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    Bomb: The Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon (Newbery Honor Book & National Book Award Finalist)
    Unavailable
    Bomb: The Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon (Newbery Honor Book & National Book Award Finalist)
    Unavailable
    Bomb: The Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon (Newbery Honor Book & National Book Award Finalist)
    Ebook345 pages4 hours

    Bomb: The Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon (Newbery Honor Book & National Book Award Finalist)

    By Steve Sheinkin

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Perfect for middle grade readers and history enthusiasts, New York Times bestselling author Steve Sheinkin presents the fascinating and frightening true story of the creation behind the most destructive force that birthed the arms race and the Cold War in Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon.

    A Newbery Honor book
    A National Book Awards finalist for Young People's Literature
    A Washington Post Best Kids Books of the Year title

    In December of 1938, a chemist in a German laboratory made a shocking discovery: When placed next to radioactive material, a Uranium atom split in two. That simple discovery launched a scientific race that spanned three continents.

    In Great Britain and the United States, Soviet spies worked their way into the scientific community; in Norway, a commando force slipped behind enemy lines to attack German heavy-water manufacturing; and deep in the desert, one brilliant group of scientists was hidden away at a remote site at Los Alamos. This is the story of the plotting, the risk-taking, the deceit, and genius that created the world's most formidable weapon. This is the story of the atomic bomb.

    “This superb and exciting work of nonfiction would be a fine tonic for any jaded adolescent who thinks history is 'boring.' It's also an excellent primer for adult readers who may have forgotten, or never learned, the remarkable story of how nuclear weaponry was first imagined, invented and deployed—and of how an international arms race began well before there was such a thing as an atomic bomb.” —The Wall Street Journal

    “This is edge-of-the seat material that will resonate with YAs who clamor for true spy stories, and it will undoubtedly engross a cross-market audience of adults who dozed through the World War II unit in high school.” —The Bulletin (starred review)

    Also by Steve Sheinkin:

    The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery
    The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights
    Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team
    Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War
    Which Way to the Wild West?: Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn't Tell You About Westward Expansion
    King George: What Was His Problem?: Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn't Tell You About the American Revolution
    Two Miserable Presidents: Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn't Tell You About the Civil War
    Born to Fly: The First Women's Air Race Across America

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateSep 4, 2012
    ISBN9781596438613
    Unavailable
    Bomb: The Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon (Newbery Honor Book & National Book Award Finalist)
    Author

    Steve Sheinkin

    Steve Sheinkin is the acclaimed author of fast-paced, cinematic nonfiction histories, including Fallout, Undefeated, Born to Fly, The Port Chicago 50, and Bomb. His accolades include a Newbery Honor, three Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards, a Sibert Medal and Honor, and three National Book Award finalist honors. He lives in Saratoga Springs, New York, with his wife and two children.

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    Reviews for Bomb

    4.5/5

    364 ratings52 reviews

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    • 5/5
      When I decided to read this book, I knew the outcome; we dropped two bombs on Japan forcing them to sign the peace treaty, but wow, I was glued to every page. No one could be trusted, everything was cloak and dagger and this was no James Bond movie. War is hell. Be sure to read the afterward. You won't believe how many WMD's that are out there and how many countries possess them, yet the book did not leave me with a gloom and doom feeling. Sheniken is a master of historic fiction.
    • 5/5
      Excellent non-fiction book about the race with Germany and Russia to build the world's first atomic bomb. Great details and the Manhattan Project and the people involved in bringing our world into the nuclear age. Shows how top secret it was and how spies were trying to get information for their countries. Also shows us that this changed our world forever. Excellent read if you like history and details about huge events in the history of mankind.
    • 5/5
      Excellent story of the building of the bomb during WWII and the host of spies surrounding the development. Well written devoid of prejudices that could easily slip into such a telling. The best of the three I have read from this author.
    • 5/5
      This was a great story about the development of the atomic bomb. It was a sweet spot of being incredibly informative and enjoyable by kids ranging from 6 to 46. I consumed it as an audiobook during a long drive with the kids. It kept all of us entertained and informed.
    • 5/5
      I was hooked from the first word of the first chapter. It reads like a spy novel, but with incredible facts and interviews that strengthen the story to an ultimate mix of war and espionage. Sheinkin did an amazing job of incorporating fact without bogging the exciting action story down. Not only do we get to clear about building the atomic bomb but also the spy and espionage happening all over the world to further the Manhattan Project. I love love loved it!
    • 5/5
      It is less fashionable these days than it used to be to lie awake at night and worry about the destruction of life on earth by means of atomic weapons. For one thing, global climate change seems to be a much more certain fate, about which it is much harder to come to agreement. We may still have the nuclear weapons, but nobody thinks that the big powers, the ones who could really destroy the planet, want to use them. The nuclear wars we worry about these days would involve India, Pakistan, Israel or, coming soon to a Middle East near you, Iran.

      Nonetheless, the story of how these death machines were invented is still worth reading. Sheinkin's "Bomb" is tertiary history, written for a high school audience, or for a complete novice to the history of the nuclear weapons program in the US. It's a first rate retelling of a story that is familiar to us old timers - familiar from biographies of key participants, from full academic histories written from specific perspectives, and if you are of my parent's generation, from newspaper reporting. There is nothing new here to a student of Cold War history, except the package itself. But what we do get here is a very nice package, a good historical polishing and finishing, a weaving together of the Soviet spy story, the Norwegian saboteur story, the Einstein story, the Truman story, the Oppenheimer story, the German scientists' story, and on and on. Each of these facets are animated and put on stage together and made to speak to each other.

      The cast of familiar characters is vast, from Richard Feynmen to Moe Berg to the Rosenberg's - you've heard all these names before, and you've probably read about their roles in great detail. To read this book is to sit down in front of the TV and have NOVA narrate it all, although in considerably more detail than a TV show. You might say that this is a television documentary of a history book, in the very best sense. It can be finished in a few hours.

      This is the form in which history enters consciousness, enters the minds of young people, becomes part of the narrative of popular culture. You could say that this is what history is reduced to, but history must be reduced to some form if it is to have relevance to culture. This story, as told here, is three, four and five steps removed from the reality, but it is very well presented. If you knew nothing about how the atomic bomb came to exist on planet Earth, or about the era and the people that created it, you would be well served and well educated by this history.

      The footnoting style is notable: Each chapter relies extensively on secondary sources, and rather than using numbered footnotes, each reference is cited by chapter, and then by the first words of the quoted text. It's very clean and easy to work with.

      The illustrations are familiar, but useful and interesting. The 1940s typewriter typeface used for the illustrations nicely captures the graphical feel of the time.

      This is "the good parts" story of the development of the atomic bomb. All the boring stuff is left out, all the historical highlights (intrigue, ecstasy and agony) are there. It is short and sweet and to the point, with some satisfying "whatever happened to..." follow-ups in the epilogue that take us into the late 1990s. I found myself pulled along by the clear writing and the pleasure of reviewing a familiar technological horror story, a history of the birth of the end of the world.
    • 4/5
      Very well written, and very interesting.
    • 3/5
      Bomb: The Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon is a historical account of the building and effects of the world's first atomic bomb, which was built in the United States during World War II. The story follows the Manhattan Project, Soviet spies in America, and how the nuclear war began. The novel includes actual quotes from the people involved from Presidents Roosevelt and Truman to top officials in the Military, and spies from both sides. This text was quite interesting. Since it is a historical text, it isn't the most fun thing to read. However, i did end up getting attached to some of the characters. The way that the story is set up, piecing different story lines together through out the entirety of the book was kind of confusing and hard to keep up with.
    • 5/5
      Once it was discovered that huge power could be released by fissioning uranium atoms, it was only a question of time. Whichever power developed a bomb first would win the war. The cook is a detailed history of the Manhattan project, the scientists and politicians, and the spies who wanted the information for the Soviet Union.
    • 5/5
      I read this book and was cheering for the bomb to be built in time without it getting into the hands of others...and then bawled when I remembered exactly what it was I was rooting for.
    • 5/5
      The men saw a purple-gray mushroom cloud rising above Hiroshima, its top reaching three miles above their plane. The cloud boiled and writhed, they said, like a living thing. "Even more fearsome was the sight on the ground below"... the entire city, said Van Kirk, "looked like a pot of boiling black oil."...Tibbetts wrote out a coded report and handed it to the radio operator. "Clear cut successful in all respects. Visual effects greater than Trinity... Proceeding to regular base."This isn't just the story of how scientists figured out the physics of using atomic energy to create bombs, or how the first bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. It's three separate stories, connected by the events of World War II, and the need to find a conclusive way to end that devastating war. The Americans discovered that the Germans were working on building an atomic bomb, so they started working towards that as well. The Soviets worked harder at spying in order to steal the bomb-making process than in developing their own bomb. Finally, the Allies (though busy spying on each other) worked together to stop the Nazis from completing an atomic bomb. The entire saga involved all kinds of industrial espionage, a Norwegian special ops ski team, geeky scientists who were quietly collected from around the world and set to work in the deserts of New Mexico, secretaries, politicians, dictators, pilots and bombardiers. This is a well-written, incredibly well-researched book that shows far more of the political and social landscape than other books detailing the events and discoveries that led up to the war-ending bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Excellent spy-centered nonfiction, for 8th grade and up.
    • 5/5
      5Q, 5P, non-fiction, siebert award, atomic bomb, sheinkin, M - YA: This is the story of the global race to build the world's most perfect weapon. It is an amazing patchwork of spies, scientists, politicians, military leaders and everyday heros that keeps the reader enthralled and guessing despite a general awareness of the final conclusion. All individuals involved are made multi-dimensional and empathetic (well, maybe not Stalin). Sheinkin is a master of historical detail and dialogue. Bomb is one of the best books I have read in a long time. The chapters are perfectly paced to keep a younger reader engaged and lyrical enough to appeal to an older reader.It is already a hit with my middle school students, especially those who like military thrillers.
    • 5/5
      This informational book by Steve Sheinkin chronicles the evolution of the atomic bomb, from the discovery of fission to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This book is expertly written in a way that will keep you on the edge of your seat. In addition, it raises important questions and wonderings about the implications of these powerful weapons. In a classroom, this would be an excellent alternative to a textbook about WWII. It is factual, and written in a way that is very engaging. With additional texts it could make a comprehensive history unit. Additionally, the book provides many points of view and would lead perfectly to discussions about war, democracy, and morality. This book would be a fantastic addition to any classroom.
    • 5/5
      It is refreshing to read a historical account that is suspenseful, terrifying and thought-provoking. History is full of drama and the development of the A-bomb, and later the H-bomb, is full of moral, ethical, and philosophical questions. Sheinkin delivers the tale in a forthright manner that is full of danger, espionage, and the patriotic fervor that influences many turning points in wartime. Once you start it you won't want to put it down.
    • 5/5
      During World War II, one of the most decisive battles was fought, not on a battlefield, but in a laboratory. The race to build the atomic bomb was on, and pretty much all of the world's top physicists were working on the problem in one way or another, for one major power or another. In Los Alamos, New Mexico, scientists from the Manhattan Project, headed up by Robert Oppenheimer, worked tirelessly to build and test the American bomb -- but a few of them were also leaking secrets to the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, American spies worked hard to sabotage Germany's nuclear efforts, despite not knowing exactly what German scientists knew, or even where they were.This is an amazingly gripping and readable work of nonfiction. The pacing is excellent as the author switches from one story to another, and he does a great job of making the historical figures come alive without sacrificing historical accuracy. And his brief summation of the Cold War and the development of more powerful weapons at the end of the book is quite chilling. I listened to the audiobook and found myself completely captivated by it. I'd recommend this title for its intended audience (ages 9-14), but also for adults like myself, with an interest but not a lot of knowledge on the topic of the Manhattan Project and the creation of the first nuclear weapons.
    • 4/5
      Excellent compilation of several worlds involved in the formation of the first atomic bomb: the scientific world, the political world and the world war, the world of spycraft, and the various teams involved in creating, testing, and taking the bombs to Japan. Great writing; fast paced for young people.
    • 5/5
      5Q 4PSteve Sheinkin brings readers an exciting yet true and informative spy novel about the race to build the world's deadliest weapon - the atomic bomb. This fast-paced non-fiction book reads like fiction and provides the history behind each of key players that had a hand in creating, planning, and building the atomic bomb. The roles of the various scientists, leaders, and spies are weaved together to bring together the story of World War II and the outcome of each individual's role in history. Sheinkin gives readers another way of reading history - in a way that is unforgettable and to some, an easier way to comprehend and remember history. This books was exciting and I didn't want to put it down even though I knew the outcome of the story.
    • 3/5
      A World War II history buff would love this book. Since it was required reading for me, I did not enjoy it as much. Non-fiction is not my cup of tea, but this would be a good choice for students learning about the atomic bomb.
    • 4/5
      VOYA ratings (mine): 5Q, 3PIt's obvious that this book was very carefully researched, almost painstakingly so. I certainly appreciated that as a reader and learned so many things (from the parts I read anyway) about this crucial moment in our history. I can see kids who are into history, science and/or World War II being into this without much pushing, but since much of the vocabulary is somewhat scientific and a bit advanced, it would be difficult for other, less skilled readers. Maybe the inclusion of photographs or a few well-placed illustrations would help the book appeal to a wider range of teens.
    • 3/5
      There was nothing remarkable about this story but it was informative.
    • 5/5
      This work of narrative nonfiction weaves together three stories taking place during the WWII era - the work to put together and complete the Manhattan project, the incredible amount of espionage that was happening to share those secrets of the development of the atom bomb with the Soviet Union, and the race during war time to stop Germany from developing a bomb of their own. I was fascinated as I learned the science behind the bomb and about many of the players involved in the stories surrounding the scientific work. Accessible and compelling, this was a well done project and one that I look forward to passing around to other readers.
    • 5/5
      In the first pages, Sheinkin throws the reader into a thrilling spy narrative. In the pages that follow, his skillful use of primary resources, key details and narrative style combine to paint clear pictures, bring people to life, create scenes of suspense, and keep the pages turning. He explains complex scientific concepts and issues simply and clearly enough for anyone to understand, and includes photographs for visual support. Not as in-depth as adult nonfiction, but very well-suited to the audience, and very readable. Fascinating, well-done, highly recommended (esp for fans of history, science, World War II, and spy shows like MI-5 Alias, and Mission Impossible)
    • 4/5
      I thought that the author did a very nice job presenting an abundance of information in a way that made it read like a novel. I learned a huge amount about the atomic bomb creation that I had never even before considered, but got a little lost with all the different people. I felt that the author did his best to distinguish between all the people involved in the project, but I had a hard time following along at certain parts. I was really fascinated by all the short anecdotes that the author compiled together, and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about American history.
    • 4/5
      A well written collection of stories of the making of the atomic bomb for young adults - from the early science, to the espionage, to the uncovering of the spies and their punishments. I remember enjoying the "You are there at the..." series of historical novels written for the younger reader. This history captured a bit of that pleasure for me with all the researched quotes and details in the stories. There is much told here that I had not been aware of before. Some of the details are amusing, others tragic. There is an anecdote about Robert Oppenheimer as a Berkeley student leaving his date parked in his car. He excuses himself for a short walk. After a long wait his date waves down a police car and they start a missing person search until they find him at home in bed! He had got lost in thought and walked home and went to sleep. What a goof ball!

      As I said I really enjoyed having read this book. The story ends after describing the world situation we are now living in - the arms race has left us with still too many nuclear weapons and no real solution to avoid international terrorism or war.
    • 5/5
      This historical fiction gives a reader some prospectives about the WWII, about risk taking, spying and a race against other countries to develop a nuclear bomb. It is for those who is interested in either history or science (physics).
    • 4/5
      Good book, great narrator. Not really any new data... there were some tidbits about Los Alamos that maybe haven't been in another book, but nothing stellar exposed. The cool thing about this book is its presentation of the info - stories of the creation of Los Alamos, the spies that stole information, and various other tidbits, were niced woven together to make an easy to follow book. It was also interesting to learn how communism and socialism were more a common day occurrences - nowadays we don't hear much about those parties as a USA thing but in the early 1900s those were common parties I guess, and people actually didn't think it "bad" to be part of the communist party.
    • 4/5
      Bomb by Steve Sheinkin is a non-fiction book about the making of the atomic bomb. It takes place during World War 2 and has all of the excitement of an adventure book. My favorite part of this book was all of the espionage. It is crazy to think that this story is true. It is an important story to tell because whoever won the race to build the atomic bomb would most certainly win the war. Thank goodness we won!
    • 5/5
      Fast paced. Reads like a spy thriller. Indeed there are spies before, after and during the war trying to get the secrets of nuclear reactions. Spellbinding non-fiction
    • 4/5
      Fascinating and particularly good timing for me as I've just read Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption and Code Name Verity. It makes me want to go back and reread The Green Glass Sea. However, I just do not seem to connect to non-fiction the same way I do with fiction. I loved reading about the science and the spy missions, but I had the hardest time convincing myself to pick this book back up each time I put it down. Excellent and I expect it has a good shot at several of the ALA awards come January (Newbery, Sibert, Printz and YALSA Non-Fiction all seem like possibilities to me).
    • 5/5
      Spies, bombs, war, racing to be the first. Told in a narrative style that makes you want to keep reading.