Play Book Tag discussion

I'm giving this five stars because a) Isaacson maintained my interest throughout on a pretty complex and confusing topic and b) the research and c) so timely. My level of interest and enjoyment was more around a 3 1/2 star, but that had nothing to do with the quality of the book.

I will say that I'm not 100% clearly picturing how gene editing works despite the lengthy explanations. But I definitely understood the results. Isaacson leaves no aspect of this story unearthed. He describes the way research labs compete with each other, the various breakthroughs since mapping DNA, the personalities involved, the moral quandaries involved with manipulating genes, and how all this research ultimately enabled the development of the COVID vaccines.

It's a LOT.

You need to at least like science or be interested in science a little bit to truly appreciate what Isaacson has done here, but I was impressed with his ability to tell this complicated story.

This is the first book I've read by him, despite seeing him speak twice. And it definitely will not be the last. He is very good at providing the background necessary to grasp the historic implications while keeping the reader engaged. Truly an excellent piece of journalism.

I am so glad you found value in and appreciated this book even if your “enjoyment” factor was low! I would like to read more Isaacson as well.

Anita wrote: "I'm giving this five stars because a) Isaacson maintained my interest throughout on a pretty complex and confusing topic and b) the research and c) so timely. My level of interest and enjoyment was..."

I've been on the fence about this book for awhile. I like science, but I don't know enough about this field to grasp a lot of the details. ​I really would like to know what they can do in this field, where it's going, and the ethical dilemmas involved. I'd also like to know how breakthroughs are made, how people work together (and competitively) to achieve results, and how it links to the COVID vaccines. My brother-in-law is a PhD researcher for a big pharma company and it sounds like the competition is fierce even within the company.

You say that he provides the background and was able to keep you engaged, which helps a lot. It also has thought-provoking tags, and I know that the ethical issues alone would be thought provoking for me. I read a medical book a few years ago for the journalism tag and I learned something crucial about a generic medication I was taking. It strengthened my appreciation of good science journalism.

Thanks for the eye-opening review!

Nice review, as always. I have Steve Jobs by Isaacson on my list for Thought Provoking next month which will also be my first book of his. I'm not scientifically inclined but if I like how he tackles Steve Jobs (albeit a subject only slightly less complex than the human genome :-)), then I'll definitely put The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race on my TBR, which to date I've shied away from given the topic (science) more so than the author.

I enjoyed Leonardo da Vinci. He's an entertaining writer. I'd like to read about Jennifer Doudna. I think Isaacson might even be able to explain the science so I could understand it.

Jgrace wrote: "I enjoyed Leonardo da Vinci. He's an entertaining writer. I'd like to read about Jennifer Doudna. I think Isaacson might even be able to explain the science so I could understand it."

Now that one caught my interest! I am reading a fiction right now (The Stolen Lady) where he is a big part of the duel timeline, and I was just saying to myself "I need to read about him and learn more". I have added this one.