Breaking Through: A Memoir

How one woman’s extraordinary determination saved millions of lives- the inspiring memoir from the Winner of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine

Katalin Karik began life as a butcher’s daughter in communist Hungary. Raised in a one-room home of clay and straw with no running water, she saw potential everywhere- in the promise of a seed, in the alchemy of soap, in the scarlet of a carcass.

Breaking Through is the extraordinary story of her courageous determination – first to become a scientist, and then to unlock an elusive molecule she believed could revolutionise medicine. Others disagreed, and for decades she endured demotions, discrimination and even threats of deportation. Yet Karik persevered, ultimately making a world-shifting discovery- the mRNA vaccine technology that saved millions of lives and will transform healthcare forever.

Format: Paperback
Pages: 336
Imprint: Vintage UK
Publication date: 10/06/2025