The Double Helix

James D. Watson's memoir recounts how he and Francis Crick identified the structure of DNA, a discovery that transformed biochemistry and won them a Nobel Prize. Watson was 24 at the time, and his first-person account describes the race against other leading researchers, including their efforts to beat Linus Pauling, along with the ambitions and rivalries of the scientists involved. Harvard University Press dropped plans to publish it after objections from Crick and Maurice Wilkins, and the book has stayed controversial over credit for the discovery and its treatment of Rosalind Franklin. The Modern Library ranked it seventh among the best nonfiction books of the 20th century. It came out in 1968.

Peter Attia names it as an important read for those interested in a career path like his, according to Peter Attia: In Search of Still Water.