This book group explores various corners of science and technology usually outside of our normal day-to-day concerns and activities. For Fall 2024 we continue with four books on novel aspects of the life sciences. The first book is an autobiography by Katalin Kariko, a Nobel laureate for her ground-breaking research on mRNA, which eventually led to the development of Covid vaccines. The next selection, by B.J. Cheriyal, a noted physician, scientist, and professor, provides us a layman’s guide to the science of the human immune system, as a compliment to last season’s Elegant Defense by Matt Richtel. For our third book, we return to one of our favorite authors, Siddhartha Mukherjee, for his accessible and compassionate presentation of the biology of cancer. For our fourth read, neuroscientist Matthew Walker gives us a comprehensive view of the science of sleep and recommendations for achieving its maximum benefits based on the physiology and neuroscience.

Led by Maurice Lanman and Laurie Calvet.

• Breaking Through: My Life in Science by Katalin Kariko.
• The Logic of Immunity: Deciphering an Enigma by Bobby Joseph Cherayil
• The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer  by Siddhartha Mukherjee
• Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker

• 24 September
• 29 October
• 3 December
• 14 January