Katalin Karikó

Few have overcome adversity like Karikó ... This remarkable memoir ... is a joy to read

[The] engrossing, touching tale ... of a scientist now recognised as one of the world’s greatest ... a vividly written, absorbing memoir

It is almost impossible not to feel moved by this story of an extraordinarily resilient woman

Riveting. A true story of a brilliant biochemist who never gave up or gave in.

Will make you laugh, think and maybe even readjust the way you see the world

A classic in the genre of underdogs succeeding against the odds

Little did the public know that this feat [a Covid 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

A riveting testament to resilience and the power of unwavering belief

JENNIFER DOUDNA, Nobel Prize laureate in chemistry

The rousing story of a remarkable woman and her lifesaving contributions to medicine

An outstanding memoir with a happy ending

Describes her vital, sometimes moving, personal and scientific struggle for success

NATURE, Five of the Best Science Books  for 2024

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

A Memoir

Katalin Karikó began life as a butcher’s daughter in communist Hungary. Raised in a one-room home of clay and straw with no running water, she saw potential everywhere: in the promise of a seed, in the alchemy of soap, in the scarlet of a carcass. 
 
Breaking Through is the extraordinary story of her courageous determination – first to become a scientist, and then to unlock an elusive molecule she believed could revolutionise medicine. Others disagreed, and for decades she endured demotions, discrimination and even threats of deportation. Yet Karikó persevered, ultimately making a world-shifting discovery: the mRNA vaccine technology that saved millions of lives and will transform healthcare forever.

Katalin Karikó

Praise for Breaking Through

Few have overcome adversity like Karikó ... This remarkable memoir ... is a joy to read

[The] engrossing, touching tale ... of a scientist now recognised as one of the world’s greatest ... a vividly written, absorbing memoir

It is almost impossible not to feel moved by this story of an extraordinarily resilient woman

Few have overcome adversity like Karikó ... This remarkable memoir ... is a joy to read

[The] engrossing, touching tale ... of a scientist now recognised as one of the world’s greatest ... a vividly written, absorbing memoir

It is almost impossible not to feel moved by this story of an extraordinarily resilient woman

Few have overcome adversity like Karikó ... This remarkable memoir ... is a joy to read

[The] engrossing, touching tale ... of a scientist now recognised as one of the world’s greatest ... a vividly written, absorbing memoir

It is almost impossible not to feel moved by this story of an extraordinarily resilient woman

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