The Exceptions Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Rosalind Franklin and the Discovery of the Structure of DNA and our BookBrowse Review of The Exceptions.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. There are several instances where Nancy Hopkins experiences physical assault (for example, on page 21, when Francis Crick gropes her, and on page 34, when she's in the hospital). How was she able to continue working in a male-dominated workspace after these incidents?
2. On page 61, Nancy recalls that her boss, Mark Ptashne, "had told her that she was smarter than any other woman at Harvard and at least half the men." Make note of the backhanded compliments that Nancy receives throughout the book. Discuss how her male colleagues and supervisors use these kinds of observations to pit the women against each other. Do you think that's intentional? Why or why not?
3. Many of the women highlighted in The Exceptions who came before Nancy—Rosalind Franklin, Dr. Ruth Hubbard, and Barbara McClintock—experienced humiliating discrimination, including lack of acknowledgment for their critical scientific contributions. How did each of them handle this differently? Discuss the differences in their careers and personal lives.

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Scribner. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.