The Code Breaker

Beautiful and thought-provoking, this book encapsulates the essence of curiosity-driven research. Although it centres on Jennifer Doudna, it also acknowledges major contributors in the field of genome biology such as Emmanuelle Charpentier, Feng Zhang, George Church and Eric Lander, and the indispensable role of postdocs and PhD students in scientific advancement.

I appreciated Walter Isaacson’s honesty about James Watson: he does not overtly glorify him as a person, but does respect his scientific contributions. Finding such balance is challenging. He achieves it in describing all the contributors, portraying them as complex, imperfect beings who are nonetheless remarkable innovators.

Isaacson also raises profound questions about the future of humanity in the context of gene editing, especially regarding its potential impact on the social divide and the very nature of human identity.

Reading this book was an enriching experience. I found myself yearning to be part of the narrative with each page. I will definitely return to it several times.