{"product_id":"the-radioactive-boy-scout-the-frightening-true-story-of-a-whiz-kid-and-his-homemade-nuclear-reactor-paperback","title":"The Radioactive Boy Scout: The Frightening True Story of a Whiz Kid and His Homemade Nuclear Reactor - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eKen Silverstein\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrowing up in suburban Detroit, David Hahn was fascinated by science. While he was working on his Atomic Energy badge for the Boy Scouts, David's obsessive attention turned to nuclear energy. Throwing caution to the wind, he plunged into a new project: building a model nuclear reactor in his backyard garden shed. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePosing as a physics professor, David solicited information on reactor design from the U.S. government and from industry experts. Following blueprints he found in an outdated physics textbook, David cobbled together a crude device that threw off toxic levels of radiation. His wholly unsupervised project finally sparked an environmental emergency that put his town's forty thousand suburbanites at risk. The EPA ended up burying his lab at a radioactive dumpsite in Utah. This offbeat account of ambition and, ultimately, hubris has the narrative energy of a first-rate thriller.\u003ch3\u003eFront Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrowing up in suburban Detroit, David Hahn was fascinated by science. While he was working on his Atomic Energy badge for the Boy Scouts, David's obsessive attention turned to nuclear energy. Throwing caution to the wind, he plunged into a new project: building a model nuclear reactor in his backyard garden shed. \u003cbr\u003ePosing as a physics professor, David solicited information on reactor design from the U.S. government and from industry experts. Following blueprints he found in an outdated physics textbook, David cobbled together a crude device that threw off toxic levels of radiation. His wholly unsupervised project finally sparked an environmental emergency that put his town's forty thousand suburbanites at risk. The EPA ended up burying his lab at a radioactive dumpsite in Utah. This offbeat account of ambition and, ultimately, hubris has the narrative energy of a first-rate thriller.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKEN SILVERSTEIN\u003c\/b\u003e is an investigative reporter for the Washington, D.C., bureau of the \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e. A former contributing editor to \u003ci\u003eHarper's Magazin\u003c\/i\u003ee, in which a portion of this story first appeared, he has written for \u003ci\u003eMother Jones, The Nation, \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e The American Prospect\u003c\/i\u003e, among others. He lives in Washington, D.C.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 240\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.57 x 7.84 x 5.68 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e January 11, 2005\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAward:\u003c\/strong\u003e Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (2007)\u003c\/div\u003e\n                \u003cdiv\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAccelerated Reader:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n                \n                \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eQuiz Name:\u003c\/strong\u003e Radioactive Boy Scout: The True Story of a Boy and His Backyard Nuclear Reactor\u003c\/div\u003e\n                \n                \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eInterest Level:\u003c\/strong\u003e Upper Grades, 9-12\u003c\/div\u003e\n                \n                \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReading Level:\u003c\/strong\u003e 10.1\u003c\/div\u003e\n                \n                \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePoint Value:\u003c\/strong\u003e 11\u003c\/div\u003e\n                ","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42093402980487,"sku":"9780812966602","price":21.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/2623\/2711\/files\/87bdae5dac3024789bb435c4729a1bcd.webp?v=1732310464","url":"https:\/\/booksby.splitshops.com\/products\/the-radioactive-boy-scout-the-frightening-true-story-of-a-whiz-kid-and-his-homemade-nuclear-reactor-paperback","provider":"Books by splitShops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}