Authors In Conversation: “The Exceptions” with Author Kate Zernike and Sam Tanenhaus

In 1999, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology admitted to discriminating against women on its faculty, forcing institutions across the country to confront a problem they had long ignored: the need for more women at the top levels of science. Written by the journalist who broke the story for The Boston Globe, The Exceptions is the untold story of how sixteen highly accomplished women on the MIT faculty came together to do the work that triggered the historic admission. The Essex Library will welcome author Kate Zernike on April 15 at 4 p.m. to discuss her most recent book, The Exceptions, with Sam Tanenhaus, former Editor of The New York Times Book Review.

Kate Zernike has been a reporter for The New York Times since 2000. She was a member of the team that won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting for stories about al-Qaeda before and after the 9/11 terror attacks. She was previously a reporter for The Boston Globe, where she broke the story of MIT’s admission that it had discriminated against women on its faculty, on which The Exceptions is based.

Admission is free and open to the public. Advance registration is suggested for this special event; please call the Essex Library at 860-767-1560 or see www.youressexlibrary.org for more information or to register. The Essex Library is located at 33 West Avenue.