First published 2021
When a mysterious respiratory illness surfaced in Wuhan, China in January 2020, the world was unprepared. Politicians stumbled. Major pharmaceutical companies responded slowly or ineffectively. The task of saving civilization fell to an unlikely group of scientists and executives who had spent years developing innovative vaccine approaches while facing skepticism and scorn. A French businessman many dismissed as unreliable. A Turkish immigrant new to virus research. A Midwestern scientist fascinated by insect cells. A Boston researcher using controversial methods. A British scientist his colleagues despised. By 2020, none had much to show for their efforts. Yet when the pandemic struck, they scrambled to transform their life's work into vaccines within months. Each team fought not only the virus but each other for the breakthrough that would bring global recognition. Zuckerman takes readers inside secret laboratories, corporate battles, and government negotiations that produced effective vaccines. This chronicle reveals the courage and brilliance behind the most important scientific achievement of our era, while exposing the rivalries, ambitions, and insecurities that drove the race to save the world.
Genres: business, biography-memoir, 21st-century, current-affairs, academic, history-of-science
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: rivalry, underdog
Setting: China, France, Turkey, Midwest, Boston, Britain
Period: January 2020, 2020
382 pages · Kindle Edition · Portfolio