"Fascinating.... A Dominant Character is the best Haldane biography yet. With science so politicized in this country and abroad, the book could be an allegory for every scientist who wants to take a stand."

Jonathan Weiner - New York Times Book Review

"Samanth Subramanian is a crisp, elegant writer who has produced a compelling biography of this dazzling man. A Dominant Character is perfectly paced.... It can be read with the utmost pleasure by everyone who likes to admire a fine intellect in action and to see respect paid to outstanding intelligence."

Richard Davenport-Hines - Wall Street Journal

"Balanced and modern ... [A Dominant Character] should prove engaging to readers interested in the birth of genetics and in the intersection of science and political belief."

P. William Hughes - Science

"Astute and sympathetic."

The Economist

"The twentieth-century British geneticist J. B. S. Haldane remains one of the most influential scientists of modern times. And this remarkable biography by Samanth Subramanian, which brings to life Haldane at his brilliant, unpredictable, outspoken, visionary best, will make you see exactly why his light still shines so brightly today."

Deborah Blum, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Poison Squad: One Chemist’s Single-Minded Crusade

"A wonderful book about one of the most important, brilliant, and flawed scientists of the 20th century—that explains much not only about J. B. S. Haldane but about the complex times he lived in."

Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads

"Superb.... Subramanian does a masterly job of summarising a rich and rough life.... Haldane deserves a biographer who is eloquent, intelligent, fair, but unsparing and as good at explaining science as politics. Not an easy combination, but he has got one."

Times [UK]

"Excellent.... Full of insight and felicitous writing."

David Brown - American Scholar

"A marvelous, comprehensive, and entertaining biography of J. B. S. Haldane, who made major contributions to many fields. His biggest impact was on evolutionary biology, as a major founder of the theory of population genetics. Subramanian has done impressive research on Haldane’s background, scientific contributions, and political controversies—this will be the definitive work on his life from now on."

Joe Felsenstein, professor emeritus of genome sciences and of biology, University of Washington

"A wholly delightful, even brilliant, exploration of the scientific mind. Subramanian brings alive J. B. S. Haldane’s rollicking, unbelievable life journey from privileged English childhood to Indian asylum. He writes with grace and confidence about both the science and the man, a ‘Darwinian preacher’ whose life explains why scientists in our age of artificial intelligence and revolutionary genetics need to think politically. A Dominant Character is a captivating story of prickly genius, sexual scandal, and radical politics."

Kai Bird, Pulitzer Prize–winning historian and director of the Leon Levy Center for Biography