Like Hope Jahren, I am a lab girl of a certain age.  I didn't go on to get my PhD and start my own labs, but I have worked in plenty of them.  By the time I started as a chemist in the labs, the majority of the lab techs were women.  The PhDs were still predominately men, but there was a tide of female scientists coming into the workforce in the early 2000's.  This book was fascinating both for the science, and the personality of the author.  I can relate to her, even knowing she is way smarter and more driven than I will ever be.  Jahren highlighted her struggles as well as her triumphs.  Actually, she downplayed the triumphs much more than most people would.  Even if you aren't a female scientist, her life story is so interesting and relateable, this book is compulsively readable.