The Cummings Center for the History of Psychology presents a free talk from British author Jonathan Swinton describing the extraordinary papers of the clinical psychologist Dr. Molly Harrower (1906-1999). Her files and letters shed light on diverse topics, including the 20th century professionalization of clinical psychology and the strategies employed by women scientists to manage their lives and careers before the frameworks of 1970s feminism.

But beyond this historical narrative is deeply human one, offering a more compelling and multifaceted story than many novels, with poetry, sex, romance, betrayal, ambition, disappointment and fulfilment. Jonathan Swinton will introduce his forthcoming biography of Harrower for a non-specialist audience and discuss the challenging layers of evidence that Harrower left behind.

Jonathan is a mathematician and a writer, and his Alan Turing’s Manchester has recently been reissued by The History Press.