Breaking Through

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

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

An outstanding memoir with a happy ending

KIRKUS REVIEWS (STARRED)

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

FINANCIAL TIMES

A classic in the genre of underdogs succeeding against the odds

NEW SCIENTIST

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

NEW STATESMAN

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

NATURE, Five of the Best Science Books for 2024

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

GUARDIAN

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

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*

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

KATJA HOYER

Karikó's story is an inspiration

BILL GATES

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

BONNIE GARMUS