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From butcher's daughter in Communist Hungary to winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine 2023, this is the story of one woman's extraordinary determination through decades of obscurity and rejection – and her breakthrough discovery that saved millions of lives.
Katalin Karikó began life as a butcher's daughter in post-war Communist Hungary: a hand-to-mouth existence in a single-room house of clay and straw with no running water. Breaking Through is her extraordinary memoir of how she achieved her dream of becoming a scientist, first in Hungary and then in the USA, and pursued her belief – despite so many telling her not to – that an elusive molecule could transform our ability to prevent disease.
For three decades she worked in obscurity, battling cockroaches in a windowless lab, enduring demotion, the derision of her colleagues, even threats of deportation. But in 2020, Karikó's vision was spectacularly vindicated when her work made possible the mRNA vaccines that brought an end to the pandemic, paving the way for similar vaccines against cancer, HIV, malaria and other life-threatening diseases.
As frank, wise and fearless as Karikó herself, Breaking Through is a remarkable story of tenacity, friendship and loyalty, and one woman's unshakeable commitment to her values.
Katalin Karikó is a biochemist and winner of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Her pioneering research was the foundation of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 and paves the way for a host of breakthrough treatments for cancer, HIV, malaria and other life-threatening diseases. Born in Hungary, she has lived and worked for most of her adult life in the USA. Since 2020, she has been awarded over a hundred prizes in recognition of her work; two children's books have been written about her and a minor planet named after her. Now an honorary professor at numerous universities around the world, she continues in her work to advance new medical treatments where the need is most urgent. She and her husband Bela are the parents of two-time Olympic rowing champion Susan Francia.
"Riveting [...] few have overcome adversity like Katalin Karikó [...] This remarkable memoir [...] is a joy to read, written in a direct style that revels in personal details while explaining clearly the science behind Karikó's research"
– Clive Cookson, Financial Times
"This engrossing, touching tale of the tribulations of a scientist now recognised as one of the world's greatest biochemists, a woman who helped create the vaccines that saved millions during the COVID-19 pandemic [...] How this success affected Karikó is explained in one of the most moving moments in Breaking Through [...] a vividly written, absorbing memoir of a life filled with triumphs [...] over near-constant adversity"
– Robin McKie, Guardian
A classic in the genre of underdogs succeeding against the odds"
– New Scientist
"Little did the public know that this feat [a COVID-19 vaccine] was largely down to one woman's relentless perseverance. Breaking Through [...] charts the painstaking journey she undertook as a woman and an immigrant to convince the scientific community to take her work seriously [...] rich with colourful metaphors that bring the immune system to life [...] Karikó also lays bare a startling truth: even life-saving scientific discovery is not immune to ego, favouritism and sexism"
– New Statesman
"Riveting. A true story of a brilliant biochemist who never gave up or gave in. You'll be inspired by Karikó's tenacity in the face of countless roadblocks and forever grateful for her life-saving contribution"
– Bonnie Garmus, author of Lessons in Chemistry
"Katalin Karikó's story is an inspiration. Anyone who has ever doubted that science, innovation and persistence can change the world should read this book"
– Bill Gates, author of How To Avoid a Climate Disaster
"A riveting testament to resilience and the power of unwavering belief"
– Jennifer Doudna, Nobel Prize laureate in chemistry
"An honest, funny and thoughtful book that traces Katalin's inspirational story from her life in socialist Hungary to her breakthrough work on vaccines in the US. Her many adventures along the way will make you laugh, think and maybe even readjust the way you see the world"
– Katja Hoyer, author of Beyond the Wall
"The rousing story of a remarkable woman and her lifesaving contributions to medicine"
– Publishers Weekly
"An outstanding memoir with a happy ending"
– Kirkus Reviews (starred)
"Describes her vital, sometimes moving, personal and scientific struggle for success"
– Nature, Five of the Best Science Books for 2024
"It is almost impossible not to feel moved by this story of an extraordinarily resilient woman's lonely, defiant crusade – a crusade with such significant repercussions for humanity [...] Her memoir is not only a vital contribution to the history of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also a salutary tale for science in general"
– Times Literary Supplement
"Karikó's remarkable journey from childhood in a politically suspect butcher's family on the plains of postwar Hungary to winning a Nobel Prize for medicine last year is a joy to read"
– Financial Times, Summer Reads of 2024
