Sharks Don’t Sink: Adventures of a Rogue Shark Scientist

In this inspiring debut memoir, marine biologist Graham discusses her trials and triumphs as a Black woman in the sciences. Growing up in South Carolina, Graham cultivated a love for the water while fishing with her father. After attending a marine science summer camp as a teenager, she resolved to pursue a career in the field. But she felt out of place in academia (she describes herself as “a unicorn in horse-dominated world that hated horns”) and struggled to get ahead professionally. Her isolation ended when she met fellow researcher Carlee Jackson Bohannon, whom she first spotted in a Twitter photo “floating underwater with an adorable nurse shark.” After the two compared their struggles, they joined with three other Black women to found Minorities in Shark Sciences (MISS), which offers workshops and grants to minorities in the field. Interspersed with the MISS origin story are endearing sections in which Graham geeks out about sharks, challenging their reputation as killers and sharing fascinating tidbits about their biological processes, including how different species breathe. Vivid prose (the underwater world is “a natural cathedral of bending light”) and Graham’s palpable enthusiasm for her work make this sing. It’s an impassioned tale of ambition and advocacy. Photos. Agent: Chad Luibl, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc. (July)