The Code Breaker
{{Short description|2021 book by Walter Isaacson}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox book
| name = The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race
| image = The Code Breaker (Walter Isaacson).png
| alt =
| caption = First edition cover
| author = Walter Isaacson
| country = United States
| language = English
| subject = {{hlist|Jennifer Doudna|CRISPR gene editing}}
| genre = {{hlist|Biography|science}}
| publisher = Simon & Schuster
| pub_date = March 9, 2021
| media_type = Print (hardcover), e-book, audiobook
| pages = 560
| isbn = 978-1-9821-1585-2
| isbn_note = (hardcover)
| oclc = 1187220557
| dewey = 576.5
| congress = QH440 .I83 2021
| preceded_by = Leonardo da Vinci
}}
The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race is a non-fiction book authored by American historian and journalist Walter Isaacson. Published in March 2021 by Simon & Schuster, it is a biography of Jennifer Doudna, the winner of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her work on the CRISPR system of gene editing.{{Cite web |title=The Code Breaker |url=https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Code-Breaker/Walter-Isaacson/9781982115852 |access-date=March 18, 2021 |website=Simon & Schuster}}
Promotion
On March 22, 2021, Isaacson appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to discuss the book.{{Cite episode |title=Robert Downey Jr./Walter Isaacson/Sebastián Yatra/Guaynaa |series=The Late Show with Stephen Colbert |series-link=The Late Show with Stephen Colbert |network=CBS |date=March 22, 2021 |number=1061}}
Reception
The book debuted at number one on The New York Times nonfiction best-seller list for the week ending March 13, 2021.{{Cite news |title=Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction - Best Sellers |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/2021/03/28/combined-print-and-e-book-nonfiction/ |access-date=March 18, 2021 |archive-date=March 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331154721/https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/2021/03/28/combined-print-and-e-book-nonfiction/ |url-status=live }}
In its starred review, Kirkus Reviews called it a "vital book about the next big thing in science—and yet another top-notch biography from Isaacson."{{Cite web |date=January 6, 2021 |title=The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race by Walter Isaacson |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/walter-isaacson/the-code-breaker-isaacson/ |access-date=March 18, 2021 |website=Kirkus Reviews |archive-date=March 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310183109/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/walter-isaacson/the-code-breaker-isaacson/ |url-status=live }}
Publishers Weekly called it a "gripping account of a great scientific advancement and of the dedicated scientists who realized it."{{Cite web |date=January 26, 2021 |title=Nonfiction Book Review: The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race by Walter Isaacson |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-9821-1585-2 |access-date=March 18, 2021 |website=Publishers Weekly |archive-date=February 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212185100/https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-9821-1585-2 |url-status=live }}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Code-Breaker/Walter-Isaacson/9781982115852 The Code Breaker] at the Simon & Schuster website
- [https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/03/08/974751834/crispr-scientists-biography-explores-ethics-of-rewriting-the-code-of-life CRISPR Scientist's Biography Explores Ethics Of Rewriting The Code Of Life]. Author interview, audio and transcript. Fresh Air, NPR, March 8, 2021.
{{Walter Isaacson}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race, The}}
Category:2021 non-fiction books
Category:English-language non-fiction books
Category:Books about scientists
Category:Simon & Schuster books
Category:Books by Walter Isaacson
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