No [Hardcover]

Carl Djerassi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1998

High-stakes gambling, sex, science, and the stock market converge in this conclusion to Djerassi's acclaimed "science-fiction" tetralogy. A husband-and-wife scientist team happen upon on a "cure" to the widespread problem of infertility.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Carl "The Father of the Pill" Djerassi returns with another "science-in-fiction" account (after Menachem's Seed) of discovery in the making, his newest subject being the intersection of capitalism and reproductive technology. Brilliant grad student Renu Krishnan is sent by her professor at Brandeis, Felix Frankenthaler, to research the effect of nitric oxide (the NO of the title) on penile tumescence. In Israel, she falls for her co-worker, Jeptha Cohn; their experiments on his erection invention become downright personal. She also falls, in a different way, for Martin Gestler?a businessman who persuades Renu to give up academic science to produce and market their NO "platform." The dizzying array of acronyms and superwonks (including return players like Menachem Dvir and Melanie Laidlaw) can bore and terrify readers by turns as they throw around words like "polyzeniumpolyolates" in casual conversation, but Djerassi clearly knows his way around labs and the money that makes them go?even if the success of Viagra lends unintentional prescience to the novel's scientific-fiscal intrigues.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This fourth novel in Stanford chemistry professor Djerassi's science-in-fiction tetralogy (e.g. Menachem's Seed, LJ 7/97) centers around the timely issue of a new treatment for male impotence utilizing nitric oxide (one possible reading of the "NO" of the title). Readers will appreciate watching the personal and professional growth of Renu Krishnan, an Indian postdoctoral student at Brandeis whose involvement in the development of the NO method allows her to break through many of the gender barriers still facing female scientists. This tale of scientific ethics combined with straightforward descriptions of the behind-the-scenes machinations common in both academia and industry is characteristic Djerassi, and his exploration of topical scientific issues and updates on recurring characters should appeal to fans of his previous work.?Rachel Singer, Franklin Park P.L., IL
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 296 pages
• Publisher: University of Georgia Press; First Edition edition (October 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0820320323
• ISBN-13: 978-0820320328
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,763,964 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

CARL DJERASSI, born in Vienna but educated in the US, is a writer and professor of chemistry emeritus at Stanford University. Author of over 1200 scientific publications and seven monographs, he is one of the few American scientists to have been awarded both the National Medal of Science (in 1973, for the first synthesis of a steroid oral contraceptive--"the Pill") and the National Medal of Technology (in 1991, for promoting new approaches to insect control). A member of the US National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences as well as the Royal Society (London) and many other foreign academies, Djerassi has received 24 honorary doctorates together with numerous other honors, such as the first Wolf Prize in Chemistry, the first Award for the Industrial Application of Science from the National Academy of Sciences, the American Chemical Society's highest award, the Priestley Medal, and more recently, the Erasmus Medal of the Academia Europaea (2003), the Great Merit Cross of Germany (2003), the Gold Medal of the American Institute of Chemists (2004), the Serono Prize in Literature (Rome, 2005) and and the Great Silver Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria (2008). In 2005, the Austrian Post Office issued a stamp in his honor.


During the past 23 years, he has published short stories, poetry (The Clock runs backward) and five novels (Cantor's Dilemma; The Bourbaki Gambit; Marx, deceased; Menachem's Seed; NO)--that illustrate as "science-in-fiction" the human side of science and the personal conflicts faced by scientists--as well as an autobiography (The Pill, Pygmy Chimps and Degas' Horse), a memoir (THIS MAN'S PILL: Reflections on the 50th birthday of the Pill), a docudrama (Four Jews on Parnassus--a Conversation,) and seven plays: An Immaculate Misconception, Oxygen (written with Roald Hoffmann), Calculus, EGO, Phallacy, Taboos, and Foreplay.


Djerassi is the founder of the Djerassi Resident Artists Program near Woodside, California, which provides residencies and studio space for artists in the visual arts, literature, choreography and performing arts, and music. Over 2000 artists have passed through that program since its inception in 1982. Djerassi lives in San Francisco, Vienna, and London.

(There is a Web site about Carl Djerassi's writing at http://www.djerassi.com)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars No No Renu, August 19, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: No (Hardcover)

"Welcome to the tribe." So concludes Carl Djerassi's latest novel, NO---the final work in his science-in-fiction tetralogy. His terse ending summarizes one of the novel's recurring themes---the often primal behavior of research scientists. By referring to their "Nobel lust" or to their quest for financial rewards, Djerassi compels the reader to consider scientists from a more human perspective---one where fierce competition motivates decisions in scientific activity. In previous novels Djerassi has examined this cutthroat mentality in the context of authorship, in vitro fertilization , and cancer research. This time, by picking up on the frenzy surrounding Viagra, Djerassi sets the stage when he turns his characters' attentions toward the molecule nitric oxide (NO) as a potential cure for penile dysfunction.

However, the real focus should be on a drug to cure Djerassi's fictive dysfunction. Although his science is engaging, his fiction remains uninspired. Detached dialogue fails to light any sparks on the page and leaves the reader with an array of one-dimensional characters. Renu Krishnan, the protagonist of the story, is an Indian chemist who works with a group of scientists and investors to bring a device to the market that helps male impotence. We watch her transform into a biotech executive and lose sight of pure science; her sacrifices are many, often at the expense of her family. Yet in spite of her struggle, Djerassi fails to give Renu depth and her unconvincing flawlessness precludes a connection with the reader. This is unfortunate, since her position as a female scientist in a predominantly male field is exceptional.

Djerassi struggles in other aspects of the book as well. By disclosing from the outset that nitric oxide does in fact work, he has erased the element of mystery that normally paces a book. In later sub-plots he similarly fails to create suspense. As a result, NO loses momentum early on and emerges only as a stodgy, carefully constructed tale.

Nonetheless, the book does have value. His science-in-fiction approach differs from science fiction in that the science is accurate, and his examination of the step-by-step process involved in developing a new drug---ranging from FDA requirements and clinical trials to marketing and potential lawsuits---is highly informative. Djerassi's commentary on the opportunities for research in academia versus the biotech industry is intriguing, as is his occasional reference to Indian and Israeli customs. And, if one has enjoyed Djerassi's other works, NO is replete with characters from previous novels. Just don't expect them to move you.---Vanessa J. Silberman

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A good how-to book, March 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: No (Hardcover)

I have come across scientists who claim that reading the journal Nature is as exciting as reading a Jules Verne novel. I guess NO can be exciting, too, if one is interested in knowledge about patenting scientific findings, fundraising, and getting FDA approvals. All that information in a neat package.

However, as a novel, NO has its shortcomings. When I was reading the book, I had a hard time picturing the female protagonist, a young female Indian scientist, Indian. Apparently the author knew little about Indian culture, and Indians who came to the U.S. Other characters in the book did not fare much better, either. There is simply no character development.

The book doesn't have much of a plot, either. The author is certainly familiar with the science involved, but too much expounding on this matter bores the uninitiated. (The author does claim that he writes for the general public, not just the scientific crowd.)

To make the matters worse, the author made hundreds of sex jokes in the beginning chapters of the book, as if these jokes could be funny forever. I found this attempt to hold the readers' attention juvenile.

To sum it up, this book is not that enjoyable, if you read it as a novel. Perhaps the book should be renamed and placed in the non-fiction section, along with other how-to books.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent description of science discovery and marketing, September 18, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: No (Hardcover)

After I read Frances Brodsky's review of NO in Nature, I ordered the book. I enjoyed NO tremendously. As an academic viral immunologist who has serendipitously discovered the potency of NO as an antiviral in encephalitis, I found the science impeccable and tongue in cheek. The description of discovery, of testing, establishment of a company, FDA approval and ultimately marketing rang true. As a woman scientist, I found the travails of your protagonist valid. I only wish that love were so easy to obtain in my circles. This book was a terrific week's free time diversion!