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Loading... The First Shots: The Epic Rivalries and Heroic Science Behind the Race to the Coronavirus Vaccineby Brendan Borrell
   None No current Talk conversations about this book.  scottjpearson | Dec 6, 2021 |  no reviews | add a review
The full inside story of the high-stakes, global race for the lifesaving vaccine to end the pandemic Heroic science. Chaotic politics. Billionaire entrepreneurs. Award-winning journalist Brendan Borrell brings the defining story of our times alive through compulsively readable, first-time reporting on the players leading the fight against a vicious virus. The First Shots, soon to be the subject of an HBO limited series with superstar director and producer Adam McKay (Succession, Vice, The Big Short), draws on exclusive, high-level access to weave together the intense vaccine-race conflicts among hard-driving, heroic scientists and the epic rivalries among Washington power players that shaped 18 months of fear, resolve, and triumph. From infectious disease expert Michael Callahan, an American doctor secretly on the ground in Wuhan in January 2020 to gauge the terrifying ravages of Disease X; to Robert (Dr. Bob) Kadlec, one of Operation Warp Speed's architects, whose audacious plans for the American people run straight into the buzz saw of the Trump White House factions; to Stéphane Bancel of upstart Moderna Therapeutics going toe-to-toe with pharma behemoth Pfizer, The First Shots lays bare, in a way we have not seen, the full stunning story behind the medical science "moon shot" of our lifetimes. No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)615.372Technology Medicine and health Pharmacology and therapeutics Organic drugs SerotherapyLC ClassificationRatingAverage: (4)
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Wikipedia in English
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With many actors, Borrell tellingly provides “A Cast of Characters” before beginning to convey his story. It is hard to keep up with everyone with a role. Readers who like to gear on character development will likely be disappointed by the complexity. The driving force is not the strength of human character but human determination to reach the finish line to fulfill a goal. He ambitiously engages the many domains in this drama, ranging from biomedical industry to research academe, from politicians to government employees. (Even my medical center Vanderbilt makes a few noteworthy showings!)
Because of so many moving parts across many disciplines and political dispositions, this story is inherently difficult to tell. Borrell maintains his objectivity well throughout this account. He shares the entire story with all of its unfettered endings and social rivalries. The Trump administration does not come out well, but this seems more due to the way it played its cards rather than the author’s ideology. The real meat lies in the team that made up Operation Warp Speed who bonded like soldiers in battle. They seemed to keep their eyes on the goal despite the world falling apart around them. That team had many contributors.
Readers looking for an easy story or for political affirmations should look elsewhere. Borrell’s nuanced narrative instead will inform future historians. Journalists and students looking for a birds-eye view of what happened in this pandemic will be most rewarded for their curiosities. Healthcare workers can better learn how the system works – and doesn’t work. The general public who wishes to learn beyond the day’s headlines can inform themselves by this fair and balanced treatment. Overall, this account provides a much needed summary of America’s pandemic story and prepares us for the coming evolution of whatever is coming next. (