Brendan Borrell is a correspondent for Outside magazine and has written on science, health and business for the Atlantic, Bloomberg Businessweek, National Geographic, Wired and the New York Times. He lives in Los Angeles. The First Shots is his first book.
'In his vivid account of the tumultuous journey toward developing a coronavirus vaccine, Brendan Borrell offers immediate and hugely valuable insights. Beyond the chaotic politics, clashing egos, and erratic logistics were unprecedented scientific achievements. Those audacious efforts, and the people behind them, come fully to life in Borrell's absorbing narrative.' * Marty Baron, executive editor (retired) of the Washington Post * 'In The First Shots, Brendan Borrell delivers a riveting, sometimes startling, sometimes chilling page-turner of a book...It's also a remarkable illumination of the politics, the personalities, and the human drama underlying a desperate scientific fight against an invisible enemy.' * Deborah Blum, Pulitzer Prize-winning author * 'Astonishingly powerful...Brendan Borrell has written a compelling, up-to-the-minute chronicle of a pivotal moment in the history of science. You will learn something new on every page of The First Shots.' * Dan Fagin, Pulitzer Prize-winning author * 'Brendan Borrell has delivered the definitive account of the race to develop and manufacture the vaccines needed to combat COVID-19. The book does a masterful job of explaining the science behind the vaccines while unfurling a vivid story full of exceptional characters locked in a thrilling competition to do nothing less than try and save the world. It's a gripping tale of what happens when unlikely heroes battle through extraordinary circumstances.' * Ashlee Vance, New York Times bestselling author * 'Engaging, often intriguing...There's a real fly-on-the-wall sense of immediacy to [Borrell's] portrait of the time.' * Steven Carroll, Age *