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The Radioactive Boy Scout: The True Story of a Boy and His Backyard Nuclear...

by Silverstein, Ken | HC | VeryGood
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US $7.02
Approximately£5.17
Condition:
Very Good
“Former library book; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ”... Read moreAbout condition
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Located in: Aurora, Illinois, United States
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eBay item number:375527832883
Last updated on 11 Jun, 2025 10:54:13 BSTView all revisionsView all revisions

Item specifics

Condition
Very Good
A book that has been read and does not look new, but is in excellent condition. No obvious damage to the book cover, with the dust jacket (if applicable) included for hard covers. No missing or damaged pages, no creases or tears, no underlining or highlighting of text, and no writing in the margins. Some identifying marks on the inside cover, but this is minimal. Very little wear and tear. See the seller’s listing for full details and description of any imperfections. See all condition definitionsopens in a new window or tab
Seller notes
“Former library book; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ...
Binding
Hardcover
Weight
0 lbs
Product Group
Book
IsTextBook
No
ISBN
9780375503511

About this product

Product Identifiers

Publisher
Random House Publishing Group
ISBN-10
037550351X
ISBN-13
9780375503511
eBay Product ID (ePID)
14038258776

Product Key Features

Book Title
Radioactive Boy Scout : the True Story of a Boy and His Backyard Nuclear Reactor
Number of Pages
240 Pages
Language
English
Publication Year
2004
Topic
Power Resources / Nuclear, Outdoor Skills, Children with Special Needs, General
Genre
Family & Relationships, Sports & Recreation, Technology & Engineering, Science
Author
Ken Silverstein
Format
Hardcover

Dimensions

Item Height
0.9 in
Item Weight
11.5 Oz
Item Length
7.5 in
Item Width
5.8 in

Additional Product Features

Intended Audience
Trade
LCCN
2003-054811
Dewey Edition
21
TitleLeading
The
Reviews
"Anyone who has ever wondered what the neighborhood geek might be brewing up in his backyard should read The Radioactive Boy Scout. This is a riveting and disturbing story about the power of the teenage mind-and the sparks that fly when a nuclear family melts down." -David Kushner, author of Masters of Doom
Dewey Decimal
621.48/3/092
Synopsis
Growing up in suburban Detroit, David Hahn was fascinated by science, and his basement experiments-building homemade fireworks, brewing moonshine, and concocting his own self-tanning lotion-were more ambitious than those of other boys. While 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 nuclear breeder reactor in his backyard garden shed. InThe Radioactive Boy Scout, veteran journalist Ken Silverstein recreates in brilliant detail the months of David's improbable nuclear quest. Posing as a physics professor, David solicited information on reactor design from the U.S. government and from industry experts. (Ironically, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission was his number one source of information.) Scavenging antiques stores and junkyards for old-fashioned smoke detectors and gas lanterns-both of which contain small amounts of radioactive material-and following blueprints he found in an outdated physics textbook, David cobbled together a crude device that threw off toxic levels of radiation. His unsanctioned and wholly unsupervised project finally sparked an environmental catastrophe that put his town's forty thousand residents at risk and caused the EPA to shut down his lab and bury it at a radioactive dumpsite in Utah. An outrageous account of ambition and, ultimately, hubris that sits comfortably on the shelf next to such offbeat science books as Driving Mr. Albert and stories of grand capers likeCatch Me If You Can,The Radioactive Boy Scoutis a real-life adventure with the narrative energy of a first-rate thriller.
LC Classification Number
TK9014.H34S54 2004

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Most relevant reviews

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  • by reactorbear
    19 Apr, 2017

    Very interesting account of a boy who literally built a working reactor from easily found materials.

    I was a mild acquaintance of David Hahn, who is the subject of the book. He was quite the interesting person, with a very unique personality. Sadly, he passed away at much too early of an age, this past September (2016). He had no particular ego about having a book written about him. He did mention to me that he did not like the author's negative attitude toward nuclear power. I agree with him, that is a little bit of bias put into the book by the author. I recommend the book. There is so much more to David's life than what was in the book, but it does give much insight into his intellect and scientific curiosity. The book shows what one can do when they put their mind to it. If David's life had gone in another direction, I think we would have seen great things from him.

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-ownedSold by: thrift.books

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