Science Career Against all Odds

• Early Childhood, 1931–1939.- Years of War, 1939–1945.- Final Years in Brandenburg, 1945–1949.- Humboldt University in Berlin, 1949–1953.- Goethe University, Frankfurt, Federal Republic of Germany, 1953–1954.- Study in the US, 1954–1958.- Cornell University, 1958–1963.- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 1963–1988.- University of Tennessee & Oak Ridge National Lab, 1988–2001.- Epilogue.- A Brief Genealogy.

"I found reading this autobiography of the polymer chemist Bernhard Wunderlich an extremely humbling experience. As a UK babyboomer who was a child in the 1950s and a teenager in the 1960s, I found myself counting my blessings, as I read about someone born in Brandenburg, Germany, in 1931. (...) Wunderlich's long and distinguished career in research and teaching involved him in extensive travel in the US and around the world, including periodic return visits to Germany. This book reflects his great love of travel, including a deep interes in European and Mediterranean antiquities. (...) I found the book enthralling and would recommend it to young chemists of today. When we are tempted to complain, it is salutary to read about someone, who despite early hurdles and difficulties, had the determination to succeed and ended up living a very full life, supported by a wide network of friends and family. (Lucy Mitton, Chemistry World, Royal Society of Chemistry 2010)