The March of Women: Lives in Biography

To wind up our column on women’s history, here are two forthcoming biographies on influential women from MIT Press:

Elizabeth Blackburn and the Story of Telomeres: Deciphering the Ends of DNA is the story of one of the most prominent female molecular biologists, Elizabeth Blackburn, who is known for her progressive and essential research into telomeres, the specialized ends of chromosomes, and telomerase, the enzyme that extends them. Author Catherine Brady delves into Blackburn’s fight for respect in a male dominated field of research and mentorship of other women, while exploring the conflict between pure and applied science.

Yvonne Rainer: The Mind is a Muscle explores this ground-breaking performance and the artist behind it’s transformative choreography. Author Catherine Wood explains how Rainer’s “ordinary” dance and choreography in her performance piece, The Mind is a Muscle, attempted to present the dancer on her own terms, rather than through the gestural conventions of traditional dance or theater. Against the backdrop of the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War, Wood examines Rainer’s choice to express her personal and political views through live form and its impact on the art world.   And if you can't wait for this one to come out in October, we do have Rainer's own gossipy Feelings Are Facts to tide you over.   

Be sure to check back for more on both of these titles this fall.