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.
"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
"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
"In her book, Rosemary 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
"This memoir is a must-read for anyone with an interested in evolutionary biology and/or women in STEM."—Ian Paulsen, The Birdbooker Report
“Over sixty years ago as the bride stood at the altar in her tiny seaside village in northern England, the groom lent over and whispered ‘I heard this morning that the DNA code has been cracked.’ Thus began a now legendary partnership between geneticist Rosemary Grant and ecologist Peter Grant. Together they would go on to meticulously document evolution in real time among Darwin’s finches on a steep-sided volcanic ring rising from the sea amidst the Galápagos Islands, an epic scientific achievement. But decades would pass, long enough for a new species of finch to evolve, before Rosemary Grant was offered the same opportunities and recognition as her research partner. Hence this lyrical and compellingly readable memoir also traces evolutionary change of a different kind: the slow, gradual acceptance of women in science.”—Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, author of The Woman That Never Evolved, Mother Nature, Mothers and Others, and Father Time.
“Witty and charming, One Step Sideways, Three Steps Forward tells the story of the inspirational career of one of the greats of evolutionary biology.”—Jonathan Losos, author of Improbable Destinies: Fate, Chance, and the Future of Evolution
“Rosemary and Peter Grant’s brilliant studies in the Galápagos Islands opened our eyes to rapid evolution in response to environmental change. This beautifully written memoir of Rosemary’s personal journey in our own changing world illuminates the scientific discoveries with family adventures in a remote field site and is an inspiring testament to curiosity, cooperation, and the tenacity to pursue one’s dreams.”—Nick Davies, University of Cambridge
“In her book, Rosemary Grant, one of the world’s leading evolutionary biologists, creates a vivid picture of all stages of her life: her thoughts, feelings, interests, achievements, the places she and her husband Peter have visited, and the people they have met. Yet, she never makes herself the focus of events. Instead, she always reflects on larger issues, be it science, history, politics, the role of women in society, culture, conservation, Indigenous people, and—last, but not least—family life and education, which both are very close to her heart.”—Uli Reyer, University of Zurich
