Bad Blood

I couldn’t wait any longer to get my hands on this book, one of the most frequent “best of 2018” books on every discussion board I’m a part of and podcast I listen to. I was hundredth or so in line for the hard copy at the library here in DC, so I caved and bought it on audiobook and wow, I’m so glad I did. The narration was excellent and really drew me into the story. It was like listening to a hard-hitting investigative podcast.

Bad Blood is the story of Elizabeth Holmes, a 19-year-old Stanford dropout who became a sensation, and the company that she founded, Theranos. Theranos was supposed to be a revolutionary way to draw blood, test it, diagnose patients, and administer medicine. With only a tiny drop of blood pricked on your finger at home, you’d be able to be tested for over eight-hundred diseases or medical issues, according to Theranos’s original plan. But everything is not perfect at Theranos and there’s a lot going on, or not going on, that’s going to cause a LOT of problems–for everyone involved.

Carreyou, an investigative reporter for the Wall Street Journal, weaves an absolutely fascinating narrative account of the rise of Theranos, through lab workers, Elizabeth herself,her board members, and doctors and patients as well. There are some absolutely jaw-dropping revelations in this book, things that even as a non-medical and non-tech person I knew were outrageous. Even if you don’t know a lot about the science behind the Theranos, you’ll still enjoy this book. Carreyout is an amazing writer, Will Damron is an excellent narrator, and I’m still talking about this book to everyone I meet, days later. There’s a reason it was on so many best of 2018 lists.It’s absolutely fascinating.

Also, it’s being made into a movie with Jennifer Lawrence as Elizabeth Holmes which seems kind of perfect. I can’t wait to see it!