$9.99 on Kindle, Nook, Apple Books, Kobo, Google PlayA Slot Machine, A Broken Test Tube: An Autobiography by S. E. Luria (78,000 words and 6 illustrations)
“S.E. Luria’s autobiography adds another gem to the Sloan Foundation series which includes... Hendrik Casimir’s Haphazard Reality. The molecular biologist and Nobel laureate writes with a crispness and concision that mirrors his outlook and his work. He is proud of ‘reductionist’ science; he is committed to a life of reason, to socialist ideals and political action. Early on, he confides also, he committed himself to acquiring a musical education and, later, to learning and appreciating ‘modern’ poets. All this is told in chapters that compartmentalize the life: the developing years as a Jew in a modest Turin household in pre-fascist Italy; the scientific achievements; the teaching career; the marriage, emotional life, political activities... Luria’s chapters on molecular biology and its shapers are fine additions to the genre; the fascination of the book, however, is in the man... he presents himself with forthright honesty and integrity — unexpectedly disclosing, at the end, that he suffered years of depressive episodes prior to drug treatment. A remarkable life — short on humor, perhaps, but abundant in courage and conviction.” — Kirkus
“Luria has written a successful, and unusual, autobiography... Luria writes well, and with wry humor.” — R. S. Edgar, Science
“Salvador Edward Luria, Nobel laureate for ground-breaking work in molecular biology, committed socialist, political activist and sometime depressive, has a remarkable life story to tell.” — Ann Marie Cunningham, The New York Times
“[Luria’s] book is an honest and unbiased exploration of himself. It gives many insights to various aspects of life, and is definitely a must read. The reverence with which he speaks of science and his colleagues is inspiring. Reading this book, it feels like we actually get to know Luria. He ceases to be a ‘Nobel Prize-winner’ and rather becomes an admirable man who has much to teach us about life.” — Vinita Shivakumar and Dipshikha Chakravortty, Current Science
“The book... is at once confessional and analytic of motive. Organized by development rather than by calendar alone, the text outlines what Luria did and who he is by describing the growth of his personal set of commitments, active guides to action within this or that sphere of a long and reflective life... It is easy to admire this cultivated, ironic man and his lucid, pointed book of an enviable life founded alike on reason and on commitment. For readers who find empathy for the growth of candor and self-awareness as the chapters pass, admiration will be colored with a deeper cast. There are no modern autobiographies and not many novels that can more reward readers young enough to find the grand choices in life still before them.” — Philip Morrison, Scientific American
“Salvador Luria is one of the great pioneers of modern molecular biology — a deeply committed person in science, in political affairs, and in other human concerns. This book conveys much of his quality, both as a scientist and as a person... This book, unusually frank and intimate in comparison to most scientific autobiographies, offers an illuminating self-portrait of a truly outstanding man and scientist.” — John T. Edsall, American Scientist
“[W]ell worth reading.” — Stanley Bernstein, The Antioch Review