Edward Teller and the Development of the Hydrogen Bomb (Unlocking the Secrets of Science) [Library Binding]

John Bankston (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2001 | Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up | Series: Unlocking the Secrets of Science

Often called the "father of the hydrogen bomb," Edward Teller believes that the device he helped invent, with its potential to kill millions of people, actually made the world a safer place. "I am still asked on occasion whether I am not sorry for having invented such a terrible thing as the hydrogen bomb," he says. "The answer is, I am not." Teller adamantly believes that what he did saved lives. He believes that his discoveries changed the world for the better. A pioneer of the atomic age and one of the many brilliant scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project, Edward Teller is as controversial today as he was fifty years ago.

A Hungarian immigrant, Teller fled Nazi Germany and successfully proved that the atomic bomb could be used without creating a world-destroying chain reaction.

But his choices and beliefs have been questioned not just by citizens and government officials, but also by his fellow scientists. Some regard him as a genius and some as a hated person who developed a weapon 1,000 times more destructive than the first atom bomb. Regardless of the opinion people have of him, his impact on the twentieth century is undeniable.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-The child-friendly writing in these books raises them a jot above the standard science biographical fare. Fleming presents the Scottish researcher's quest in cheerful terms, detailing his sports-loving and unconventionally messy life in ways that allow his brilliance to glow without losing sight of the serendipitous absentmindedness of this particular professor. He chose his London medical school on the basis of its water-polo team (it was pretty pathetic medically) and stayed on as a researcher because he was a standout on their rifle team, which allowed him to do the work that would one day lead him to discover penicillin. Teller, somewhat dryer, traces the life and accomplishments of the man who, like other European scientists, came to the United States as a refugee from Hitler and helped build the atomic bomb. Fascinated with the challenge of designing an even more powerful hydrogen bomb, Teller and others created the Lawrence Livermore Lab in California, where the H-bomb would be created. Both books maintain a breezy pace and evenhanded perspective and include interesting, unexpected aspects of the lives and personalities of these two men. Black-and-white full-page photos attempt to illuminate, but sometimes jar (one in Fleming pictures kids in tennis shoes playing in an urban slum-in the 1890s?). There are no bibliographies to enable readers to further investigate (or verify) some of the direct quotations and more obscure claims, a troubling omission in otherwise meritorious biographies.
Mary R. Hofmann, Rivera Middle School, Merced, CA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, John Bankston began publishing articles in newspapers and magazines while still a teenager. Since then, he has written over two hundred articles, and contributed chapters to books such as Crimes of Passion and Death Row 2000, which have been sold in bookstores around the world. He has recently written a number of biographies for Mitchell Lane including books on Mandy Moore, Jessica Simpson and Jonas Salk. He currently lives in Los Angeles, California, pursuing a career in the entertainment industry. He has worked as a writer for the movies Dot-Com and the upcoming Planetary Suicide, which begins filming in 2002. As an actor John has appeared in episodes of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Charmed and Get Real along with appearances in the films Boys and Girls, and America So Beautiful. He has a supporting part in Planetary Suicide and has recently completed his first young adult novel, 18 To Look Younger.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Library Binding: 48 pages
• Publisher: Mitchell Lane Publishers (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584151080
• ISBN-13: 978-1584151081
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 6.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,144,322 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, John Bankston began writing professionally while still a teenager. Since then, over two hundred of his articles have been published in magazines and newspapers across the country, including travel articles in The Tallahassee Democrat, The Orlando Sentinel and The Tallahassean. He is the author of over sixty biographies for young adults, including works on Alexander the Great, scientist Stephen Hawking, actor Jodi Foster, and authors including Katherine Paterson, Ray Bradbury and F. Scott Fitzgerald. He currently lives in Newport Beach, California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars too short a discussion, March 7, 2005

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W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Edward Teller and the Development of the Hydrogen Bomb (Unlocking the Secrets of Science) (Library Binding)

Bankston offers a primary school readership an introduction to the story of the founder of the American hydrogen bomb. He relates Teller's life in the context of World War 2 and the Cold War. A rather bleak backdrop that reflects the sombre nature of the story.

Given the background of the audience and the length of this slim book, there is little discussion of the complexities of Teller's long life and the controversial issues and passions he evoked in many. Perhaps a young reader will be interested enough to pursue a fuller history of the man and his times.