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Thread Of The Silkworm (Paperback)

by Iris Chang (Author)
Key Phrases: series editorial department, rocket research project, jet propulsion center, United States, Los Angeles, Theodore von Kármán (more...)
3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
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Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Few Americans remember Tsien Hsue-shen, the subject of this book. Born in China in 1911, he came to the United States during the 1930s, earned a Ph.D. at Caltech, and made major contributions to aeronautics, rocketry, and other fields. After applying for U.S. citizenship in the 1950s, however, he became an innocent target of the Red Scare and was deported. Then, instead of assuming the leadership role in America's missile and space programs for which he appeared destined, he helped create the Chinese missile and space program that later supplied the Third World with Silkworm missiles. Tsien's incredible life is the story of one of the greatest blunders ever made by the U.S. government. Chang's biography ranges across the histories of rocketry, aeronautics, nuclear weapons development, and U.S.- China relations. With Anna Fields's energetic reading, this fascinating book would make a can't-miss addition to any general audiobook collection.AKent Rasmussen, Thousand Oaks, CA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Product Description
The definitive biography of Tsien Hsue-Shen, the pioneer of the American space age who was mysteriously accused of being a communist, deported, and became—to America’s continuing chagrin—the father of the Chinese missile program.


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Product Details

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Basic Books (November 14, 1996)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0465006787
  • ISBN-13: 978-0465006786
  • Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #221,043 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Inside This Book (learn more)
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
series editorial department, rocket research project, jet propulsion center, aeronautics professor, missile scientists, wind tunnel facilities, aeronautics department, engineering cybernetics, rocket project, sounding rocket, aeronautical sciences
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, Los Angeles, Theodore von Kármán, New York, Fifth Academy, Jiaotong University, Frank Malina, Seventh Ministry, Soviet Union, Sidney Weinbaum, Suicide Squad, Tsien Hsue-shen, Zhou Enlai, Cultural Revolution, Clark Millikan, Communist China, Army Ordnance, Great Leap Forward, People's Republic of China, Boxer Rebellion, Chiang Kai-shek, State Department, Arroyo Seco, California Institute of Technology, Homer Joe Stewart
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The Secret of Apollo by Professor Stephen B. Johnson PhD
 

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Customer Reviews

13 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:
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3 star:
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Average Customer Review
3.2 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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33 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars shines a light on a murky time in history, June 16, 2001
By Mary Tsien (Oklahoma City, OK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I must admit a bias - HS Tsien is my grandfather's cousin. As such, this book is for me the family history that noone would tell me. For other readers, I would say that most history books concentrate on the rise of the USSR as a power, and then *poof!* there's China...how did that happen? Chang's book reveals how China's emergence on the world stage as a military power resulted from the US's own stupidity and xenophobia. My one real complaint about the book is that Chang's writing seems to drive the book to a climax at the point of Tsien's return to China, and then peeters out while she recounts China's race to the ICBM. This inconsistancy makes one feel that Chang herself had lost interest in the story, which is unfortunate. This story is fascinating enough (for anyone interested in history, not just me) to wish that the entire book had been treated with the care that Chang shows Tsien's US phase. Anyways, one leaves the story with feelings of respect and regret for what could have been. Please note that HS Tsien is still a bogeyman for the US intelligence community - he was mentioned, as Qian Xuesen, in the 1999 Cox report during the Los Alamos spy scandal. As far as I know, HS Tsien is still alive.
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21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Meticulously researched and superbly written..., August 14, 2000
By A Customer
This is another book written by Iris Chang, author of bestseller "The Rape of Nanking". "Thread of Silkworm" told a fascinating story of a Chinese scientist, Tsien Hsue-Shen, educated in U. S. with great contribution in U. S. rocketry, was falsely accused as a communist and deported back to China in 1950's. Upon return to China, he became the father of Chinese missile program. The book was meticulously researched and superbly written. Iris Chang is a very talented writer; this is evident by this book.
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14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Biography about a Chinese Scientist, December 16, 2004
By R. DelParto "Rose2" (Virginia Beach, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
Thread of the Silkworm was not quite what I expected in terms of a biography about Tsien Hsue-shen. It is a simple and attractive narrative that may have been targeted toward readers that like their reading without overstocked footnotes. It appears that Chang took her research from Tsien's surviving friends, colleagues, and Tsien himself. In addition, her style of writing is somewhat intimate and personal, and she appears to write in a way where she really put much effort in getting to know her subject. Througout the book she made Tsien looked like a hard-nosed and self-centered professor that could careless about his students. But at other times, there are passages in the book where his work overtook him. In addition, it appeared like Chang empathized with what Tsien was going through when he was forced to abandon his research and duties at CalTech.

Nevertheless, Chang does a good job at capturing the period in which Tsien studied, worked, and lived. She attempts to provide detail during World War II, and how Tsien contributed to US rocket technology. However, it appears disturbing of how his life took a turn during the Communist-feared 1950s, and how he became blacklisted and excluded from a society that welcomed his knowledge and participation in the world of science and technology. Indeed, he became a US citizen, but because of unfortunate circumstances at time when ideology knew no boundaries, his talents were transfered overseas.

Thread of the Silkworm was an easy read that will enhance your knowledge about immigration and what occurred during the 1950s. I recommend this book for those interested in biographies, a dab of science, and as Chinese/Asian-American history as well.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Observation From Reading Reviews
This is about the review that a guy named "S.Shueh" wrote below. As an example of ridiculous expressions, his sentence: "When someone who is not perfect speaks with authority at... Read more
Published on February 13, 2007 by private eye

4.0 out of 5 stars Silkworm Missiles
It is sad to note that Iris Chang has ended her life in a tragic self-inflicted bipolar conflict recently. This explains her unique writing style in several of her books. Read more
Published on April 29, 2005 by S. Shueh

3.0 out of 5 stars our country dropped the ball
I bought this book many years ago before Wen Ho Lee and James Yee and even though I found it difficult to read, I kept it as a reminder that being of Chinese origin adversely... Read more
Published on October 29, 2004 by MightyB

1.0 out of 5 stars barely scratches the surface
... the subject matter is very intriging and deservesattention. However, Ms. Chang's book has no real insight into Tsien'slife.... The actual writting is also lackingg. Read more
Published on April 22, 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars Saga of a rocket scientist worthy of Hollywood
Am I inclined to believe that all foreign born or educated defense scientists (e.g., Tsien and J.R. Oppenheimer) should be presumed "seriously suspect until proven... Read more
Published on January 25, 2000 by yio

3.0 out of 5 stars an unanswered question
Ms. Chang has an eye for intriguing subjects. This book had me engrossed immediately, and is well worth a read. Read more
Published on January 24, 2000

1.0 out of 5 stars US mistake and Chinese threat
This is an interesting book that tries to describe the folly of the communist-hunting hysteria that swept through the US during the '50s. Read more
Published on November 29, 1999

3.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Book.
Fascinating book about father of Chinese rocket program. Uneven in terms of storytelling. First half, anecdote. Second half, news report.
Published on September 7, 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars A well written and fascinating tale
Chang has written a spellbinding biography of Tsien Hsue-shen, the father of the Chinese missile program. Meticulously researched and well written. Read more
Published on May 1, 1998

1.0 out of 5 stars Better read as a hastely put-together reference book.
Obviously the author spent a lot of time collecting materials, but she failed to digest them. Too many mistakes in details, which greatly hurts credibility. Read more
Published on April 21, 1998

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