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'Real Life' Author Brandon Taylor On Why He Left Science : Short Wave Encore episode. Brandon Taylor's story has a happy ending. Today he's a successful writer whose debut novel 'Real Life' received glowing reviews earlier this year. But his success only underscores what science lost when Brandon walked away from a graduate biochemistry program in 2016. He tells host Maddie Sofia why he left, and what he misses.

Read his essay in BuzzFeed, 'Working In Science Was A Brutal Education. That's Why I Left.'

Find and support your local public radio station at donate.npr.org/short.

Email the show at shortwave@npr.org.

Short Wave

Science Is For Everyone — Until It's Not

Science Is For Everyone — Until It's Not

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Author Brandon Taylor. William J. Adams/Riverhead Books hide caption

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William J. Adams/Riverhead Books

Author Brandon Taylor.

William J. Adams/Riverhead Books

Brandon Taylor's story has a happy ending. Today he's a successful writer whose debut novel 'Real Life' received glowing reviews earlier this year. But his success only underscores what science lost when Brandon walked away from a graduate biochemistry program in 2016. He tells host Maddie Sofia why he left, and what he misses.

Read his essay in BuzzFeed, 'Working In Science Was A Brutal Education. That's Why I Left.'

Find and support your local public radio station at donate.npr.org/short.

Email the show at shortwave@npr.org.

This episode was produced by Brent Baughman, edited by Viet Le and fact-checked by Emily Vaughn.