The Exceptions: Nancy Hopkins, MIT, and the Fight for Women in Science
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- Create Date：2023-02-27 17:21:59
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Kate Zernike
- ISBN：B0B3Y7BFW5
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Summary
From the Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist who broke the story， the inspiring account of the sixteen female scientists who forced MIT to publicly admit it had been discriminating against its female faculty for years—sparking a nationwide reckoning with the pervasive sexism in science。
In 1999， the Massachusetts Institute of Technology admitted to discriminating against women on its faculty， forcing institutions across the country to confront a problem they had long ignored: the need for more women at the top levels of science。 Written by the journalist who broke the story for The Boston Globe， The Exceptions is the untold story of how sixteen highly accomplished women on the MIT faculty came together to do the work that triggered the historic admission。
The Exceptions centers on the life of Nancy Hopkins， a reluctant feminist who became the leader of the sixteen and a hero to two generations of women in science。 Hired to prestigious universities at the dawn of affirmative action efforts in the 1970s， Dr。 Hopkins and her peers embarked on their careers believing that discrimination against women was a thing of the past—that science was， at last， a pure meritocracy。 For years they explained away the discrimination they experienced as the exception， not the rule。 Only when these few women came together after decades of underpayment and the denial of credit， advancement， and equal resources to do their work did they recognize the relentless pattern: women were often marginalized and minimized， especially as they grew older。 Meanwhile， men of similar or lesser ability had their career paths paved and widened。
The Exceptions is a powerful yet all-too-familiar story that will resonate with all professional women who experience what those at MIT called “21st-century discrimination”—a subtle and stubborn bias， often unconscious but still damaging。 As in bestsellers from Hidden Figures to Lab Girl and Code Girls， we are offered a rare glimpse into the world of high-level scientific research and learn about the extraordinary female scientists whose work has been overlooked throughout history， and how these women courageously fought for fair treatment as they struggled to achieve the recognition they rightfully deserve。
In 1999， the Massachusetts Institute of Technology admitted to discriminating against women on its faculty， forcing institutions across the country to confront a problem they had long ignored: the need for more women at the top levels of science。 Written by the journalist who broke the story for The Boston Globe， The Exceptions is the untold story of how sixteen highly accomplished women on the MIT faculty came together to do the work that triggered the historic admission。
The Exceptions centers on the life of Nancy Hopkins， a reluctant feminist who became the leader of the sixteen and a hero to two generations of women in science。 Hired to prestigious universities at the dawn of affirmative action efforts in the 1970s， Dr。 Hopkins and her peers embarked on their careers believing that discrimination against women was a thing of the past—that science was， at last， a pure meritocracy。 For years they explained away the discrimination they experienced as the exception， not the rule。 Only when these few women came together after decades of underpayment and the denial of credit， advancement， and equal resources to do their work did they recognize the relentless pattern: women were often marginalized and minimized， especially as they grew older。 Meanwhile， men of similar or lesser ability had their career paths paved and widened。
The Exceptions is a powerful yet all-too-familiar story that will resonate with all professional women who experience what those at MIT called “21st-century discrimination”—a subtle and stubborn bias， often unconscious but still damaging。 As in bestsellers from Hidden Figures to Lab Girl and Code Girls， we are offered a rare glimpse into the world of high-level scientific research and learn about the extraordinary female scientists whose work has been overlooked throughout history， and how these women courageously fought for fair treatment as they struggled to achieve the recognition they rightfully deserve。
Reviews
Glenn Stenquist
，
A very readable story that tells a real tale
Mark
，
On its surface， the subject - the fight against sexual discrimination at MIT - seems a bit niche and wonky， but this book is totally engrossing。 Kate Zernike's storytelling skills are simply of the highest level， and much of the book is simply a biography of Nancy Hopkins， which is full of drama， suspense and episodes which will make most readers angry。 I had trouble putting the book down。 Nancy's story， and those of her peers， will likely be of interest to those who have shared their experience On its surface， the subject - the fight against sexual discrimination at MIT - seems a bit niche and wonky， but this book is totally engrossing。 Kate Zernike's storytelling skills are simply of the highest level， and much of the book is simply a biography of Nancy Hopkins， which is full of drama， suspense and episodes which will make most readers angry。 I had trouble putting the book down。 Nancy's story， and those of her peers， will likely be of interest to those who have shared their experiences in any endeavor， and to those males （like me） who have all too often been oblivious to them。 Readers who have read books like The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson will likely find this account of a different aspect of the scientific establishment a very rewarding read。 And this is also a superior addition to the plethora of literature on groundbreaking women such as Hidden Figures and books by Nathalia Holt （e。g。 Rise of the Rocket Girls）。Although I recommend this to the general reader， I must confess that I am not that reader。 I attended MIT from 1980 to 1984- where much of the book takes place - and subsequently received a PhD in Chemistry from UC Berkeley。 I had the added enjoyment of having known some of the participants （but none of the main characters） in these episodes。 Typically when I read about places that I'm intimately familiar with， I usually find that the author or journalist gets it all wrong。 In this case， Kate Zernike totally gets MIT and must have spent considerable time immersed in its atmosphere。If the book has a flaw， it would be its triumphalism。 The committee report that is the culmination of this book and the report's acceptance by MIT administration as a basis for action was certainly a triumph。 But twenty-five years have passed and I simply can't believe that everything has been alright since then。 I wish the author would have spent a little more time explaining what has and especially what hasn't happened since the report。Thanks to Net Galley for providing me with an electronic ARC of this title！ This book will certainly be considered for the book club I lead at a local bookstore。 。。。more
Suzanne
，
Serendipity！ I am currently reading Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus （which I definitely would recommend）， and then I receive an advance readers' copy of The Exceptions which will be published February 28。 Both deal with the same topic - how women were （and still are in some cases and some places） discouraged from certain careers， underpaid， subjected to verbal and sexual abuse， and so on。 Worth reading。 Serendipity！ I am currently reading Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus （which I definitely would recommend）， and then I receive an advance readers' copy of The Exceptions which will be published February 28。 Both deal with the same topic - how women were （and still are in some cases and some places） discouraged from certain careers， underpaid， subjected to verbal and sexual abuse， and so on。 Worth reading。 。。。more
Kelly
，
The Exceptions is a powerful recounting of the uphill battle women have had to face in being treated equally， specifically in higher education at some of the most prestigious universities in the country。 Zernike does a fantastic job of tracing Nancy Hopkins’ career and that of several of her female peers over the decades as they fought， over and over and over again to be respected for their dedication and contributions in their fields。 The story is incredibly compelling and deeply personal-which The Exceptions is a powerful recounting of the uphill battle women have had to face in being treated equally， specifically in higher education at some of the most prestigious universities in the country。 Zernike does a fantastic job of tracing Nancy Hopkins’ career and that of several of her female peers over the decades as they fought， over and over and over again to be respected for their dedication and contributions in their fields。 The story is incredibly compelling and deeply personal-which means that when it was speaking to the barriers these women faced， it made me deeply angry。 How do you decide when you love something so much that you’re willing to put up with things that you shouldn’t have to？ How deeply do you have to care about something that it’s worth the stress， anxiety， and disrespect you’re likely to face your entire career？ How good do you have to be in your field， how many hours do you have to put in to study and work， just to be tolerated-not respected or even venerated？ The culmination of this novel is in 1999， when Nancy when public with the battle she and other women faced at MIT。 It might have been a step in the right direction， but it was still only a step in the right direction。 This was two years before I started at college。 I’d been on computers since I was a child; I had a grandfather who worked for IBM。 I loved computers， and loved my programming classes in high school。 I went into college as a computer science major。 It only took one semester for me to figure out that my love for computers and programming was not enough for me to put up with the micro aggressions and discrimination I experienced-and I certainly wasn’t willing to do it for the rest of my life。 Nancy’s passion for various fields in genetics was clearly more than mine in a different STEM field， and possibly she stuck around longer because she didn’t feel outright mistreated from the very beginning。 By the time she realized there was a serious problem and it wasn’t just her， she was decades into her career。 The question always gets asked about why women grow disinterested in STEM fields。 The argument is made that it’s difficult to have more equal representation if more women and minorities don’t pursue those fields。 Why is there a drop off between undergraduates with STEM degrees and graduates and post docs pursuing careers in the industry。 It’s because there is STILL a problem with the way non-white individuals are treated when they express interest in these areas。 This book mainly takes place in the latter half of the twentieth century， but these issues are still a problem today-making this an incredibly important topic。 I envy and cheer the women that had cheerleaders that were both women and men that helped them advance in STEM fields。 I appreciate the fact that even though Zernike focuses primarily on Nancy and other women in this book， that she also addresses men that were supportive， not just detrimental。 It’s a reminder that it takes people that have the power having the willingness to relinquish some of it to elevate others deserving of their dues。 THAT is how the world becomes a better place。 As a disclaimer （not a spoiler）， the book follows Nancy’s career， which is in biology and more specifically in various disciplines of genetics。 It helps to have at least a basic understanding of the fundamentals of genetics to better understand the science being done in the book， but certainly won’t stop anyone from understanding Nancy’s uphill battle for respect， inclusion and equality。 There were times where I wished that she had been more aggressive in fighting for her rights than she was， instead of pursuing incremental change， but I also， personally， recognize the difficulty in doing so after my own experience。 This book is not only a great read， but a necessary one。 A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。 。。。more
Sariah
，
Brilliant， thought provoking， and powerful。 The Exceptions dives into the discrimination that was prevalent as women began to enter the field of science。 The blatant unfairness drove me to a few rants。 Great read。
Kathy
，
Exceptional accounting of the fight for women in science。 It's unfortunate this type of discrimination against women occurred， but it is encouraging to read about women such as Nancy Hopkins who fought to make a difference。 I would highly recommend。 Exceptional accounting of the fight for women in science。 It's unfortunate this type of discrimination against women occurred， but it is encouraging to read about women such as Nancy Hopkins who fought to make a difference。 I would highly recommend。 。。。more
Kim McGee
，
3 1/2 starsMIT was a place of great possibility producing some of this countries finest scientific minds yet when we picture an MIT grad up until recently most of us picture a white man with heavy glasses and a pocket protector in his white shirt and you wouldn't be far off。 It wasn't until 1999 that MIT formally admitted to long term discrimination against women wanting to get into the science program and those who became professors。 16 women fought long and hard for that admission of guilt but 3 1/2 starsMIT was a place of great possibility producing some of this countries finest scientific minds yet when we picture an MIT grad up until recently most of us picture a white man with heavy glasses and a pocket protector in his white shirt and you wouldn't be far off。 It wasn't until 1999 that MIT formally admitted to long term discrimination against women wanting to get into the science program and those who became professors。 16 women fought long and hard for that admission of guilt but also for the recognition of their considerable contributions。 The author focuses on one of the 16 - Nancy Hopkins as an example and her life and career。 Nancy was one of the brainstormers unlocking the secrets of DNA and later in Cancer research yet she was overlooked， not given credit in professional papers or forums as well as denied space in programs and tenure as a professor unlike her male peers。In the 1960's women who did not want to get married and have a family were considered odd and those that did knew they would be forced to give up a career and lab chair。 This no win situation prevented some great minds from gaining any ground。 It should not shock us that they were discriminated against but what does shock the reader is how long it went on unchecked。 Another fine example of the scientific contributions of unseen and unheard women。 My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy。 。。。more
Maudaevee
，
This book is full of information and insights on women in science， there was a lot to get into and think about。 It was a bit of a push to get started but once I got into it I did find it an interesting book。
M。
，
It was a good read。
Rowena Eddy
，