The Long Shot by Kate Bingham, Tim Hames
The Long Shot by Kate Bingham, Tim Hames – The Inside Story of the Race to Vaccinate Britain – is a fascinating book, very well written and informative. Kate Bingham led the UK Vaccine Taskforce in 2020, picking up contracts for vaccines, working closely with manufacturers and for clinical trials, to ensure UK had its share of vaccines. She was attacked in the media, who are not actually keen on investigations but go for tabloid as often as possible, but her achievements can’t be diminished. I saw her giving the Romanes Lecture at Oxford last year and loved her style.
In the book she presents the situation clearly and without partisan views. After reading the book I can’t say if she is a right-wing or a left-wing voter, this is how balanced the situation is presented. For example, she mentioned Boris Johnson a few times, obviously, and told both when he was supportive and when he blundered. She is both critical and complimentary of the government (as a whole, including non-affiliated advisors) depending on the situation. This is why I loved her book so much. I highly recommend it because of this.
The Long Shot by Kate Bingham, Tim Hames
Details about the picture: –
My rating: 5/5 Stars
Would I recommend it: yes
Published by: Oneworld Publications
Year it was published: 2022
Format: Hardcover
Genre(s): Memoir
Pages: 336
About the author: Dame Catherine Elizabeth Bingham DBE, known as Kate Bingham, is a British venture capitalist. She is a managing partner at a venture capital firm, SV Health Investors.
Tim Hames is Director General of the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association. Before joining the BVCA, Hames was a columnist and Chief Leader Writer at The Times. He occasionally writes travel pieces. He also wrote for The Tablet and the Charleston Mercury.
Website & Social Media Links: –
This sounds like a very well-written book. I always appreciate it when an author leaves you not knowing their political views. It’s how news should always be presented, yet seldom is. Focusing on the UK, though, it’s probably not one for me.
Kelly recently posted…Fall and a spin
I think it is relevant for US too for a couple of reasons. Firstly, we had 2 US-made vaccines, Pfizer and Moderna, and she talks a lot about both of them. The approach taken by Pfizer and Oxford-AZ is very different and really interesting to think about. Secondly, she mentions how things were done in UK compared to other countries, including US and, of course, EU.
While my review is very short, I took loads of notes for my studies. I think I write long reviews when I’m pretty annoyed with a book. :))