Coming soon · Book Profile
How to Win the Nobel Prize An Unexpected Life in Science
A Nobel laureate uses the story of his unlikely path into science, his cancer-gene discovery, and the history of disease to argue that scientists are supremely human and that science, though transformative, is caught in paradoxical strife with society.
A profile of this book is on the way.
What it’s about
In 'How to Win the Nobel Prize,' J. Michael Bishop turns the occasion of his 1989 Nobel Prize into an accessible, humane meditation on what it means to be a scientist. Beginning with the surreal predawn phone call from Stockholm and a wry history of Alfred Nobel and his prizes, Bishop traces his own accidental, undirected journey from a rural Pennsylvania parsonage to Harvard Medical School and the 'Bishop-Varmus' laboratory, where curiosity about a chicken tumor virus led to the discovery of cellular proto-oncogenes and a unifying genetic paradigm for cancer. Weaving in the dramatic history of pestilence and its conquerors—Pasteur, Koch, Semmelweis, Fleming—and the emerging genetic understanding of disease, he shows science as a deeply collaborative, values-driven, imaginative, and fallible human enterprise. The book closes with a bracing account of the 'paradoxical strife' between science and society: fear of DNA, creationism, postmodern attacks, funding battles, and public scientific illiteracy. It is at once memoir, popular science, and passionate advocacy for the value—and the vulnerability—of the scientific quest.
The through-line
- Who it’s for
- A curious reader—student, scientist, or thoughtful citizen—who wants to understand what science really is, how discovery happens, and how a human life in science unfolds.
- The problem
- Science is widely misunderstood, mistrusted, and caricatured, while its greatest achievements (like the genetic understanding of cancer and disease) remain opaque to the public. The reader feels intimidated by science, uncertain whether scientists are relatable humans or remote geniuses, and anxious about a world 'run away' with technology.
- The plan
- See scientists as supremely human by following one real, unlikely life in science.
- Learn how discovery actually works—through curiosity, collaboration, risk, and simplification.
- Grasp the history of disease to appreciate what science has achieved and what remains.
- Understand cancer through its unifying genetic paradigm.
- Recognize the sources of strife between science and society and commit to bridging them through education and engagement.
- The payoff
- The reader sees science as an accessible, human, values-driven adventure. · The reader understands cancer, disease, and discovery well enough to think critically about them. · The reader supports fundamental research and helps mend the rift between science and society.
See our guide
Additional reading
- The Double Helix · James D. Watson
The author recommends this book because it conveys the excitement, competitiveness, and human reality of a major scientific discovery, showing science as a dynamic process rather than a dry collection of facts.
- The Structure of Scientific Revolutions · Thomas Kuhn
This book is cited for its concept of the 'paradigm shift,' which the author uses to frame the importance of his own Nobel-winning discovery and to explain how science progresses through revolutionary changes in thought.
- The Great Influenza · John M. Barry
Recommended as the best account of the 1918-19 pandemic, a topic central to the author's own field of virology and immunology, and as a fascinating story of medicine, society, and politics.
- Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA · Brenda Maddox
The book highlights the story of a key contributor to the DNA discovery who was not fully credited at the time, touching on themes of scientific ethics, collaboration, and the challenges faced by women in science.
- A Mathematician's Apology · G. H. Hardy
The author quotes Hardy's assertion that a young person's 'noblest ambition is that of leaving behind one something of permanent value' as a framing idea for his own scientific journey.
- The Medusa and the Snail · Lewis Thomas
Quoted at the beginning of the book for its central idea that 'we are profoundly ignorant about nature,' which the author regards as a major discovery of modern biology.
- Arrowsmith · Sinclair Lewis
The author notes that this romantic novel about a life in science includes a character, Rippleton Holabird, who is a fictionalized and unflattering portrayal of Peyton Rous, the discoverer of cancer-causing viruses.
- Losing the Nobel Prize · Brian Keating
The author's first book, which provides the critical context for his views on the Nobel Prize and its culture, contrasting with the more celebratory tone of this book.
- A Beautiful Question: Finding Nature’s Deep Design · Frank Wilczek
Discussed in detail during Wilczek's interview, it explains his core philosophy of using beauty and symmetry as a powerful guide in scientific discovery.
- The Emperor’s New Mind · Roger Penrose
Mentioned as a book that had a profound influence on the author, showcasing a laureate's exploration of deep questions about consciousness and physics for a popular audience.