Thank you Crown publishing for the copy of recent Nobel winner, Katalin Kariko's memoir Breaking Through. I really enjoyed the development of her story, how she navigated academic challenges and set backs but saw the value in her intelligence, her ideas. And here we are, benefitting in so many ways from her perseverance, her science, and her pursuit of mRNA work.
Smart women scientists are amazing.
This book should not deter the less science-y reader, it's an engaging memoir about overcoming personal and professional challenges, great for discussion and for memoir fans.

One day in 1997, University of Pennsylvania molecular biologist Katalin (Kati) Karikó met a new hire at the photocopier who would change the trajectory of her research forever. At 42, the scientist had made little headway with her big idea that mRNA—the ephemeral molecule that instructs cells to make proteins—could be commandeered to help the body fight disease. Her grant proposals to study the therapeutic potential of mRNA continued to get rejected. She had no budget, no staff, and very little prestige.

Karikó introduced herself to the “copier-hogging immunologist,” Drew Weismann, and asked about his work. He planned to create vaccines against infec-tious diseases and discussed ways to de-liver an antigen into cells to trigger the body’s own immune response. At once, Karikó saw another prospective role for her pet molecule and a long-standing collaboration was born that laid a strong foundation for the mRNA-based vaccines and therapeutics. The mRNA vaccine that proved vital during the COVID-19 pan-demic. In Breaking Through, Karikó's page-turning memoir, the talented and tenacious researcher recounts the origins and evolution of her scientific journey.

Katalin Kariko's inspiring memoir is an absolute must read. Dr. Kariko was born to a working class family in a small village in Hungary during Communist rule. Through hard work and perseverance, Dr. Kariko completes her PhD and moves to the US to continue her studies of mRNA. Throughout most of her career, her brilliant work went unappreciated. It was not until the COVID pandemic, when her discovery of how to modify RNA was the basis for both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, that her ingenious work was finally appreciated.

I loved so many things about this book.

Above and beyond the science of RNA that she explains with elegance, I really enjoyed learning about her family. She met her husband while in graduate school. Together they came to the US with limited connections and raised a daughter who won two Olympic Gold Medals on the US rowing team. Many women in science worry that having children will hinder their careers. Dr. Kariko sets a great example of what is possible.

Dr. Kariko's perseverance and love of basic science inspired me so much. Academic research is a very challenging system, especially for those who do not fit a traditional mold. I really hope that Dr. Kariko's experience will lead to changes that enable scientists from non-traditional backgrounds to be better supported. I also really hope that Dr. Kariko wins the Nobel Prize for her impactful work.

This book spoke to me personally. My grandmother was also born in a small village in Hungary and moved to the United States at the age of 19. I earned my PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology with a dissertation on RNA Polymerase 20 years ago and left academics for industry because of the challenges with a traditional academic career. I really feel like this book was written for me. I would encourage any graduate student or aspiring scientist to read this galvanizing memoir.

Thank you to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.