The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race Paperback – May 3, 2022

Though I gave this a 5-star review, It's not perfect. But for the sheer breadth and depth of information on Doudna and this topic, the book deserves full credit. Also, this book discusses complex scientific information with clarity and insight so that even an English major (word perp) can enjoy the discussion of the process and have their curiosity satisfied about gene editing, not an easy task -- but one that Isaacson does quite well.I also love the evolution of discovery that Isaacson describes, and I love that he introduces the reader to all those participating as he tells this story, Doudna's story. He also describes the brutal competition of scientists and researchers and the dynamic of collaboration in that community. But he notes the change that occurred during and after the pandemic. As a reader, I had a true sense of how all the pieces fit together after I read this book. Isaacson addresses the "elephant in the room" in detail by discussing the potential benefit and horror of gene editing for humankind. He does this in a way with provocative questions and answers that reveals a careful and methodical researcher who has a good understanding of what's at stake. He distinguishes between "treatment and enhancement" with precision. Last, I love how he inserts Doudna's actions, reactions, and dialogue into this story in which she is the lead protagonist. He does a careful job of uncovering uncomfortable issues that occurred along the way of discovery. I'm left with the impression that Jennifer Doudna is a singular ethical and brilliant research scientist who has paved and continues to pave the way for young scientists, especially young women, to change the world, even as she has.In discussing the different facets of collaboration, before and after Mar 2020, I love that he emphasizes the importance of a cross-discipline approach and how various perspectives and experiences contribute to discovery.My only two complaints (and these may seem overly critical) are that Isaacson seems to be overly accommodating to certain men in the book who had sexist tendencies or who were more rogue than research, but I think he does this to show extreme objectivity. Sometimes, though, his commentary was too opinionated and complimentary, to make up for being objective, when it was best to let the reader come to their own conclusions. I didn't need to be told how wonderful this person was even though they had just shown themselves or even though they had just said or did something unethical. The other complaint is that Isaacson describes so much about his own life and opinions that whenever I read them, I would develop a twitch. I wanted to say, "Dude, how do you give your opinion without giving your opinion?" That's Reporting 101. And he didn't really have to describe a person's physicality quite so much. Do we really need to know about someone's "chipmunk-cheeked round face"? But I forgive him and recommend this book 100%.One more thing, I love the he ends the book by describing a repaired exchange between Doudna and Charpentier. And I love that he gives full credit to Rosalind Franklin, and I love the spirit of hopefulness of what's possible for future generations that he leaves the reader with.

Whenever I see Walter Isaacson has a new book out, I think two things: it’s going to be a good book, and it’s going to occupy a lot of my free time. I enjoyed reading this book. I found it relatively easy to read even though it took me a few weeks. This is the only book of his I’ve ever finished.The book mainly focuses on Jennifer Doudna and the advent of gene editing with CRISPR technology. Major scientific advances are fueled by the collaboration of many different people, and not just one. She, however, seemed to be the biggest and most level-headed player, and as a result, shared the Nobel prize with Emmanuelle Charpentier. One of Isaacson’s previous books, The Innovators, took the approach on focusing on many different scientists, but it didn’t hold my attention for long. Focusing on Doudna made the topic more personable and enjoyable. The book also covered more current events rather than historical ones. I loved reading it.The science can be complex, but it felt like the author didn’t go any deeper than he needed to get the point across. He would also take the time to summarize the fundamentals discussed periodically. The book also gave insight into the legal intricacies of how they published their papers and were granted patents. The author also seemed to cover every ethical viewpoint and how the ethics evolved but with none of the stupid politics. I really enjoyed that. Although the focus was on Doudna, the author remained objective and did not take her side on everything. For example, she did not care much for her competitive rivals Eric Landers and Feng Zhang; however, Isaacson thought highly of them and made a point of explicitly saying so.Jennifer Doudna doesn’t really seem to have the same superhero status as some of Walter Isaacson’s other subjects like Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, Leonardo DaVinci, and Steve Jobs. Or maybe she does. It was hard to keep up with this topic by trying to follow the news over the past few years because there has been so much garbage in the news that it was hard to get a good context on anything important. I found this book to be a good summary of everything that’s been happening in the field of CRISPR and gene editing over the past few years without the distractions. I highly recommend it.