The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race
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- Create Date：2021-03-17 08:18:24
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Walter Isaacson
- ISBN：1982115858
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Summary
The bestselling author of Leonardo da Vinci and Steve Jobs returns with a gripping account of how Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna and her colleagues launched a revolution that will allow us to cure diseases， fend off viruses， and have healthier babies。
When Jennifer Doudna was in sixth grade， she came home one day to find that her dad had left a paperback titled The Double Helix on her bed。 She put it aside， thinking it was one of those detective tales she loved。 When she read it on a rainy Saturday， she discovered she was right， in a way。 As she sped through the pages， she became enthralled by the intense drama behind the competition to discover the code of life。 Even though her high school counselor told her girls didn’t become scientists， she decided she would。
Driven by a passion to understand how nature works and to turn discoveries into inventions， she would help to make what the book’s author， James Watson， told her was the most important biological advance since his co-discovery of the structure of DNA。 She and her collaborators turned a curiosity of nature into an invention that will transform the human race: an easy-to-use tool that can edit DNA。 Known as CRISPR， it opened a brave new world of medical miracles and moral questions。
The development of CRISPR and the race to create vaccines for coronavirus will hasten our transition to the next great innovation revolution。 The past half-century has been a digital age， based on the microchip， computer， and internet。 Now we are entering a life-science revolution。 Children who study digital coding will be joined by those who study genetic code。
Should we use our new evolution-hacking powers to make us less susceptible to viruses？ What a wonderful boon that would be！ And what about preventing depression？ Hmmm…Should we allow parents， if they can afford it， to enhance the height or muscles or IQ of their kids？
After helping to discover CRISPR， Doudna became a leader in wrestling with these moral issues and， with her collaborator Emmanuelle Charpentier， won the Nobel Prize in 2020。 Her story is a thrilling detective tale that involves the most profound wonders of nature， from the origins of life to the future of our species。
When Jennifer Doudna was in sixth grade， she came home one day to find that her dad had left a paperback titled The Double Helix on her bed。 She put it aside， thinking it was one of those detective tales she loved。 When she read it on a rainy Saturday， she discovered she was right， in a way。 As she sped through the pages， she became enthralled by the intense drama behind the competition to discover the code of life。 Even though her high school counselor told her girls didn’t become scientists， she decided she would。
Driven by a passion to understand how nature works and to turn discoveries into inventions， she would help to make what the book’s author， James Watson， told her was the most important biological advance since his co-discovery of the structure of DNA。 She and her collaborators turned a curiosity of nature into an invention that will transform the human race: an easy-to-use tool that can edit DNA。 Known as CRISPR， it opened a brave new world of medical miracles and moral questions。
The development of CRISPR and the race to create vaccines for coronavirus will hasten our transition to the next great innovation revolution。 The past half-century has been a digital age， based on the microchip， computer， and internet。 Now we are entering a life-science revolution。 Children who study digital coding will be joined by those who study genetic code。
Should we use our new evolution-hacking powers to make us less susceptible to viruses？ What a wonderful boon that would be！ And what about preventing depression？ Hmmm…Should we allow parents， if they can afford it， to enhance the height or muscles or IQ of their kids？
After helping to discover CRISPR， Doudna became a leader in wrestling with these moral issues and， with her collaborator Emmanuelle Charpentier， won the Nobel Prize in 2020。 Her story is a thrilling detective tale that involves the most profound wonders of nature， from the origins of life to the future of our species。
Reviews
Alvaro Hidalgo Rodriguez
，
I love books about science and its practitioners。 I was especially looking forward to reading this one。 I live in Berkeley and Cal is where I went to university， so it had even more of an emotional connection to the subject of the book。 However， the book felt a bit disjointed。 I think it tried to tackle too many things and people at once。 This led to having Dr。 Doudna， the central focus of the book， not be fully fleshed out。 By bringing in so many people into the book the way he did， Isaacson wa I love books about science and its practitioners。 I was especially looking forward to reading this one。 I live in Berkeley and Cal is where I went to university， so it had even more of an emotional connection to the subject of the book。 However， the book felt a bit disjointed。 I think it tried to tackle too many things and people at once。 This led to having Dr。 Doudna， the central focus of the book， not be fully fleshed out。 By bringing in so many people into the book the way he did， Isaacson was able to convey the fact that science in modern times is a collaborative effort， but it had the consequence of having me feel like I didn’t really get to know any of the people involved。 The story of CRISPER is not even close to being done。 I would argue that it is in its infancy。 There will be many more chances for others to tell the story， and it is such a fascinating technology that I look forward to those yet unwritten books。 This one is a decent， but I expected more。 。。。more
Gary Archuleta
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I've read "Crack in Creation" the book written by Doudna's assistant， and I have been touting CRISPR in my talks since 2014。 So I pre-ordered this one and counted the days until it was released。 It didn't disappoint。 Isaacson is a master， and Doudna and CRISPR are the future of health care。 The story was informative and dramatic， and it is so current that it felt like a news story。 Despite my familiarity with CRISPR I was unaware that both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were created using this I've read "Crack in Creation" the book written by Doudna's assistant， and I have been touting CRISPR in my talks since 2014。 So I pre-ordered this one and counted the days until it was released。 It didn't disappoint。 Isaacson is a master， and Doudna and CRISPR are the future of health care。 The story was informative and dramatic， and it is so current that it felt like a news story。 Despite my familiarity with CRISPR I was unaware that both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were created using this technology。 If you want to get a look at tomorrow， this is a must-read。Highly recommended。 。。。more
Albert Jones
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Fantastic！ A thrilling book about cutting edge biochemistry and biotechnology， gene editing， and what it means for the future of human diseases， treatments， and cures。 Also the exciting， heroic effort by the scientific community that rose up against Covid-19 to develop the tests， vaccines， and treatments in an incredibly short time。 The book includes the personal stories of two female scientists who， as the author was nearing the finish line of this book， won the Nobel prize in chemistry in Octo Fantastic！ A thrilling book about cutting edge biochemistry and biotechnology， gene editing， and what it means for the future of human diseases， treatments， and cures。 Also the exciting， heroic effort by the scientific community that rose up against Covid-19 to develop the tests， vaccines， and treatments in an incredibly short time。 The book includes the personal stories of two female scientists who， as the author was nearing the finish line of this book， won the Nobel prize in chemistry in October of 2020。 Isaacson is an experienced author who is exceptionally skilled in the ability to render arcane scientific information understandable to anyone。 。。。more
Xiaoman Zhang
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Extreme thought provoking book！
Bryson Fico
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The field of gene editing to enhance health and wellness is intriguing and hopeful。 The author is clearly a fan of Jennifer Doudna as The Code Breaker reads as a public relations piece from time to time。
Jorge
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Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the advanced copy。 This is the story of Jennifer Doudna， 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry， RDNA and CRISPR gene editing technology。 Science made easy。 Isaacson gives us in easy and accessible language an almost detective story of biology and chemistry discovery。 Timely book taking in account the current pandemic。 A great and fascinating book to read。 Highly recommended。
Bill Seaward
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The code she broke was the ability to edit genes which resulted in the technology to develop the COVID vaccine in record time and worthy of a Nobel Prize。 A bit technical but a fascinating read。 Thank you to her and her associates for breaking the code， developing the vaccine for the current pandemic which is predicted to eliminate any future pandemics！ To science！！！！
Jody
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Holy wow: this was fun。I learned a lot and took a LOT of notes: I want to revisit my notes soon as well as seek out videos of Doudna and CRISPRites。4/5: if only because I did occasionally get bogged down with scientific nomenclature。
Nirmal Ghimire
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Not up to the mark as you would expect from Walter Isaacson。 Still， his writing keeps binding。 He is a wonderful biographer。
Michael Kennedy
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Great performance and another interesting effort from Isaacson。 Fascinating crash course in the history of bio-engineering and outline of big ethical dilemmas we face as a society。
Alvin Edmund
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Fascinating BookA Biotech primer that interweaves the science， technology， and people who are the key movers in this quest to understand and unlock the code of life and the potential implications to society。 Highly recommended。
Stuart Jennings
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The description of this book states it all。。。This is a fantastic book。。。Isaacson has written anothermasterpiece。。。And this book is all about our future。。。genetic future。。。and what a hell of a story this is。。。And nobody could've written this any better。。。the authoris one of the best！If you want to get a glimpse into our future。。。and all thepossibilities。。。just read this book。 The description of this book states it all。。。This is a fantastic book。。。Isaacson has written anothermasterpiece。。。And this book is all about our future。。。genetic future。。。and what a hell of a story this is。。。And nobody could've written this any better。。。the authoris one of the best！If you want to get a glimpse into our future。。。and all thepossibilities。。。just read this book。 。。。more
Joseph Sciuto
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Walter Isaacson has the unique gift of taking a difficult subject such a gene editing， or Einstein's theories， or DA Vinci's genius， and breaking these subjects and individuals down so that the common person， such as myself， can truly understand the meaning and works of so many ground breaking， ingenious men and women。Before I die， I always said I wanted to understand Einstein's theories and after reading Mr。 Isaacson's book on Einstein I never imagined it would be so easy。 So， when I picked up Walter Isaacson has the unique gift of taking a difficult subject such a gene editing， or Einstein's theories， or DA Vinci's genius， and breaking these subjects and individuals down so that the common person， such as myself， can truly understand the meaning and works of so many ground breaking， ingenious men and women。Before I die， I always said I wanted to understand Einstein's theories and after reading Mr。 Isaacson's book on Einstein I never imagined it would be so easy。 So， when I picked up his latest work of genius， "The Code Breaker， Jennifer Doudna， Gene Editing， and the Future of the Human Race，" I had no doubt that he would be able to combine gene editing， biological structuring， chemistry， medicine， DNA， and history into one easily understood book， and he did。 What I did not expect was that I would be able to read a book that dealt with such complex science and fascinating scientists in one day。 This is a very important book， and it is already on my list of the most important books I have ever read。The book follows the life of Jennifer Doudna， a scientist and researcher， and an army of researchers from around the world as they race toward the editing of DNA that will eventually enable us to cure diseases like sickle cell anemia， cancers， HIV， and was the decisive factor in the life saving vaccines for Covid 19。With the development of CHISPR， the editing of RNA that is released from our DNA to fight and kill viruses such as Covid 19， Ms。 Doudna and a team of scientist have in essence reinvented The Code Of Life。 The editing of our DNA can actually start before a fertilized egg is implanted in a woman。 If the woman's family has a history of heart disease the gene that causes the disease can be edited out ensuing the child is not born with the condition， the same with diabetes， sickle-cell， and certain cancers and debilitating diseases。 It can also edit the genes that could make a person taller， muscular， and more intelligent。 Yes， there are many ethical questions which are fully discussed， but the life saving potential and the lessening of suffering that this research offers is miraculous。 This book is a must read。 If nothing else， it will inform you about the vaccines that will enable the world to get back to some resemblance of normal。 It will also remind all of us who the true heroes， who usually go unrecognized， really are。 。。。more
Keven Wang
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I have never listened to Walter’s book。 This turned out to be a great listen。 Chapters are concise。
Tom Cross
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The author once again gives us a book that deeply explores DNA and RNA research and how it has and will benefit our health and well being。 It’s tough reading for those without a love of science detail。 The work by all the cited scientists is just amazing and deserves huge applause。 The author discusses at length the moral and ethical issues surrounding interfering with the molecules of life。 He would have been better served using the ethical construct of Principles/Character/Consequences to fram The author once again gives us a book that deeply explores DNA and RNA research and how it has and will benefit our health and well being。 It’s tough reading for those without a love of science detail。 The work by all the cited scientists is just amazing and deserves huge applause。 The author discusses at length the moral and ethical issues surrounding interfering with the molecules of life。 He would have been better served using the ethical construct of Principles/Character/Consequences to frame the discussion。 I do take issue with the author’s blatant one-sided negative view of the Trump administration handling of the Covid-19 response。 He sees it as all bad when that is not the case given the terrific work on ventilators， NYC mobile hospital， NYC hospital ship， facilitating testing and $10B Operation Warp Speed support to develop a vaccine in record time。 The author’s bias is disgusting and unwarranted。 Give credit where is it due。 The university researchers did not do it all alone。 。。。more
James Mason
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Mimi sent us a copy saying all scientists should read it。
Glennon Harrison
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A superb book that provides an understandable account of CRISPR and Jennifer Doudna’s achievement。 Isaac son’s best book to date。
Kevin Loveland
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Isaacson once again proves why he is the master of this type of book。 His ability to sense bias in himself and others， point out those biases and then forge on is outstanding。So many times in this book he pauses to give context regarding emotions at the time， history and potential motivations of those involved。 This is an honest and engaging way to tell the story。 The main players of this story are consequently shown in a vulnerable and inspiring light。 They are all human but have overcome flaws Isaacson once again proves why he is the master of this type of book。 His ability to sense bias in himself and others， point out those biases and then forge on is outstanding。So many times in this book he pauses to give context regarding emotions at the time， history and potential motivations of those involved。 This is an honest and engaging way to tell the story。 The main players of this story are consequently shown in a vulnerable and inspiring light。 They are all human but have overcome flaws to change the world we live in。 The book does assume a level of understanding and possibly comes with an expectation that the reader is well versed in science terminology but also has some science fiction background but it’s not the author’s job to prepare you to read this book。 Chances are if you are considering picking this up you are already interested in the topic。 I highly recommend you pick this one up。 。。。more
Jackie
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Excellent book！ I highly recommend reading it。 It was an intriguing and interesting read。
Jim French
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Five stars for the first half， on the science part。 Bailed immediately on all the legal， fighting over patent， ethical conundrum parts。 I would have rather had more info on the biology of CRISPR in bacteria and viruses， skip the non-science part。
Laura Hill
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A fascinating and timely story about the life sciences revolution （specifically gene editing） and the Covid bomb that ignited a community already poised at the brink of discovery — all told through the biographical lens of recent Nobel winner Jennifer Doudna。 Isaacson is a skilled biographer and synthesizer。 He has an unsurpassed ability to explain very complex concepts in accessible terms。 I’ve read four of his books and have been impressed by his ability to explain well things I already know （ A fascinating and timely story about the life sciences revolution （specifically gene editing） and the Covid bomb that ignited a community already poised at the brink of discovery — all told through the biographical lens of recent Nobel winner Jennifer Doudna。 Isaacson is a skilled biographer and synthesizer。 He has an unsurpassed ability to explain very complex concepts in accessible terms。 I’ve read four of his books and have been impressed by his ability to explain well things I already know （Steve Jobs and computers） and things in which I have little background and zero aptitude （Leonardo Da Vinci and 15th century art）。 His descriptions of CRISPR （DNA sequences that enable the gene editing at the heart of the book） and the myriad ways it was discovered， applied， and deployed do not disappoint。 What I liked best？ You actually feel the zing of scientific discovery as he describes the evolution of gene editing tools and techniques and the researchers who made it happen。Getting to know the researchers was almost as interesting as learning the science — to the point where Jennifer Doudna — while thoroughly admirable — did not have a personality that eclipsed the other players， making it feel less like a biography and more like a community portrait。 Every one of the key contributors was profiled in a succinct but insightful way: James Watson of DNA discovery fame （more on him later）; Harvard Medical School geneticist George Church （who felt trapped in the present when he should be in the future）; Doudna’s co-Nobelist and co-discoverer of the CRISPR/Cas9 “genetic scissors” the peripatetic Emmanuelle Charpentier who likes to keep herself on edge and not get too comfy; Feng Zhang — credited （but bitterly contested） with applying CRISPR to the human genome; and the many， many additional researchers pursuing careers in the field。In addition to the science and the scientists， Isaacson spends a fair amount of time on the aspects of commercialization including the competition between academics resulting in sometimes bitter patent battles on rights regarding various facets of the technology and its applications。 In contrast， he also gives plenty of air play to the wealth of technologies born of necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic covering how the community was poised to act and the incredible bureaucracy and what strings had to be pulled to get through it （and who had the clout to pull those strings）。 Also included is a pretty comprehensive description of the requirements and applied innovations to virus detection， vaccination， and treatment。 I actually feel much calmer about covid having read the book。Lastly， Isaacson devoted a lot of time and discussion to the question of ethics — a topic I always enjoy。 Ethical questions such as safety and unintended consequences， the tradeoff between individual needs and the needs of society， the potential widening of the privilege gap， and the potential impact on human diversity if we allow people free choice on gene selection for offspring。 Isaacson inserted a lot of his own ideas into this section and I can’t say I agreed with everything he said， though he did fairly include multiple viewpoints。 He appeared to conflate （as people often do） genius with debilitating problems — pointing to Van Gogh （mental illness） and Miles Davis （sickle cell anemia） as examples where a change to their genetic structure might alleviate their suffering but hamper their creative output — a loss to society as a whole。 He （again， as most people do） also firmly yoked diversity to physical characteristics instead of a wide range of personality， opinion， intelligences etc。 There appears to a strong fear that if left to their own devices， *everyone* would choose to have blonde haired， blue eyed children。 Also — nobody *ever* seems to bring up the ethical question of parents making decisions for their as-yet-unborn children！ I have more strong opinions on this chapter but I encourage you to read it yourself！I have a few other issues with the book — Isaacson seems to insert himself into the action more often than I thought necessary and spent a little longer than I liked on a somewhat sensationalized version of the patent wars。 He also loudly supported our new “cancel culture” with his full chapter treatise on James Watson’s fall from grace due to unpopular racial remarks。 I’m a big believer in a free electorate who must be trusted to think for themselves and not in favor of shutting down people who have beliefs different from my own （no matter how distasteful）。 Controlling people’s freedom of expression is really a bad move for a free society， regardless of how much we each wish we could get the other side to shut up！Still — small annoyances aside — this is a fully engaging book about a fascinating topic told in an accessible manner and covering one of the key turning points of human civilization — so go buy it today and read it！ 。。。more
Linda Galella
，
Jennifer Doudna and her French colleague， Emmanuel Carpentier， won the 2020 Nobel Prize for Chemistry。 They won for their work in CRISPR technology， Gene Editing， and ultimately for Coronavirus testing & vaccines。Walter Isaacson includes mini bios for many of the scientists included in Doudna’s story and there are quite a few。 At first， I was frustrated by all the incremental information - get on with it， already！ As his worked progressed， peeling the onion of her life’s story， I see the value o Jennifer Doudna and her French colleague， Emmanuel Carpentier， won the 2020 Nobel Prize for Chemistry。 They won for their work in CRISPR technology， Gene Editing， and ultimately for Coronavirus testing & vaccines。Walter Isaacson includes mini bios for many of the scientists included in Doudna’s story and there are quite a few。 At first， I was frustrated by all the incremental information - get on with it， already！ As his worked progressed， peeling the onion of her life’s story， I see the value of understanding the motivation for these scientists; not all are created equally。 Many of the details of Doudna’s life are glossed over so don’t expect a Hollywood style biography。 Details are given as they relate to people and events of science， her personal life is not。Doudna is an interesting woman due to the fact that she is really quite “normal” in her brilliance for bio chemistry。 I was struck by her genuine affection for her co-workers that’s evidenced in the included photos as well as some of the lengths she went to helping competition。 She states that money is not her motivation but “publish or perish” is ingrained in most academics and even that seems to be under developed in Jennifer。 THAT will become an issue。。。Parts of this formidable volume read like a thriller。 There’s intrigue， court battles， and friends with misunderstandings。 Part Seven consists of 5 chapters that discuss the issues of ethics as relates to DNA and changing the structure of life， ordering the structure of life。 Who has the right？ Who controls the rights？ Is it right at all？ These are supremely serious questions that should be considered by every adult。It would be helpful to have some science background when reading this book， but it’s not impossible without it。 There are excellent footnotes to assist and if you get the Kindle version， they are interactive， which makes look ups SO much easier！ Otherwise， this is definitely a worthy read。 It’s very well written， challenging and up to the minute with information on the science of biochemistry and gene editing。 The ethical issues should have people talking for a good， long time。 The medical manifestations should have people living a healthy， long time。 God Bless Us， Everyone📚 。。。more
Mary
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I received a copy of this book from a Goodreads Giveaway。The Code Breaker is billed as a biography of scientist Jennifer Doudna as told in a first person narrative by historian Walter Isaacson。 It is also a very engaging story about becoming a scientist， DNA and RNA discoveries， CRISPR， and so much more。 There are colorful photographs of Doudna and many other scientists working on these important discoveries that enable readers to match names with faces。 Though a very complicated topic for an av I received a copy of this book from a Goodreads Giveaway。The Code Breaker is billed as a biography of scientist Jennifer Doudna as told in a first person narrative by historian Walter Isaacson。 It is also a very engaging story about becoming a scientist， DNA and RNA discoveries， CRISPR， and so much more。 There are colorful photographs of Doudna and many other scientists working on these important discoveries that enable readers to match names with faces。 Though a very complicated topic for an average person， Isaacson has written this book in a way that makes the information interesting and understandable。 It includes very timely and helpful facts about how testing and vaccines for the COVID-19 virus have been and continue to be developed。Readers will enjoy getting to know Doudna and her colleagues and discover how basic science leads to practical applications and medical marvels。 We learn about the technicalities of research， patents and rivalries， but also how far collaboration amidst the competition can advance ideas。 This is a very thoroughly researched book with many topics of interest。 It should be savored slowly to absorb the nuances and think about some of the philosophies and discoveries。 With so much to absorb， it still turns out to be a pleasurable read that doesn't even seem to be nonfiction。My highest compliments go to the author and the scientists mentioned in The Code Breaker。 。。。more
Jordan
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Science hurts my brain。
Caren
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This is certainly a book for the moment。 Respected author， Walter Isaacson， profiles not only Nobel award winner， Jennifer Doudna， but other scientists who have been cracking the genetic code for some decades now。 Within their explorations， looking at how bacteria have developed to fend off viral attacks over the millennia informed their search for a vaccine against viruses in humans。 For those who are vaccine hesitant because they feel the Covid-19 vaccine was "rushed"， read this book and see t This is certainly a book for the moment。 Respected author， Walter Isaacson， profiles not only Nobel award winner， Jennifer Doudna， but other scientists who have been cracking the genetic code for some decades now。 Within their explorations， looking at how bacteria have developed to fend off viral attacks over the millennia informed their search for a vaccine against viruses in humans。 For those who are vaccine hesitant because they feel the Covid-19 vaccine was "rushed"， read this book and see the years of research that led to the vaccines that could lead us out of this pandemic。 Mr。 Isaacson unspools the story with clear scientific explanations that even a lay reader and non-scientist can understand。 My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC。 。。。more
Libby
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If you’ve always wanted to learn more about DNA， human genomes and how science is done but just thought it too dry and boring， this is the book for you。 Walter Isaacson has a knack for bringing out the interesting facts and simplifying the complicated。 The book begins with anecdotes from Jennifer Doudna’s childhood interspersed with a quick， but thorough history of scientific discoveries leading up to Doudna’s work on CRISPR - a method for genome editing。 It continues to discuss the role Doudna If you’ve always wanted to learn more about DNA， human genomes and how science is done but just thought it too dry and boring， this is the book for you。 Walter Isaacson has a knack for bringing out the interesting facts and simplifying the complicated。 The book begins with anecdotes from Jennifer Doudna’s childhood interspersed with a quick， but thorough history of scientific discoveries leading up to Doudna’s work on CRISPR - a method for genome editing。 It continues to discuss the role Doudna and CRSPR technology played in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic。It is a great insight into how scientific discoveries are layered through history - one discovery cannot exist without previous findings - and the personalities of the humans involved。CRISPR = clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats （knowing what CRISPR initials stand for contributes nothing to understanding for this reader） 。。。more
Beth
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Clear and easy to follow account of the career of Nobel Prize-winner Jennifer Doudna who， along with her team， figured out how to employ CRISPR technology to edit genes。 Her discoveries had a direct impact on developing the new RNA vaccines， including those for COVID。 Isaacson's work exposes the struggle of women in science， competition （as well as cooperation） in research， the intersection of research and industry/business， and the ethical and evolutionary implications of gene editing technolog Clear and easy to follow account of the career of Nobel Prize-winner Jennifer Doudna who， along with her team， figured out how to employ CRISPR technology to edit genes。 Her discoveries had a direct impact on developing the new RNA vaccines， including those for COVID。 Isaacson's work exposes the struggle of women in science， competition （as well as cooperation） in research， the intersection of research and industry/business， and the ethical and evolutionary implications of gene editing technology。The material in this book is accessible to anyone with a basic knowledge of biology。 。。。more
Vimal Kumar
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Amazing！ This book follows the life of Jennifer Doudna and journey of CRISPR research。 Wonderfully detailed。It is breathtaking to know that the work of so many people has lead to the marvels of modern day medicine and health care technologies。Its an incredible book。 Highly recommended。I have read Einstein and Steve Jobs books by Walter Isaacson， like always incredibly detailed and gives you an good understanding of the field as well。Hoping to read all the works of Walter Isaacson。 I wonder if th Amazing！ This book follows the life of Jennifer Doudna and journey of CRISPR research。 Wonderfully detailed。It is breathtaking to know that the work of so many people has lead to the marvels of modern day medicine and health care technologies。Its an incredible book。 Highly recommended。I have read Einstein and Steve Jobs books by Walter Isaacson， like always incredibly detailed and gives you an good understanding of the field as well。Hoping to read all the works of Walter Isaacson。 I wonder if the biography of Walter Isaacson will be as detailed as his works。 。。。more
Megan Dormoy
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Walter Isaacson does NOT disappoint with his meticulously researched narrative on the journey from DNA to RNA to CRISPR， and the village of scientists that made it happen。 While this novel centered mostly around Dr。 Jennifer Doudna and her contributions to gene editing - Walter Isaacson did not focus directly on her （dissimilar to his past biographies on Da Vinci & Jobs ）。 Because of that， this book felt less like a biography on Doudna specifically， and more like a history of how gene editing ca Walter Isaacson does NOT disappoint with his meticulously researched narrative on the journey from DNA to RNA to CRISPR， and the village of scientists that made it happen。 While this novel centered mostly around Dr。 Jennifer Doudna and her contributions to gene editing - Walter Isaacson did not focus directly on her （dissimilar to his past biographies on Da Vinci & Jobs ）。 Because of that， this book felt less like a biography on Doudna specifically， and more like a history of how gene editing came into fruition and the medical advances that have occurred because of it。 Despite this， the story was fascinating， wonderfully written and easy to absorb - I found myself swept away and grateful for all of the incredible and insatiably curious scientific minds who worked on finding ways to implement gene editing for the greater good。 Thanks to the publisher， Simon & Schuster， and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book。 Would definitely recommend！ 。。。more
Kasa Cotugno
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