished what they did. I’d like to think these battles are over but on personal experience I know that they’re not they’re getting better. Kudos to this book for sharing a path in terms of how to rectify that.

Essential Reading

A deeply evocative book which led me through my assumptions in a way that produced clear insights. The research involved in producing this work is of the highest caliber. The presentation of the material is stunning in how complex social and scientific concepts are explained so neatly. The entire book is interesting. Five stars plus!

Full on saddening, maddening and gladdening Wow!

Wow! I could not put this down!
What a story. Read like a thriller. Science’s #MeToo moment!
Enraging. Infuriating. Full on saddening, maddening and gladdening!
Excellent!

prove it again

Its the prove it again and again problem. read this book and let us stop proving it.

Must read Absolute Must Read

This is a great book of historical significance in understanding how recent the struggle for equal treatment of women has been. Listens on audible and the performance was engaging and kept you fully vested in the events even when the material might otherwise be dry and uninteresting to the non scientific minded (I.e. - ME!) . There is so much to take in and to understand about the treatment of women in first this microcosm of science - then the prestigious university- then society as a whole. Being a women in my mid 50’s and placing these events into the context of my own life and interactions the book became even more powerful. Everything Nancy and the 16 describe and endure has happened, in varying degrees, to me and potentially many women along our journey through life and business. The thought process of trying to determine when to speak up and when not to for fear of seeming difficult or too aggressive.. powerful and oh so true. What was probably most impactful to me, personally, as a graduate of a Women’s College (Mount Holyoke) where we were encouraged to be bold, be heard, have opinions and ideas, and to persevere through push back and challenges , what struck me was that I had believed the generation of women before me had fought the fight and created the change and here we were benefiting from all that fight, yet.. this book clearly shows the fight, the change, the challenges were ongoing when I was in college and beginning my career. In fact they continue today. How is that possible?

Absolute must read for any women who wish to put historical context to their own lives and challenges, regardless of the business in which they work. Also a must read for anyone interested in understanding the subtleties and biases that can creep into actions, interactions, hiring, promotions, opportunities, representation and how to change this trend and move the dial on the situation in their lives.

Absolute Must Read

Brilliant and heartbreaking

Thank you for sharing these amazing stories of the lives and experiences of brilliant and resilient role models. In 2023, these experiences still happen regularly. Elevating and describing in the book is painful and empowering for those still fighting this fight to be treated the same for doing the same work.

Remarkable eye opener!

Excellent compilation and story telling.
Being a graduate student in the sciences, I found the struggles very relatable.
Highly recommend to all female and male researchers as well as those interested in learning about the history of women in science.

and some day The Rule

Fantastic book! As a retired scientist the same age as Nancy Hopkins, everything about her story rang true.... ambivalence between domesticity and science .... repeatedly helping a partner at one's own expense ... hearing others take ownership of one's ideas .... self-doubt ... contending with enormous male egos. The side stories of other female scientists involved in the fight for women in science drove home just how standard these experiences were. Against that backdrop, Hopkins' cautious realization of how female scientists were underestimated and her methodical efforts to collect the data to demonstrate this were thrilling.

Someday, this book will be nothing but history, but for now I recommend it to all women and men who want to succeed in their workplaces.

Brilliant and insightful book!

I was a student at MIT in the late 1990s and every word of this book resonates with me. As an engineering student I never had a female professor. It is so wonderful to read this book that validates and explains what so many women in science and engineering experience throughout their careers.

Eye opening

Crazy how recently this all took place for some of the major events. Well worth the listen.