Excellent and infuriating ... An intimate, behind-the-scenes account of how those scientists conducted a four-year study that resulted in M.I.T.’s admitting to a long history of sexual discrimination ... While you may feel the need to take a break and knock a hole through a wall, Zernike’s excellent reporting forces you to read on. She tells her story with careful pacing and precise detail, illustrating each injustice with jaw-dropping quotes and solid facts.
Absorbing ... Her scientific achievements—which Ms. Zernike presents in straightforward language that nonscientists can easily understand—were more than impressive.
Zernike relies heavily on Hopkins’s notes, diaries, and memories in this account, and it shows. One longs to hear the responses from her alleged detractors ... Some of the history...seems belabored and obligatory, and some of the science feels unpacked ... None of this, though, detracts from the book’s central message: the power to effect institutional change through the judicious application of reason. That alone is reason enough to read this hopeful, uplifting account.
Zernike’s book is a inspiring but often infuriating account of the ways that MIT had discriminated against some of the brightest scientists in their fields. It’s also a cautionary tale of how easily workplace discrimination can take root, even among academics who consider themselves well-intentioned ... Zernike’s book deftly describes the way women in science had been marginalized and discriminated against over the years. Zernike makes Hopkins’ work and accomplishments clearly accessible to most readers, which helps underscore the impact of the discrimination against such a skilled scientist ... The book is an important read for anyone who wants to better understand the dynamics of discrimination in any workplace.
Zernike tells this story masterfully ... The Exceptions... brings the discrimination to the fore, but in describing the tenacity of Hopkins and her peers, it ends up being just as inspirational.
Inspiring ... Striking an expert balance between the big picture and intimate profiles of the women involved, Zernike offers an intriguing and often infuriating glimpse into the rarefied world of higher education. Readers will be fascinated.
