Breaking Through

Get in the xigxag app
This book is not purchasable in your country. Please select another book.
Pre-order Buy Now £{{ price }}
How does xigxag pricing work?

Listen to a sample

What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

From butcher's daughter in Communist Hungary to winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine 2023, this is the story of one woman's extraordinary determination through decades of obscurity and rejection – and her breakthrough discovery that saved millions of lives.

*An Amazon Best Book of the Year*

Katalin Karikó began life as a butcher’s daughter in post-war Communist Hungary: a hand-to-mouth existence in a single-room house of clay and straw with no running water. Breaking Through is her extraordinary memoir of how she achieved her dream of becoming a scientist, first in Hungary and then in the USA, and pursued her belief – despite so many telling her not to – that an elusive molecule could transform our ability to prevent disease.

For three decades she worked in obscurity, battling cockroaches in a windowless lab, enduring demotion, the derision of her colleagues, even threats of deportation. But in 2020, Karikó’s vision was spectacularly vindicated when her work made possible the vaccines that brought an end to the pandemic, paving the way for similar vaccines against HIV, malaria and other life-threatening diseases.

As frank, wise and fearless as Karikó herself, Breaking Through is a remarkable story of tenacity, friendship and loyalty, and one woman’s unshakeable commitment to her values.

'Few have overcome adversity like Katalin Karikó . . . This remarkable memoir . . . is a joy to read' Financial Times

'Riveting. A true story of a brilliant biochemist who never gave up or gave in' BONNIE GARMUS, author of Lessons in Chemistry

'Anyone who has ever doubted that science, innovation and persistence can change the world should read this book' BILL GATES


©2023 Katalin Karikó (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critics Review

  • Few have overcome adversity like Katalin Karikó . . . This remarkable memoir begins on the plains of central Hungary, where the Karikó family lived in a single room heated by a sawdust stove, and ends with her being feted at grand events around the world. Breaking Through is a joy to read, written in a direct style that revels in personal details while explaining clearly the science behind Karikó’s research

    Financial Times

  • A classic in the genre of underdogs succeeding against the odds

    New Scientist

  • Riveting. A true story of a brilliant biochemist who never gave up or gave in. You’ll be inspired by Karikó’s tenacity in the face of countless roadblocks and forever grateful for her life-saving contribution

    BONNIE GARMUS, author of Lessons in Chemistry

  • Katalin Karikó’s story is an inspiration. Anyone who has ever doubted that science, innovation and persistence can change the world should read this book

    BILL GATES, author of How To Avoid a Climate Disaster

  • A riveting testament to resilience and the power of unwavering belief

    JENNIFER DOUDNA, Nobel Prize laureate in chemistry

Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign up to get tailored content recommendations, product updates and info on new releases. Your data is your own: we commit to protect your data and respect your privacy.