One Step Sideways, Three Steps Forward - by B Rosemary Grant (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The story of the unorthodox and inspiring life and career of a pioneering biologist

Scientist Rosemary Grant's journey in life has involved detours and sidesteps--not the shortest or the straightest of paths, but one that has led her to the top of evolutionary biology. In this engaging and moving book, Grant tells the story of her life and career--from her childhood love of nature in England's Lake District to an undergraduate education at the University of Edinburgh through a swerve to Canada and teaching, followed by marriage, children, a PhD at age forty-nine, and her life's work with Darwin's finches in the Galápagos islands. Grant's unorthodox career is one woman's solution to the problem of combining professional life as a field biologist with raising a family.

Grant describes her youthful interest in fossils, which inspired her to imagine another world, distant yet connected in time--and which anticipated her later work in evolutionary biology. She and her husband, Peter Grant, visited the Galápagos archipelago annually for forty years, tracking the fates of the finches on the small, uninhabited island of Daphne Major. Their work has profoundly altered our understanding of how a group of eighteen species has diversified from a single ancestral species, demonstrating that evolution by natural selection can be observed and interpreted in an entirely natural environment. Grant's story shows the rewards of following a winding path and the joy of working closely with a partner, sharing ideas, disappointments, and successes.

Review Quotes

"[Grant] recounts the successes that mark her life, but does not dwell on them in any self-serving fashion. Instead the pages are filled with commitment to humanity writ large, and the fervent hope that one day we can get beyond our never-ending capacity for war, discrimination and hatred of the other. This great scientist is patently also a great humanitarian."---David Gascoigne, Travels with Birds

"Contains a wealth of observations and philosophical thoughts that could serve [any of us] in our own life."---Kate Daniels, WARM 106.9

"Grant recounts her amazing accomplishments with humility and humor in this delightful memoir. . . . [An] incredible not-to-miss story of an evolutionary scientist who combined her passion for science with her love and devotion to her family, the environment, and many social causes."-- "Library Journal"

"Grant's story shows us how to use hard work, intelligence, positivity, and resilience to navigate life as a scientist, parent, and partner. This work will inspire anyone embarking on the adventure of a scientific career."---Elizabeth Archie, Quarterly Review of Biology

"In a memoir infused with a sense of joy and wonder, the author combines details of challenging research with warm portraits of the scientific community in which she has flourished. . . . A charming memoir of determination and discovery."-- "Kirkus Reviews"

"Inspiring. . . . [An] intimate look at a life spent in dogged pursuit of scientific knowledge."-- "Publishers Weekly"

"Reading [this book] feels like one of 'The Greats' of evolutionary biology is having a conversation with you over a cup of coffee. The adventure story of Grant's life is one of resilience, resourcefulness, and individuality."---Allison W. Bronson, Paleontological Society

"This memoir is a must-read for anyone with an interested in evolutionary biology and/or women in STEM."---Ian Paulsen, Birdbooker Report

About the Author

B. Rosemary Grant is research scholar emerita at Princeton University. She is the author (with Peter R. Grant) of How and Why Species Multiply and 40 Years of Evolution: Darwin's Finches on Daphne Major Island (both Princeton).