p53. The Gene that Cracked the Cancer Code

More than any textbook, article, or lecture could, this book offers a sip of contagious enthusiasm and a conviction that scientists will eventually "crack the cancer code" ― Science Published On: 2015-05-26

One of the best accounts I've read of how science is actually performed. -- Peter Forbes ― The Guardian

A succinct, accessible study of humanity's genetic bulwark against cancer. ― Nature

Ms. Armstrong¹s book comes alive in the sections where she explores cancer¹s human toll, including the devastating experience of families with rare genetic mutations, such as Li-Fraumeni syndrome, which leaves children of parents with a faulty gene vulnerable to cancer at almost any age. She also captures the excitement of researchers as they come upon eureka moments. ― Wall Street Journal

Armstrong paints a very human picture ... Not only does Armstrong make p53 understandable but she also sheds light on the scientific method. In an age of government austerity, highlighting the importance of scientific research is also a gift. ― The Lancet Published On: 2015-05-01

Armstrong has rendered, from what easily could have become a tangled web of complex science, a readable story of discovery. As in the best travel writing, it's not the destination that's important here, but the journey. This is not only a story about the gene on chromosome 17, nor only about the nature of cancer, but also about how science works. -- Ellen Bartlett ― Boston Globe Published On: 2015-02-24

Popularizing science is not an easy thing to do well ... but Sue Armstrong has managed to achieve this with style and aplomb. -- Philip Coates ― Journal of Pathology Published On: 2015-05-22

P53 ... is adeptly explored in this book by Armstrong, an accomplished science writer ... This book is fundamentally about how science is actually done - not the retelling of the story after the work is complete and the narrative scrubbed of imperfections, but rather about scientific progress in fits and starts. ― Oncology Times Published On: 2015-07-15

Sue Armstrong tells the story of this discovery by rival teams as if it were a detective story. I found it gripping. -- Matt Ridley ― Wall Street Journal - best science books, 2015

Sue Armstrong is a writer and broadcaster specialising in science, health and development issues. As a foreign correspondent based in Brussels and then South Africa, Sue has written for a wide variety of publications and audiences, including New Scientist magazine, the World Health Organisation and UNAIDS, and for many years she reported on the AIDS pandemic from the frontline in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. Now based in Scotland, Sue has worked on many feature programmes, on science and other topics, for BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service.