Robert J. Lefkowitz is a Nobel Prize-winning
scientist (Chemistry, 2012) who is best known for showing how
adrenaline works via stimulation of specific receptors. He was
trained at Columbia, the NIH and Harvard before joining the faculty
at Duke University and becoming an Investigator of
the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. In addition to being
a researcher, Dr. Lefkowitz is a cardiologist as well as
a cardiac patient.
Randy Hall was a post-doctoral trainee of
Dr. Lefkowitz in the 1990’s and is now a Professor in the
Emory University School of Medicine. He has published more than one
hundred scientific papers and received major awards for his
research. He is also a prize-winning educator with strong interests
in science writing and public outreach about science and medicine.
"Cardiologist-turned-biochemist, Robert Lefkowitz won the 2012
Nobel Prize in Chemistry for showing how adrenaline works through
stimulation of specific receptors, with huge implications for drug
discovery. Yet he calls himself 'an accidental scientist,' because
he trained as a physician. Instead of being drafted to the Vietnam
War, he served at the US National Institutes of Health. His
autobiography is a vividly anecdotal account, influenced by a
supervisor’s lesson that data do not tell a story: 'A story is
something you impose on the data.'"
*NATURE*
“Lefkowitz unveils the teamwork, persistence, and labors of love
that go into living a life of significance. By turns funny
and moving, this book has the power to inspire.”
*Mike Krzyzewski, Head Coach, Men’s Basketball, Duke
University*
"This vivid tale shines with personality. Rarely has science been
treated with such a winning blend of humor and humanity."
*Publishers Weekly*
"Lefkowitz is an avid and inveterate storyteller. Told with
humor and humility, what shines through most is his love of
stories. His passion for science and discovery, for helping people,
and for celebrating stories is infectious."
*Booklist*
“An engaging Nobel Prize-winning journey of a life in medicine and
science. Joyous, insightful, and irreverent, Lefkowitz
describes the enormous impediments to challenging established dogma
and legendary elders as well as the art and satisfaction of
mentoring young scientists. For both lay readers and
professional scientists, this book presents a narrative that
will delight and that offers a goldmine of wisdom.”
*Robert Horvitz, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Nobel Prize in
Physiology or Medicine (2002)*
“Lefkowitz’s life is testament to the joy of science. The book
is a page-turner, a riveting account of a life well-lived. It
is a story of stories, a tale of greatness.”
*Roger D. Kornberg, Ph.D., Stanford University, Nobel Prize in
Chemistry (2006)*
“In this engaging and often rollicking tale, Bob Lefkowitz recounts
how the Vietnam War transformed him from a dedicated young
physician into an enthusiastic, ambitious, and highly successful
scientist whose discoveries have altered our understanding of cell
function and approaches to drug development. Arriving at a
time when the need to convert physicians into scientists is greater
than ever, this book can do more than just entertain and instruct:
it can inspire young doctors to remake their careers.”
*Harold Varmus, M.D., Lewis Thomas University Professor, Weill
Cornell Medicine; Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1989);
Author of The Art and Politics of Science*
“More than just a heartwarming and thrilling chronicle of a great
physician-scientist, Lefkowitz has written a story-based leadership
guide for any aspiring mentor. A testament to the power of building
enduring excellence by believing in, championing, and developing
others.”
*Sanyin Siang, Leadership Coach and author of The Launch Book*
“A spell-binding memoir, packed with deep insights and charged with
the thrill of discovery. This is a tale told from the pinnacle of
human achievement, that also serves as a master-class in humility
and overcoming tragedy—all interwoven with laugh-out-loud
anecdotes. Lefkowitz is a brilliant and charming storyteller, with
an indomitable passion for living, and wisdom for the ages.”
*Karl Deisseroth, M.D., Ph.D., Stanford University, Winner of the
Kyoto Prize and the Heineken Prize; Author of Projections*
“In this entertaining book, Nobelist Bob Lefkowitz recounts how he
became a passionate and renowned physician-scientist. He unveils
the secret to his scientific stardom in a series of engrossing
stories spanning his fifty-year career. No tale is left untold—many
are amusing, some might raise a few eyebrows.”
*Joseph L. Goldstein, M.D., and Michael S. Brown, M.D., U.T.
Southwestern Medical Center, Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine
(1985)*
“Lefkowitz provides joyous remembrance of his amazing career as a
physician-scientist. Interlaced with vignettes of personal
sacrifice, growth, and friendship is the story of the seminal
discoveries that culminated in science’s highest award. A beautiful
story of family, hard work, and steadfast optimism.”
*Christine Seidman, M.D., Professor, Harvard Medical School,
Director, CV Genetics Center Brigham and Women’s Hospital*
“How does a brilliant young physician accidentally get hooked on
research? Bob Lefkowitz's life-altering shift changed not only his
life but the lives of hundreds of his trainees. From the dazzling
way adrenaline controls critical body functions to the thrill of
his Nobel Prize win, this engaging book will help you better
understand how physician scientists dedicate their careers to
understanding human biology and enhancing human health."
*P. Roy Vagelos, M.D., Retired Chairman and CEO, Merck & Co.;
Chairman of the Board, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals*
“Lighthearted, yet profoundly personal and moving, Lefkowitz’s
memoir shares the secret recipe for winning a Nobel prize—two parts
genius, one part audacity in challenging authority, one part
insightful and supportive mentoring, a splash of good luck, and ten
parts resilience and persistence. Bob Lefkowitz is at the top of
the list of the extraordinary cadre of physicians turned scientists
who ushered in the modern biotechnology revolution.”
*Barry S. Coller, M.D., David Rockefeller Professor of Medicine,
Rockefeller University, Physician-in Chief, Rockefeller University
Hospital*
"The odds of a scrappy kid growing up in the Bronx winning a Nobel
Prize are overwhelmingly small. How Bob Lefkowitz managed to
do this is revealed in this delightfully rich and moving book
allowing the reader to understand Bob’s intelligence, warmth, and
complexity. If you read one book this year, choose this
one. It will fill you with joy, hope, and give you a new
friend.”
*Ralph Snyderman, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Chancellor Emeritus,
Duke University*
“A blend of comedy, history, and tragedy, this book is much more
than a delightfully amusing tale of a bright kid from the Bronx who
ultimately wins a Nobel Prize. Bob Lefkowitz’s message is of the
utmost importance. U.S. taxpayer dollars funded a unique cadre of
young physicians—'the Yellow Berets’—whose discoveries have led to
revolutionary therapies for heart disease, cancer, diabetes,
impotence, neurodegeneration, HIV, and coronavirus, all while
training the next generation of medical scientists. Reading this
book shows that investments in science will continue to save the
world.”
*Peter Agre, M.D., Professor and Director, Johns Hopkins Malaria
Research Institute, Bloomberg School of Public Health; Nobel Prize
in Chemistry (2003)*
“Robert Lefkowitz’s memoir is a rollicking, absorbing read. It
turns out many funny things happened on his way to Stockholm.
Beautifully written, this book demonstrates the importance of
humor, humility, and humanity in the pursuit of scientific
discovery."
*Jerry Speyer, Chairman, Tishman-Speyer*
"A deeply personal perspective of events, people, thoughts,
and actions that have created an era of major
scientific breakthroughs. Full of insights and
revelations about the milieu that underlies today’s
biomedical revolution, from a key
participant. Written with a candor and style that
make Bob Lefkowitz’s life adventures as a
physician-scientist a delight to read.”
*Stanley N. Cohen, M.D., Professor of Genetics and Medicine,
Stanford University*
“Bob Lefkowitz is a legend in his own time. In addition to his
clinical background as an MD and acknowledged scientific mettle
resulting in a Nobel Prize, he is a renowned raconteur. Bob also
has an excellent sense of humor, and these twin skills have made
him a highly sought-after public speaker. They are both on vivid
display in this highly readable and entertaining autobiography,
which begins with his childhood in the Bronx and embraces his long
and distinguished career.”
*Michael Rosbash, Ph.D., Peter Gruber Professor of Neuroscience,
Brandeis University, Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical
Institute*
“Lefkowitz is not only a gifted scientist, but also a gifted
story-teller. From the Yankees to Duke basketball to the game show
Jeopardy through the upper echelons of science on his way to a
Nobel Prize, he proves that science can be fun and rewarding for
himself, the field, and his patients."
*Brian Druker, M.D., Director, Knight Cancer Institute, Oregon
Health & Science University*
“Lefkowitz appreciates the power of storytelling, both at the
bedside in making diagnoses and at the bench in generating
hypotheses. Full of vignettes that are sometimes embarrassingly
honest, at other times laugh-out-loud humorous, but always infused
with his own special brew of humility and hubris. An
informative and entertaining read.”
*Helen H. Hobbs, Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute,
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center*
“A tribute to teamwork that aims to inspire the young generation of
scientists to take a similar journey. This book shows that
making a breakthrough discovery, changing a paradigm, and using
science as a tool to change people’s lives is possible, while also
emphasizing that such achievements are not made by angels but by
human beings like all of us.”
*Aaron Ciechanover, M.D., D.Sc., Technion, Israel Institute of
Technology, Nobel Prize in Chemistry (2004)*
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