The
book genre that we focus on this week is Nonfiction. The selected book for this
genre is entitled, BOMB, the Race to Build—and
Steal—the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin. This book was
2013 Newberry Honor book and a winner of Sibert medal. This book is three
stories in one: a) the concept of the nuclear fission b) the production of the
atomic bomb and c) the theft of the
technology by the Soviet Union. To put all three stories in one idea, the
author had to keep shifting the thread of the narrative as they developed. In one chapter you may be reading about the
concept of atoms and neutrons , while in
the following chapter the reader may be reading
about the FBI tailing spies in New York or Chicago, and yet still, in another, the
reader may be reading about famous scientist such as Einstein and Robert
Opperheimer. But, the reader is not
overwhelmed with a book that is too scientific—the technical terms are all
understandable.
All
this started out because a German chemist in 1939 made a shocking discovery: when
he places radioactive material next to uranium atom. This action caused uranium atom to split into
two. That simple discovery dealing with
the tiniest of particles, launched a cut-throat race that would span three
continents. The players were the
greatest scientists (Einstein, Robert Oppeheimer), the most expert spies and
some of the most brutal dictators that ever lived (Adolph Hitler of Germany and
Joseph Stalin of Soviet Union). The
prize of whoever first harnesses that technology would be world dominance.
This
book is about risk-taking and morality. I
say it is about risk taking because the scientists did not know if this bomb
would even work. Some scientists even
believe that this thing—this theory of “chain reaction,” might even continue
exploding until it kills all of mankind.
The morality aspect comes about because some scientists started to
question the idea of one country possessing such a “doomsday” weapon.
The
style of this book is that of a fast-paced fiction, but it is not—it is a
non-fiction work. Steve Shienkin does a lot of direct quotation
of the main characters, giving the reader an authentic view of the thinking of
the characters. In addition, the book
has a lot of white space, which helps to make it an easy reader. Young adults,
in my opinion would benefit from and be taken in by the risk taking that is in
the text. They would also be able to learn from that what it means to take a
risk even when doubt sets in. Honestly, that’s what did it for me and would
surely make it a teachable moment that I could teach my students; whom, in my
opinion, are in need of some kind of great motivation.
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