How to Win the Nobel Prize: An Unexpected Life in Science

by J. Michael Bishop

In 1989 Michael Bishop and Harold Varmus were awarded the Nobel Prize for their discovery that normal genes under certain conditions can cause cancer. In this book, Bishop tells us how he and Varmus made their momentous discovery. More than a lively account of the making of a brilliant scientist, How to Win the Nobel Prize is also a broader narrative combining two major and intertwined strands of medical the long and ongoing struggles to control infectious diseases and to find and attack the causes of cancer.

Alongside his own story, that of a youthful humanist evolving into an ambivalent medical student, an accidental microbiologist, and finally a world-class researcher, Bishop gives us a fast-paced and engrossing tale of the microbe hunters. It is a narrative enlivened by vivid anecdotes about our deadliest microbial enemies--the Black Death, cholera, syphilis, tuberculosis, malaria, smallpox, HIV--and by biographical sketches of the scientists who led the fight against these scourges.

Bishop then provides an introduction for nonscientists to the molecular underpinnings of cancer and concludes with an analysis of many of today's most important science-related controversies--ranging from stem cell research to the attack on evolution to scientific misconduct. How to Win the Nobel Prize affords us the pleasure of hearing about science from a brilliant practitioner who is a humanist at heart. Bishop's perspective will be valued by anyone interested in biomedical research and in the past, present, and future of the battle against cancer.

Table of List of Illustrations Preface

1. The Phone Call 2. Accidental Scientist 3. People and Pestilence 4. Opening the Black Box of Cancer 5. Paradoxical Strife

Notes Credits Index

Reviews of this Despite his book's encouraging title, Bishop--who won a Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1989--cautions that "I have not written an instruction manual for pursuit of the prize." Instead, he has written an amiable reflection on the experience of being a Nobelist, intertwined with some history and anecdotes about the award, and balanced by a wide-ranging review of his own career as an "accidental scientist"...Along the way, Bishop reflects on the history of our knowledge of microbes, cancer, the politics of funding research and present-day disenchantment with science. His main purpose in writing this book, Bishop says, is to show that "scientists are supremely human"--which he does with grace and charm.--Publishers WeeklyReviews of this How to Win the Nobel Prize is typical modest, funny, insightful and offering an extremely clear and brief explanation of the basic scientific achievement that won the 1989 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for himself and longtime colleague, Harold Varmus, now president of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.--David Perlman, San Francisco ChronicleReviews of this In these pages Bishop reveals himself as a good writer blessed with enviable clarity, someone sensible and levelheaded who likes people and is enamored of his science.--John Tyler Bonner, New York Times Book ReviewReviews of this This is a treasure...Above all, How to Win the Nobel Prize is a civilised book and a lavishly rewarding one.

Genres: Biography, Science, Nonfiction

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Cardinalximenez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uno de los libros recomendados por Juan Fueyo en su libro "Viral". Bishop es un buen escritor, ameno en sus historias sobre el Nobel y claro en la parte en la que explica como la ciencia ha ido dando pasos hasta llegar al descubrimiento de los oncogenes. Muy interesante.

[Philip Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not actually a book about how to win the Nobel Prize. This book is more along the lines of memoirs of a Nobel laureate.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read for any graduate student in the sciences. Bishop is one of my proximal heroes, as he co-discovered one of the proteins I work on (and was awarded the Nobel Prize for his work). I found quote after quote from Bishop that struck me with its humor and/or fundamental insight. A great book about how science works and what it means to be a scientist.

I liked the first two sections the most and would have been happier if he'd just stuck with the memoir/science policy approach for the rest of the book. He's a great writer, but the middle parts were a little uninspiring. I don't think it's his fault, it just wasn't telling me much I didn't already know about disease/cancer. With that being said, those parts are definitely something an interested layperson could get into.

A clever, inspiring read full of urgency, humor, and science history.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was enjoyable and nerdy to read. Liked the autobiographical bits -- plus learned some microbiology on the side. Worthwhile.

[Greg Chabala · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't learn how to win the prize, but I did learn a lot about cancer and infectious diseases.