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The Radioactive Boy Scout: The Frightening True Story of a Whiz Kid and His Homemade Nuclear Reactor
Growing 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.
Posing 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 Following blueprints he found in an outdated physics textbook, David cobbled together a crude device that threw off toxic levels of radiation.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.
Posing 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 Following blueprints he found in an outdated physics textbook, David cobbled together a crude device that threw off toxic levels of radiation.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.
209 pages, Hardcover
First published March 2, 2004
94 people are currently reading
1629 people want to read
About the author
Ken Silverstein
12 books22 followersKen Silverstein is an American investigative journalist. He has worked for Racket, Racket Teen, Harper’s Magazine, The Intercept and the Los Angeles Times. He resides in Washington, D.C.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 323 reviews
June 11, 2025
This book is not nearly as funny as you might think from looking at the grinning Boy Scout on its cover. The thought of a teenager who was able to assemble radioactive elements and build components of a nuclear reactor in his parent’s suburban garden shed sounded amusing but is handled by the author in an arrogant way. It’s actually a very sad story.
Silverstein explains (in a post script) that his book’s start came from an article in a popular magazine. That’s evident here. The guts of the article are layed out early in the book. The adolescent David Hahn lived in a normal neighborhood, had a not too wildly untypical dysfunctional family, was bright in a narrowly focused way, immature, disorganized, had poor social skills and had no one (family, teachers, scout leaders, other children) to invest enough time in him to put the brakes on his activities. Basically he could be said to be a geek and one not appreciated like the young people on The Big Bang Theory. The action takes place when David was in school in the later 1980s and the early 1990s. By that date you would have thought there would have been some checks on unrestricted nuclear experiments following Chernobyl and Three Mike Island but David’s main problem getting his supplies was lack of money. He did his research though—smoke detectors, parts of night vision rifle scopes, old clock faces with radium dials were readily available. He sent away to the Czech Republic for uranium samples which were sent to him through the mail! His story goes on and on. At some point the author feels compelled to take it out on the Boy Scouts, geeks and dated children’s chemistry books. He also has a go at research science.
David got caught eventually. Silverstein’s book initially suggests that the Boy Scout was able to build a breeder reactor but finally admits this wasn’t true. He had a diagram that he had made, a crude neutron gun also home made and had a lot of dangerous materials. He had been unimaginably careless. Yellow latex kitchen gloves and filter masks used by painters were his idea of safety. It doesn’t give much away to say the story ends poorly for David but you may be surprised why. I didn’t care for the author’s treatment of troubled children.
Silverstein explains (in a post script) that his book’s start came from an article in a popular magazine. That’s evident here. The guts of the article are layed out early in the book. The adolescent David Hahn lived in a normal neighborhood, had a not too wildly untypical dysfunctional family, was bright in a narrowly focused way, immature, disorganized, had poor social skills and had no one (family, teachers, scout leaders, other children) to invest enough time in him to put the brakes on his activities. Basically he could be said to be a geek and one not appreciated like the young people on The Big Bang Theory. The action takes place when David was in school in the later 1980s and the early 1990s. By that date you would have thought there would have been some checks on unrestricted nuclear experiments following Chernobyl and Three Mike Island but David’s main problem getting his supplies was lack of money. He did his research though—smoke detectors, parts of night vision rifle scopes, old clock faces with radium dials were readily available. He sent away to the Czech Republic for uranium samples which were sent to him through the mail! His story goes on and on. At some point the author feels compelled to take it out on the Boy Scouts, geeks and dated children’s chemistry books. He also has a go at research science.
David got caught eventually. Silverstein’s book initially suggests that the Boy Scout was able to build a breeder reactor but finally admits this wasn’t true. He had a diagram that he had made, a crude neutron gun also home made and had a lot of dangerous materials. He had been unimaginably careless. Yellow latex kitchen gloves and filter masks used by painters were his idea of safety. It doesn’t give much away to say the story ends poorly for David but you may be surprised why. I didn’t care for the author’s treatment of troubled children.
April 4, 2017
“The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.” - Isaac Asimov
This book is a demonstration of how an individual can be brilliant in some aspects, yet can be entirely misguided because of his or her willful or unknowing ignorance of the world outside of their particular focus. Achievements in science can do nothing positive for the world if subjects such as ethics and culture are not considered when putting the knowledge or creation to use. Science and technology are not inherently good or evil -- they are simply tools to create good or evil.
I give this three stars instead of my usual four, because I have noticed that the author is staunchly anti-nuclear energy -- it's not that I don't agree with his message, but that I believe a journalist must try to be as impartial as possible when detailing any history. Bias doesn't help a reader or citizen, even if the journalist believes he or she has positive intentions.
This book is a demonstration of how an individual can be brilliant in some aspects, yet can be entirely misguided because of his or her willful or unknowing ignorance of the world outside of their particular focus. Achievements in science can do nothing positive for the world if subjects such as ethics and culture are not considered when putting the knowledge or creation to use. Science and technology are not inherently good or evil -- they are simply tools to create good or evil.
I give this three stars instead of my usual four, because I have noticed that the author is staunchly anti-nuclear energy -- it's not that I don't agree with his message, but that I believe a journalist must try to be as impartial as possible when detailing any history. Bias doesn't help a reader or citizen, even if the journalist believes he or she has positive intentions.
February 2, 2010
Having actually boughten this book, I have a fundamental issue with what to do with a book that I despise. Of course I do not believe in the destruction of books, however I feel donation or resale of such material would be irresponsible on my part. So it remains on my bookshelf, a royal buzz kill among fine memories and reference books.
Ken Silverstein expanded this book out of a magazine article. Honestly, that's where it should have stayed. There is not enough content to support the 200 pages of paper. I feel quite justified in saying this as the type is large and margins are huge, it looks padded like 10th graders English paper.
Some of the story is interesting, quite interesting in fact. So, it got a cleverly named title and became a book. "The Radioactive Boy Scout", it sounds absolutely intriguing. Except for the fact that it has almost nothing to do with Boy Scouts. The fact that the subject, David Hahn, was Boy Scout plays a trivial part in his story. Still, the author feels the need to fluff up the book with some Scouting content and starts going on about the history of founder of Scouting's obsessive issue with masturbation. I have to admit that I'm an Eagle Scout, I owe the movement a lot, but from what I read in the story it wasn't a big part of David's life and certainly neither did a guy who died in 1941.
The further the author progresses down the story the more commentary is given, almost all of it useless and just meant to inflame the emotions of the reader. Nothing logical, just saying... stuff.
Read this book if you really need to raise your blood pressure. If not, find something real to read.
Ken Silverstein expanded this book out of a magazine article. Honestly, that's where it should have stayed. There is not enough content to support the 200 pages of paper. I feel quite justified in saying this as the type is large and margins are huge, it looks padded like 10th graders English paper.
Some of the story is interesting, quite interesting in fact. So, it got a cleverly named title and became a book. "The Radioactive Boy Scout", it sounds absolutely intriguing. Except for the fact that it has almost nothing to do with Boy Scouts. The fact that the subject, David Hahn, was Boy Scout plays a trivial part in his story. Still, the author feels the need to fluff up the book with some Scouting content and starts going on about the history of founder of Scouting's obsessive issue with masturbation. I have to admit that I'm an Eagle Scout, I owe the movement a lot, but from what I read in the story it wasn't a big part of David's life and certainly neither did a guy who died in 1941.
The further the author progresses down the story the more commentary is given, almost all of it useless and just meant to inflame the emotions of the reader. Nothing logical, just saying... stuff.
Read this book if you really need to raise your blood pressure. If not, find something real to read.
December 2, 2023
This was quite a fascinating account of how a young 17-year-old high school boy was able to obtain the material necessary to attempt to build a model nuclear reactor in a backyard potting shed. David Hahn who grew up in suburban Detroit in the 80s and 90s had a real obsession with chemistry. His mind didn't seem to work like other people's; he was not a very good student, couldn't spell, but he had a yearning for chemistry. At a young age he had a copy of "The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments" that provided him with a myriad of chemical experiments that he performed as well as background information on some of the greats including the Curies and their experiments with radium. He became obsessed with nuclear energy and decided to try to build a nuclear breeder reactor which in theory would be able to generate its own power by producing more fissionable material than it consumes. Hahn obtained information from industry experts and the U.S. government and was able to obtain radioactive material from old radium coated clocks, smoke detectors, and gas lanterns. Ultimately he was able to put together a crude device that threw off toxic levels of radiation and sparked an environmental emergency putting his town's residents at risk. The EPA ended up burying the project in a dumpsite in Utah.
I really found this story to be quite compelling and interesting. Silverstein includes a lot of information about the development of atomic power, the atom bomb, breeder reactors, and the Boy Scouts, as well as telling the story of Hahn and his experiments. Hahn ended up being an eagle scout and used his knowledge of nuclear physics to receive a merit badge in atomic power. This book was published in 2004 and was based primarily on the author's interviews with Hahn. Hahn later died in 2016 at the young age of 39 as a result of drug and alcohol abuse but his exposure to radiation could have also been a factor. He never lived up to his potential and was diagnosed with mental conditions as well. A somewhat tragic ending to a quite amazing story. Reading this has also piqued my interest in the development of nuclear power and the atomic bomb and I probably will be reading more about it.
I really found this story to be quite compelling and interesting. Silverstein includes a lot of information about the development of atomic power, the atom bomb, breeder reactors, and the Boy Scouts, as well as telling the story of Hahn and his experiments. Hahn ended up being an eagle scout and used his knowledge of nuclear physics to receive a merit badge in atomic power. This book was published in 2004 and was based primarily on the author's interviews with Hahn. Hahn later died in 2016 at the young age of 39 as a result of drug and alcohol abuse but his exposure to radiation could have also been a factor. He never lived up to his potential and was diagnosed with mental conditions as well. A somewhat tragic ending to a quite amazing story. Reading this has also piqued my interest in the development of nuclear power and the atomic bomb and I probably will be reading more about it.
April 12, 2023
Este libro es una joya en el sentido de que no solo te enseña química sino que también te relata la historia de la energía nuclear mientras eres testigo de los experimentos de David.
A lo largo de la lectura no pude evitar el sentimiento de aprehensión y el estar, en mi mente, preguntándome ¿dónde están los papás de este niño?, incluso hay una frase en el libro que dice: "con una orientación similar, la investigación de David podría haber tomado un curso muy diferente y más productivo"; lo cual me lleva a preguntarme si el mundo no podría esta disfrutando ahora mismo de la mente brillante de David y cuántos Davides hay en el mundo en este momento, a ellos mis mejores deseos.
This book is a gem in the sense that it not only teaches you chemistry but also tells you the history of nuclear power as you witness David's experiments.
Throughout the reading I could not help feeling apprehensive and wondering, in my mind, where are the parents of this child? There is even a sentence in the book that says: "with a similar guidance, David´s research might have taken a far diferente and more productive course"; Which leads me to wonder if the world couldn't be enjoying David's brilliant mind right now and How many Davids there are in the world at this moment?, best wishes to them.
A lo largo de la lectura no pude evitar el sentimiento de aprehensión y el estar, en mi mente, preguntándome ¿dónde están los papás de este niño?, incluso hay una frase en el libro que dice: "con una orientación similar, la investigación de David podría haber tomado un curso muy diferente y más productivo"; lo cual me lleva a preguntarme si el mundo no podría esta disfrutando ahora mismo de la mente brillante de David y cuántos Davides hay en el mundo en este momento, a ellos mis mejores deseos.
This book is a gem in the sense that it not only teaches you chemistry but also tells you the history of nuclear power as you witness David's experiments.
Throughout the reading I could not help feeling apprehensive and wondering, in my mind, where are the parents of this child? There is even a sentence in the book that says: "with a similar guidance, David´s research might have taken a far diferente and more productive course"; Which leads me to wonder if the world couldn't be enjoying David's brilliant mind right now and How many Davids there are in the world at this moment?, best wishes to them.
April 26, 2008
You know, I was never once able to successfully assemble a Lego construction according to the instructions provided in a kit. Meanwhile, this 14-year-old kid back in the mid-90s started off going for his Atomic Energy Merit Badge as part of his larger quest to become an Eagle Scout, ends up deciding to build his own small-scale breeder reactor in his backyard potting shed, and then through dangerously haphazard means refines and enriches enough radioactive material to put his entire Detroit suburb at risk. After four years of his insanely naive research going unimpeded by any sort of responsible adult supervision, a random series of events led to an Environmental Protection Agency investigation and subsequent clean-up. The potting shed ends up at radioactive dumpsite in Utah; the kid winds up enlisting as a low-level grunt in the Navy. Bizarre.
Silverstein turns David Hahn’s story of teenage geek hubris into fairly taut little thriller. In two or three somewhat unnecessary chapters, he interrupts his narrative flow to provide history on nuclear power and the harmful effects of radiation, but even this background information provides some interesting tidbits on both atomic zealots (and their predictably bleak outcomes) and the lengths that almost every major world government has gone to at some point to conceal and/or whitewash a nasty incident. Reading this book didn’t exactly make me feel great about how well my leadership protects me from radioactive calamity. Especially since young David received quite a bit of unknowing assistance from official sources by writing under the guise of a physics professor without even the benefit of a decent spell-check program.
The real problem with Boy Scout is that we know how it ends from the outset, and yet simultaneously there isn’t really an ending yet. The EPA shuts David down, and then a brief epilogue takes you up through 2005 with David as a still unfocused 24-year-old. But it may take a few more decades to really determine the full impact of David’s extracurricular activities during high school. How many years did he shave off both his own lifespan and those of the 40,000 other residents of Commerce Township, Michigan? Most infuriatingly, it’s unclear whether David even learned anything at all from his experiences. It makes me want to Google his name to make sure he hasn’t somehow found his way to Missouri.
Even so, David remains a sympathetic character, and his progression from simple eager beaver to legitimately dangerous amateur mad scientist both unsettles and fascinates. The journey is worth the murky ending.
Silverstein turns David Hahn’s story of teenage geek hubris into fairly taut little thriller. In two or three somewhat unnecessary chapters, he interrupts his narrative flow to provide history on nuclear power and the harmful effects of radiation, but even this background information provides some interesting tidbits on both atomic zealots (and their predictably bleak outcomes) and the lengths that almost every major world government has gone to at some point to conceal and/or whitewash a nasty incident. Reading this book didn’t exactly make me feel great about how well my leadership protects me from radioactive calamity. Especially since young David received quite a bit of unknowing assistance from official sources by writing under the guise of a physics professor without even the benefit of a decent spell-check program.
The real problem with Boy Scout is that we know how it ends from the outset, and yet simultaneously there isn’t really an ending yet. The EPA shuts David down, and then a brief epilogue takes you up through 2005 with David as a still unfocused 24-year-old. But it may take a few more decades to really determine the full impact of David’s extracurricular activities during high school. How many years did he shave off both his own lifespan and those of the 40,000 other residents of Commerce Township, Michigan? Most infuriatingly, it’s unclear whether David even learned anything at all from his experiences. It makes me want to Google his name to make sure he hasn’t somehow found his way to Missouri.
Even so, David remains a sympathetic character, and his progression from simple eager beaver to legitimately dangerous amateur mad scientist both unsettles and fascinates. The journey is worth the murky ending.
August 3, 2016
OK, this young man's story is fascinating. What he was able to do just doesn't seem possible. The author's description of it was detailed and absorbing. The background on nuclear energy in this country and the world, its reception was also one of my favorite parts of the book. It is frightening to learn how laissez-faire we were and in some ways still are about it. However, what was not as well-researched was the subject's context. It became very repetitive- I get it; he has absentee, naive parents. There was lil depth beyond that, and I found myself wondering if this young man had Ausberger's, had anyone explored these possibilities at any point in his boyhood? All types of questions like that. It just seemed like the detail was unbalanced at points which was reflected in chapter subject/themes at points, I believe, too. Overall, all, very interesting, "talking-point" book!
September 5, 2016
SPOILERS:
This book intrigued me, but I found it to be a rather sad story.
The young man who experimented with trying to make a nuclear reactor, David Hahn, needed an adult to come alongside. His father tried, but didn't really know what to do with him. He apparently felt that David needed structure and discipline and thus got him involved with the Boy Scouts. That was fine as far as it went, but what was needed beyond that was for someone with a similar interest to be David's mentor and channel his interests in a positive (and less dangerous) direction. This, he did not find.
David was left to his own resources so many times and had to struggle to find his own way. When finding his own way did not work out, he was totally crushed.
While fascinating, this is a cautionary tale about what can happen when young people are left to their own devices without adequate concern, compassion, interest and guidance from one or more adults. In David's case, he was basically a good kid. Nonetheless, left to himself, he found a course that was so potentially harmful to himself, his family, and his neighborhood. Very scary in that regard.
This book intrigued me, but I found it to be a rather sad story.
The young man who experimented with trying to make a nuclear reactor, David Hahn, needed an adult to come alongside. His father tried, but didn't really know what to do with him. He apparently felt that David needed structure and discipline and thus got him involved with the Boy Scouts. That was fine as far as it went, but what was needed beyond that was for someone with a similar interest to be David's mentor and channel his interests in a positive (and less dangerous) direction. This, he did not find.
David was left to his own resources so many times and had to struggle to find his own way. When finding his own way did not work out, he was totally crushed.
While fascinating, this is a cautionary tale about what can happen when young people are left to their own devices without adequate concern, compassion, interest and guidance from one or more adults. In David's case, he was basically a good kid. Nonetheless, left to himself, he found a course that was so potentially harmful to himself, his family, and his neighborhood. Very scary in that regard.
January 11, 2008
I love any book that can hold my attention for over 5 minutes
December 4, 2008
Imagine the junior high class geek, a chemistry fiend who talks elemental tables and enjoys nothing more than a heated discussion on the merits of plutonium.
Now imagine that he lives in your neighborhood. He reads every chemistry book he can get his hands on and eventually begins devouring texts on nuclear physics-and understands them. His all-time heroes are Marie and Pierre Curie.
His father, who long ago fell behind in following his son's passion, signs his little darling up with the Boy Scouts and encourages him to start working toward the honor of Eagle Scout, an achievement that requires collecting 21 merit badges in various disciplines, including first aid, citizenship in the community, and camping. Good, wholesome activities for good, wholesome boys, right?
Not this boy, though.
He decides to pursue the Atomic Energy merit badge with vigor. Other Scouts who work on this badge research important figures in the history of atomic energy, learn about reactors, and make straw-and-Styrofoam models of atoms. David Hahn, our boy, would yawn at those pursuits.
He buys stacks of old smoke detectors and recovers the minute amounts of the radioactive isotope americium-241 found inside of them. He haunts antique shops-with a Geiger counter in hand-searching for clocks with radium dials that he can scrape paint chips from. Posing as a high school physics teacher, he writes to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for information on obtaining radioactive elements.
His first mission: to build a neutron gun so he can convert thorium-232 recovered from the cloth mantles found in gas lanterns into uranium-233.
This takes place in a backyard garden shed. Without protective suits, lead shields, or the blessings of multiple government regulatory agencies.
The neutron gun is eventually a success and David moves onto considerably bigger things. At 17, in a quest to produce a renewable fuel source, he decides to build a model breeder reactor. With aluminum foil and duct tape. Remember, this is for his Eagle Scout.
It isn't until David's Geiger counter shows an increase in radioactivity that he considers he might be placing others at risk of exposure. He takes his reactor core apart and hides pieces of it at his mother's house, his father's house, and the trunk of his car.
A lucky (or unlucky, from David's point of view) investigative car stop by police uncovers some questionable and alarming items. Police suspect they have a bomber on their hands and call in the experts. The experts call in the EPA and Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the Federal Radiological Emergency Response Plan is put into motion. (This plan was designed to take care of "any peacetime radiological emergency that has actual, potential, or perceived radiological consequences"-emergencies at nuclear facilities or while transporting radioactive materials.* And nuclear reactors built in suburban sheds by ambitious teenagers.)
The Radioactive Boy Scout details David's activities from budding chemist through what some may call mad scientist. It offers a well-researched look at the history of nuclear energy and explains breeder reactors in layman's terms-not an easy task. I know it sounds dry, but it really isn't. It's actually a quick and intriguing read that will teach you something cool you can pull out of your hat a cocktail party.
*From Federal Radiological Emergency Response Plan (FRERP)
Now imagine that he lives in your neighborhood. He reads every chemistry book he can get his hands on and eventually begins devouring texts on nuclear physics-and understands them. His all-time heroes are Marie and Pierre Curie.
His father, who long ago fell behind in following his son's passion, signs his little darling up with the Boy Scouts and encourages him to start working toward the honor of Eagle Scout, an achievement that requires collecting 21 merit badges in various disciplines, including first aid, citizenship in the community, and camping. Good, wholesome activities for good, wholesome boys, right?
Not this boy, though.
He decides to pursue the Atomic Energy merit badge with vigor. Other Scouts who work on this badge research important figures in the history of atomic energy, learn about reactors, and make straw-and-Styrofoam models of atoms. David Hahn, our boy, would yawn at those pursuits.
He buys stacks of old smoke detectors and recovers the minute amounts of the radioactive isotope americium-241 found inside of them. He haunts antique shops-with a Geiger counter in hand-searching for clocks with radium dials that he can scrape paint chips from. Posing as a high school physics teacher, he writes to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for information on obtaining radioactive elements.
His first mission: to build a neutron gun so he can convert thorium-232 recovered from the cloth mantles found in gas lanterns into uranium-233.
This takes place in a backyard garden shed. Without protective suits, lead shields, or the blessings of multiple government regulatory agencies.
The neutron gun is eventually a success and David moves onto considerably bigger things. At 17, in a quest to produce a renewable fuel source, he decides to build a model breeder reactor. With aluminum foil and duct tape. Remember, this is for his Eagle Scout.
It isn't until David's Geiger counter shows an increase in radioactivity that he considers he might be placing others at risk of exposure. He takes his reactor core apart and hides pieces of it at his mother's house, his father's house, and the trunk of his car.
A lucky (or unlucky, from David's point of view) investigative car stop by police uncovers some questionable and alarming items. Police suspect they have a bomber on their hands and call in the experts. The experts call in the EPA and Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the Federal Radiological Emergency Response Plan is put into motion. (This plan was designed to take care of "any peacetime radiological emergency that has actual, potential, or perceived radiological consequences"-emergencies at nuclear facilities or while transporting radioactive materials.* And nuclear reactors built in suburban sheds by ambitious teenagers.)
The Radioactive Boy Scout details David's activities from budding chemist through what some may call mad scientist. It offers a well-researched look at the history of nuclear energy and explains breeder reactors in layman's terms-not an easy task. I know it sounds dry, but it really isn't. It's actually a quick and intriguing read that will teach you something cool you can pull out of your hat a cocktail party.
*From Federal Radiological Emergency Response Plan (FRERP)
November 3, 2018
Ken Silverstein is a great storyteller, but the quality of the book is hurt by the inconsistent (and sometimes downright sloppy) quality of the science writing. As the story of David Hahn revolves around his passion for chemistry, I wish that Silverstein had taken greater care in that realm. It's also clear that Silverstein is very anti-nuclear power, which is a legitimate position, but I think that his bias in that direction negatively affects the quality of the writing.
In hindsight, the somewhat irreverent tone that Silverstein takes towards David's misadventures seems out of place considering how tragic David's life was (described by the author himself, no less) both before and after the book was published. And while the author does describe how the authorities and potential mentors in David's life let him down, he doesn't really hold their feet to the fire when asking about their interactions with David.
This book had so much potential, but failed to live to its promise, much like the sad story of David. As others reviewers have noted, this book grew out of a magazine article, and I think that it never quite lost that tabloid-like quality. Alas.
In hindsight, the somewhat irreverent tone that Silverstein takes towards David's misadventures seems out of place considering how tragic David's life was (described by the author himself, no less) both before and after the book was published. And while the author does describe how the authorities and potential mentors in David's life let him down, he doesn't really hold their feet to the fire when asking about their interactions with David.
This book had so much potential, but failed to live to its promise, much like the sad story of David. As others reviewers have noted, this book grew out of a magazine article, and I think that it never quite lost that tabloid-like quality. Alas.
February 17, 2016
This is really crazy: A high schooler built a nuclear device that actually worked, well enough that the EPA had to seize this, then dispose of the materials. Hard to imagine, and it did, in fact, happen.
Reminds me of building ham radios in the late 1960's. Then, you could get old TV sets for nothing, tear them apart, and have everything you needed to create a working radio. Every completed project had to go through a "smoke test" when you powered it up for the first time. True to form, smoke is what you sometimes did get. Turned out that doing this in the basement was not so good ... An electrolytic capacitor from an old TV blew up, the most smelly yellow smoke filled up the whole basement and went through the heating ducts into the rest of the house. It took a long time for the smell to go away, and all future smoke tests were banished to the back yard.
Reminds me of building ham radios in the late 1960's. Then, you could get old TV sets for nothing, tear them apart, and have everything you needed to create a working radio. Every completed project had to go through a "smoke test" when you powered it up for the first time. True to form, smoke is what you sometimes did get. Turned out that doing this in the basement was not so good ... An electrolytic capacitor from an old TV blew up, the most smelly yellow smoke filled up the whole basement and went through the heating ducts into the rest of the house. It took a long time for the smell to go away, and all future smoke tests were banished to the back yard.
May 6, 2024
With a title like this how could I not pick this book up? In three words it was: gripping, provocative, and informative. I appreciated the organization and pace of this book very much, and I found myself looking forward to reading it every night before bed. I learned a great deal both about the history of the Boy Scouts and the history of radioactive substances, neither of which I previously knew much about. I considered this a bonus because the story itself easily carried my attention. Silverstein’s journalistic approach lends itself well to the subject matter, and kept me wondering what was coming next. Underneath the obvious story, which is proclaimed like a loud tabloid byline on the book cover: The Frightening True Story of a Whiz Kid and His Homemade Nuclear Reactor, is a tale about broken homes and a broken family. My primary complaint, though a small one, arises from Silverstein’s overuse of hyphens. I kept wanting to say, “just make two or three sentences out of it” (though I’m totally guilty of this myself). With that said, it could have pulled in five stars if he had plucked out a few hyphens and added a few periods. All in all a fantastic read!
January 7, 2021
The authors glorification of incredibly stupid behavior was quite frustrating. This pattern started with the title of the book. The kid did not make a nuclear reactor as the title implied. He just collected a lot of radioactive waste in really irresponsible manner and then stacked it up in a shape that replicated a picture of a reactor he saw in an old text book.
The author also insisted on calling the kids work "research" and on comparing him to famous scientists. He repeatedly implied that the kid's work pushed scientific boundaries with a novel organized approach. Really the boy just replicated highly dangerous chemical reactions first done decades earlier.
This wasn't a story about a whiz kid. This was a story about a kid having a rough time and of the adults that ignored his struggling. Teachers, parents, scout leaders and peers all failed to notice him or reach out to offer help, so he locked himself in a shed a played with nuclear waste.
The author also insisted on calling the kids work "research" and on comparing him to famous scientists. He repeatedly implied that the kid's work pushed scientific boundaries with a novel organized approach. Really the boy just replicated highly dangerous chemical reactions first done decades earlier.
This wasn't a story about a whiz kid. This was a story about a kid having a rough time and of the adults that ignored his struggling. Teachers, parents, scout leaders and peers all failed to notice him or reach out to offer help, so he locked himself in a shed a played with nuclear waste.
October 10, 2019
Absolutely fascinating story told in a lackluster way. (and an audiobook performance that is the second worse I've ever heard)
Silverstein seemed to miss the obvious conclusion: that David Hahn was utterly failed by his indifferent family and a public school system totally incapable of dealing with a brilliant non-conformist. Had someone (family, teacher or scoutmaster) paid enough attention, they could have seen that his passion and enthusiasm were encouraged and channeled in a constructive way. Instead he was ostracized and punished for being too curious.
With Hahn's untimely death in 2016, it seems to me his life was a tragic waste of potential.
Silverstein seemed to miss the obvious conclusion: that David Hahn was utterly failed by his indifferent family and a public school system totally incapable of dealing with a brilliant non-conformist. Had someone (family, teacher or scoutmaster) paid enough attention, they could have seen that his passion and enthusiasm were encouraged and channeled in a constructive way. Instead he was ostracized and punished for being too curious.
With Hahn's untimely death in 2016, it seems to me his life was a tragic waste of potential.
February 29, 2016
There was something off-putting to me about the tone of this novel. A little too much disdain for the subjects of the story? Though that's not exactly it. I certainly wouldn't expect a biographer to always glamorize their subject, or hold people in high regard for things that really don't deserve respect. I picked this up because the story sounded interesting, but I just didn't end up loving it. Didn't hate it, either, though, so if it sounds good to you, go ahead and give it a read. Certainly an easy, quick read.
December 13, 2015
Here's a postscript to this incredible story: The "Daily Mail" printed an interview by Laura Collins with the former Boy Scout on December 13, 2013. It includes a horrifying photo of David's face after a nuclear experiment gone bad. He's 38 years old now, is controlling diagnosed paranoid schizophrenia, and still works on a variety of experiments, including nuclear. The book, and this follow-up interview are fascinating.
September 4, 2016
Picked this up in Los Alamos... where else!?
November 6, 2022
This is a fascinating story, and incredibly enough, TRUE! It will amaze you. But at the same time, there will be parts that will bore most people. There were quite a few departures from the storyline to discuss at length things like the history of the Boy Scouts, the history of nuclear power in various countries throughout the world, and some fairly detailed chemistry explanations. Some of those were important to the story, but not all.
One of the things that might amaze you most is how efficiently this story was hushed up for years, and how long it actually took to find out more of the truth.
I was also a little annoyed by the author's editorializing and judgment of the people involved in the situation, as well as presenting his own views on nuclear power as an inarguable truth.
I actually thought it was rather a sad story of genius that went unrecognized and was deliberately stifled even after it all came to light.
One of the things that might amaze you most is how efficiently this story was hushed up for years, and how long it actually took to find out more of the truth.
I was also a little annoyed by the author's editorializing and judgment of the people involved in the situation, as well as presenting his own views on nuclear power as an inarguable truth.
I actually thought it was rather a sad story of genius that went unrecognized and was deliberately stifled even after it all came to light.
January 8, 2023
During the mid-90s, David Hahn was a teenager obsessed with nuclear physics. In a bid to earn his Eagle Scout rank, he designed and (almost successfully) built a breeder reactor in his family shed. While he did earn Eagle, he also was busted by local and federal authorities who shut down his home-made reactor. Instead of fostering his talents, his family and community continued to shun him. He dropped out of community college, was discharged from the US Navy, and eventually was arrested and investigated by the FBI for stealing materials to build another reactor. He died in 2016 of substance abuse.
This is a sad story about a squandered talent, but the journalism is somewhat lackluster. I would still recommend reading it or listening to the audiobook to know the story, though.
This is a sad story about a squandered talent, but the journalism is somewhat lackluster. I would still recommend reading it or listening to the audiobook to know the story, though.
January 14, 2022
I *believe* they made a movie of this with John Lithgow. I could be wrong.
Anyway, I read this because as being from MI, and familiar with the area this took place, it was one of those legends. Over time, the story became muddled and the 'fact' remained the same the reasons why he tried to create it did not.
This book ... well, it could have been a short-story or an article. It seemed to make you feel that the set up was more than what it was. It's just a kid who was passionate about nuclear energy and wanted to create a nuclear reactor because he attempted to gain every 'element' and that he could do it. Not that he had some secret want to blow up any one or kill someone.
So if you go into this book thinking that's what it was, it wasn't. Just a story about someone passionate about science but it didn't deserve getting a book.
Anyway, I read this because as being from MI, and familiar with the area this took place, it was one of those legends. Over time, the story became muddled and the 'fact' remained the same the reasons why he tried to create it did not.
This book ... well, it could have been a short-story or an article. It seemed to make you feel that the set up was more than what it was. It's just a kid who was passionate about nuclear energy and wanted to create a nuclear reactor because he attempted to gain every 'element' and that he could do it. Not that he had some secret want to blow up any one or kill someone.
So if you go into this book thinking that's what it was, it wasn't. Just a story about someone passionate about science but it didn't deserve getting a book.
February 1, 2019
I enjoyed The Radioactive Boy Scout. Ken Silverstein does a good job telling an unbelievable true story in a compelling way. The book is incredibly entertaining, and left me turning pages endlessly constantly, needing to know what happens next. Although the book’s language can get fairly technical at times, it doesn’t detract in any way from enjoying what it puts forth.
June 17, 2025
Picked this book up randomly and was so surprised to learn that a boy (almost) made a nuclear reactor in a place where a lot of my friends grew up- Commerce, MI
July 29, 2024
Excellent docu drama book, great living history for any Charlotte Mason high school chemistry or history buff or adults who want a quick read. One F bomb, no other swearing- it's a quote from a primary source. No sex, touches on addiction issues but not detailed or glorified.
Engaging history of nuclear propaganda through the decades and how it inspired one young man's dreams of creating endless energy.
Engaging history of nuclear propaganda through the decades and how it inspired one young man's dreams of creating endless energy.
April 27, 2024
This book recounts the true story of David Hahn. David is obsessed with all things radioactive and nuclear. His obsession culminated in his experiment to produce a nuclear reactor in the shed of his mums house (he was 16 at the time). This book not only chronicles his story first hand but also provides valuable background into the world’s obsession with nuclear energy in the 50s, 60s, and beyond. It was a really interesting read!
February 25, 2019
22 April 2004 THE RADIOACTIVE BOY SCOUT: The True Story of a Boy and His Backyard Nuclear Reactor by Ken Silverstein, Random House, March 2004, ISBN: 0-375-50351-X
"Leave it better than the way you found it." That was what we were reminded each and every time we embarked on a hike or began a weekend campout.
Any mention of the Boy Scouts ignites within me a powerful assortment of emotions and vivid memories.
My grandfather Rex Partington was one of our country's first Eagle Scouts. It resulted in his being recruited by the Red Cross during World War I. He also went on to spend many fulfilling years as a Scoutmaster.
When I reached the requisite age for joining Cub Scouts, Rex persuaded me to do so. My mom became a Den mother. I can still remember going to a local department store for my first uniform, and recall such highlights as marching in Fourth of July parades, hawking boxes of candy and General Electric lightbulbs throughout the neighborhood, hatching out the infamous chickens that I spoke of in my recent review of RATS, and transforming styrofoam balls, gold spray paint, and old copies of Reader's Digest into angelic Christmas centerpieces.
The Beatles' "Nowhere Man" was topping the charts the week I turned 11 and transitioned from Cubs to Boy Scouts. Rex offered me a US Savings Bond as a reward for each advancement in rank achieved. But being the enthusiastic student that I was, it didn't take financial motivation to get me methodically learning and practicing the skills necessary to meet the requirements for Second and First Class, and then to begin conquering the merit badges and requirements that led to the upper ranks.
Scouting changed my life. If I hadn't been a Scout, I still might have celebrated the first Earth Day by helping initiate a high school Ecology Club and coordinating a clean up. If I hadn't been a Scout, I still might have run for Student Council President, and still might have gotten myself elected to the Commack Community Council, and still might have picked up all of those service and leadership awards upon graduating high school. But I doubt it.
For through Scouting, I became a Leader. I was a Patrol Leader, a graduate and teacher of the JLTC--the Junior Leadership Training Course--and an initiate of the Order of the Arrow. And through those years of working on conservation and community projects, spending weeks at Woodworth Lake Scout Camp in the Adirondaks, and hiking through some of the most beautiful parklands of the Mid-Atlantic region, environmentalism became my religion with the same intensity with which I'd embraced Jesus Christ, upon hearing such tales as The Good Samaritan and learning about His philosophy of eschewing material wealth in favor of more important things.
But my relationship with Scouting turned south when I began growing my hair like Jesus (and John Lennon) and began publicly questioning the government and vocally advocating peace. Inspired by attending antiwar rallies in Washington, DC, where I listened to the likes of Coretta Scott King, John Kerry, and Phil Ochs, I returned home to discover myself a target of most of the troop's adult leaders and many of its teen officers, whose comments scorned my appearance and attitudes. Finding myself iced out of any further leadership advancement, and just a few merit badges short of Eagle, I left Scouting with a bitterness that has forever since prompted my cynicism about the organization's motives and behavior, particularly their active and vicious intolerance of gay scouts and gay adult leaders.
Thus, in the late 1970s, when my environmentalistic zeal led to my full-time involvement in the fight to promote energy conservation and prevent construction of the Jamesport nuclear plants, I wasn't surprised to learn that the same companies who sold lightbulbs and nuclear reactors were in cahoots with the Boy Scouts and had actually written the book for an atomic energy merit badge.
Two decades after me and the Boy Scouts of America stopped seeing eye to eye, a kid with a passion for science and a history of troubled family life was persuaded by his father to join the local Scout troop. In THE RADIOACTIVE BOY SCOUT we learn that young David Hahn, who was dealing with bad grades, parent troubles, and step families had adopted a chemistry-for-the-better-things-in-life philosophy. Beginning with a long out-of-print book, The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments, which was big on bold experiments with exciting results, and small on warning labels, David worked his way through souping up model rockets and skateboards, concocting colorful fireworks and nitroglycerin, and brewing dyes that turned his hair and skin unique colors, as well as dietary supplements that undoubtedly did the same for his insides.
"His bedroom, where he carried out most of his experiments, was all but completely destroyed. The walls were badly pockmarked from a multitude of chemical explosions, and the carpet was so stained that it eventually had to be ripped out. Even the padding and plywood subflooring underneath was stained blue from spills of indole, an alkaloid derived from indigo pigment that David used to make natural-highlight shampoos...
"Another day, David decided to create chlorine gas--a version of the mass killer from World War I--following the procedure laid out in the Golden Book. Even David recognized that an accident in the shed could be dodgy, so he conducted the experiment on a card table set up at the side of the swimming pool. In the middle of the experiment, a neighbor mowing his lawn, undoubtedly concerned by the gas mask David was wearing, turned off his engine and walked over to the fence between the backyards.
" 'What's going on over there, David?' the man wanted to know. 'Do your folks know what you're doing?'
" 'It's nothing really,' David replied, ignoring the second question. 'I'm just making my own oxygen.'
"Mollified, the man gave the thumbs-up sign and returned to his lawn work."
I imagine that you are by now getting the drift that this kid--whose intermediate goal, which he was well on the way to accomplishing, was to collect a sample of every element in the periodic table--is the kind of person who would actually try to build a backyard nuclear reactor. And you are correct. Using the Boy Scouts as a cover, government and corporate sources for technical support, blind determination, and no real safeguards, David Hahn got himself in deep. By the time they caught up with him, David has succeeded in chemically concentrating the radioactive materials he'd acquired to the point where the Environmental Protection Agency needed to send in the men in the moonsuits to dismantle his work, pack it in sealed barrels, and send it for burial in a nuclear dump in the salt flats.
But the other, equally fascinating and important portions of THE RADIOACTIVE BOY SCOUT are the author's presentation of the history of the Boy Scouts, and the history of radioactive research and nuclear power. And excellent presentations they are. The snake oil salesmen of the early 1900s who sold elixirs with a radioactive punch, the architects of the Manhattan project, and the corporate executives who soaked the taxpayers for billions and billions of dollars in the name of creating a power source that would supposedly be too cheap to meter are all here...along with the industry's deadly mistakes and near-misses.
That today's younger generations will continue to face the expensive and as yet unsolved problems of cleaning up the radioactive mess that has been created over my lifetime, that there are still corporations and politicians pushing for making that mess even larger, that there was a Congressional fight just several months ago resulting in another $8 billion handout to the nuclear power industry, are the kind of issues that make THE RADIOACTIVE BOY SCOUT essential reading.
"There is but one ocean though its coves have many names; a single sea of atmosphere with no coves at all; the miracle of soil, alive and giving life, lying thin on the only earth, for which there is no spare."
--David Brower, 1912-2000
The history of the Boy Scouts that Ken Silverstein presents leaves little hope that it can be wrestled away from its conservative and corporate underpinnings. Being controlled by the same adults who favor relaxing environmental regulations, favor exploiting our national treasures for corporate gain, and oppose stronger energy conservation standards, leaves little doubt that the Boy Scouts won't be the ones in the forefront, leading the way to a safer and healthier future for the planet.
It's a shame that David Brower couldn't have created an organization for adolescents that could provide them the leadership and technical skills necessary for truly promoting that credo, "Leave it better than the way you found it."
(And, if you're wondering, I did earn my Reading merit badge before parting ways with the Boy Scouts. I don't recall all that I read for meeting the requirements, but I do remember that one of the books was Jean Craighead George's wonderful MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN.)
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com
"Leave it better than the way you found it." That was what we were reminded each and every time we embarked on a hike or began a weekend campout.
Any mention of the Boy Scouts ignites within me a powerful assortment of emotions and vivid memories.
My grandfather Rex Partington was one of our country's first Eagle Scouts. It resulted in his being recruited by the Red Cross during World War I. He also went on to spend many fulfilling years as a Scoutmaster.
When I reached the requisite age for joining Cub Scouts, Rex persuaded me to do so. My mom became a Den mother. I can still remember going to a local department store for my first uniform, and recall such highlights as marching in Fourth of July parades, hawking boxes of candy and General Electric lightbulbs throughout the neighborhood, hatching out the infamous chickens that I spoke of in my recent review of RATS, and transforming styrofoam balls, gold spray paint, and old copies of Reader's Digest into angelic Christmas centerpieces.
The Beatles' "Nowhere Man" was topping the charts the week I turned 11 and transitioned from Cubs to Boy Scouts. Rex offered me a US Savings Bond as a reward for each advancement in rank achieved. But being the enthusiastic student that I was, it didn't take financial motivation to get me methodically learning and practicing the skills necessary to meet the requirements for Second and First Class, and then to begin conquering the merit badges and requirements that led to the upper ranks.
Scouting changed my life. If I hadn't been a Scout, I still might have celebrated the first Earth Day by helping initiate a high school Ecology Club and coordinating a clean up. If I hadn't been a Scout, I still might have run for Student Council President, and still might have gotten myself elected to the Commack Community Council, and still might have picked up all of those service and leadership awards upon graduating high school. But I doubt it.
For through Scouting, I became a Leader. I was a Patrol Leader, a graduate and teacher of the JLTC--the Junior Leadership Training Course--and an initiate of the Order of the Arrow. And through those years of working on conservation and community projects, spending weeks at Woodworth Lake Scout Camp in the Adirondaks, and hiking through some of the most beautiful parklands of the Mid-Atlantic region, environmentalism became my religion with the same intensity with which I'd embraced Jesus Christ, upon hearing such tales as The Good Samaritan and learning about His philosophy of eschewing material wealth in favor of more important things.
But my relationship with Scouting turned south when I began growing my hair like Jesus (and John Lennon) and began publicly questioning the government and vocally advocating peace. Inspired by attending antiwar rallies in Washington, DC, where I listened to the likes of Coretta Scott King, John Kerry, and Phil Ochs, I returned home to discover myself a target of most of the troop's adult leaders and many of its teen officers, whose comments scorned my appearance and attitudes. Finding myself iced out of any further leadership advancement, and just a few merit badges short of Eagle, I left Scouting with a bitterness that has forever since prompted my cynicism about the organization's motives and behavior, particularly their active and vicious intolerance of gay scouts and gay adult leaders.
Thus, in the late 1970s, when my environmentalistic zeal led to my full-time involvement in the fight to promote energy conservation and prevent construction of the Jamesport nuclear plants, I wasn't surprised to learn that the same companies who sold lightbulbs and nuclear reactors were in cahoots with the Boy Scouts and had actually written the book for an atomic energy merit badge.
Two decades after me and the Boy Scouts of America stopped seeing eye to eye, a kid with a passion for science and a history of troubled family life was persuaded by his father to join the local Scout troop. In THE RADIOACTIVE BOY SCOUT we learn that young David Hahn, who was dealing with bad grades, parent troubles, and step families had adopted a chemistry-for-the-better-things-in-life philosophy. Beginning with a long out-of-print book, The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments, which was big on bold experiments with exciting results, and small on warning labels, David worked his way through souping up model rockets and skateboards, concocting colorful fireworks and nitroglycerin, and brewing dyes that turned his hair and skin unique colors, as well as dietary supplements that undoubtedly did the same for his insides.
"His bedroom, where he carried out most of his experiments, was all but completely destroyed. The walls were badly pockmarked from a multitude of chemical explosions, and the carpet was so stained that it eventually had to be ripped out. Even the padding and plywood subflooring underneath was stained blue from spills of indole, an alkaloid derived from indigo pigment that David used to make natural-highlight shampoos...
"Another day, David decided to create chlorine gas--a version of the mass killer from World War I--following the procedure laid out in the Golden Book. Even David recognized that an accident in the shed could be dodgy, so he conducted the experiment on a card table set up at the side of the swimming pool. In the middle of the experiment, a neighbor mowing his lawn, undoubtedly concerned by the gas mask David was wearing, turned off his engine and walked over to the fence between the backyards.
" 'What's going on over there, David?' the man wanted to know. 'Do your folks know what you're doing?'
" 'It's nothing really,' David replied, ignoring the second question. 'I'm just making my own oxygen.'
"Mollified, the man gave the thumbs-up sign and returned to his lawn work."
I imagine that you are by now getting the drift that this kid--whose intermediate goal, which he was well on the way to accomplishing, was to collect a sample of every element in the periodic table--is the kind of person who would actually try to build a backyard nuclear reactor. And you are correct. Using the Boy Scouts as a cover, government and corporate sources for technical support, blind determination, and no real safeguards, David Hahn got himself in deep. By the time they caught up with him, David has succeeded in chemically concentrating the radioactive materials he'd acquired to the point where the Environmental Protection Agency needed to send in the men in the moonsuits to dismantle his work, pack it in sealed barrels, and send it for burial in a nuclear dump in the salt flats.
But the other, equally fascinating and important portions of THE RADIOACTIVE BOY SCOUT are the author's presentation of the history of the Boy Scouts, and the history of radioactive research and nuclear power. And excellent presentations they are. The snake oil salesmen of the early 1900s who sold elixirs with a radioactive punch, the architects of the Manhattan project, and the corporate executives who soaked the taxpayers for billions and billions of dollars in the name of creating a power source that would supposedly be too cheap to meter are all here...along with the industry's deadly mistakes and near-misses.
That today's younger generations will continue to face the expensive and as yet unsolved problems of cleaning up the radioactive mess that has been created over my lifetime, that there are still corporations and politicians pushing for making that mess even larger, that there was a Congressional fight just several months ago resulting in another $8 billion handout to the nuclear power industry, are the kind of issues that make THE RADIOACTIVE BOY SCOUT essential reading.
"There is but one ocean though its coves have many names; a single sea of atmosphere with no coves at all; the miracle of soil, alive and giving life, lying thin on the only earth, for which there is no spare."
--David Brower, 1912-2000
The history of the Boy Scouts that Ken Silverstein presents leaves little hope that it can be wrestled away from its conservative and corporate underpinnings. Being controlled by the same adults who favor relaxing environmental regulations, favor exploiting our national treasures for corporate gain, and oppose stronger energy conservation standards, leaves little doubt that the Boy Scouts won't be the ones in the forefront, leading the way to a safer and healthier future for the planet.
It's a shame that David Brower couldn't have created an organization for adolescents that could provide them the leadership and technical skills necessary for truly promoting that credo, "Leave it better than the way you found it."
(And, if you're wondering, I did earn my Reading merit badge before parting ways with the Boy Scouts. I don't recall all that I read for meeting the requirements, but I do remember that one of the books was Jean Craighead George's wonderful MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN.)
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com
April 11, 2024
It is an interesting story...A bit too much of the author's clear bias on nuclear power industry...at times.
July 23, 2017
This book was recommended to me by a co-worker.
I found the story of David Hahn so interesting and some what depressing. I am not particularly sure if part of my attraction to the story is because of my background in Chemistry. I found the story intriguing, however sometimes the format of the book was distracting (albeit, well-written). The author starts off by introducing the reader to David Hahn, and then goes back to give some history behind Atomic & Nuclear Chemistry. He flips back to continue his story on David, then returns to discuss boy scouts. As the book carries on the author is able to mesh David and the background information together, making the story more cohesive.
David Hahn had a difficult broken childhood, was raised by his father but felt closer to his mother. As he grew into an adolescent, he spent so much time experimenting using a Golden Book on Chemistry that was given to him by his step-grandfather. He becomes totally obsessive over chemistry, collecting elements, and then building his reactor that his life outside of his experimentation only becomes the fuel to keep him going - i.e. a job to provide money, boy scouts to provide his cover. The depressing part was that Hahn was never encouraged to do anything pertaining to Chemistry - his experimentation was seen as a nuisance. It makes me wonder if he had some direction towards his passion, what would he have accomplished? He truly sounds like a nutty professor - this is what chemistry professors are like - they seem a bit of their rocker, obsessive about their work. Instead, it seems that David spent his whole life listening to what his dad wanted him to do and ends up with a rather sad existence.
The book was well written and entertaining - however, the ending was flat and seemed like it came abruptly.
I found the story of David Hahn so interesting and some what depressing. I am not particularly sure if part of my attraction to the story is because of my background in Chemistry. I found the story intriguing, however sometimes the format of the book was distracting (albeit, well-written). The author starts off by introducing the reader to David Hahn, and then goes back to give some history behind Atomic & Nuclear Chemistry. He flips back to continue his story on David, then returns to discuss boy scouts. As the book carries on the author is able to mesh David and the background information together, making the story more cohesive.
David Hahn had a difficult broken childhood, was raised by his father but felt closer to his mother. As he grew into an adolescent, he spent so much time experimenting using a Golden Book on Chemistry that was given to him by his step-grandfather. He becomes totally obsessive over chemistry, collecting elements, and then building his reactor that his life outside of his experimentation only becomes the fuel to keep him going - i.e. a job to provide money, boy scouts to provide his cover. The depressing part was that Hahn was never encouraged to do anything pertaining to Chemistry - his experimentation was seen as a nuisance. It makes me wonder if he had some direction towards his passion, what would he have accomplished? He truly sounds like a nutty professor - this is what chemistry professors are like - they seem a bit of their rocker, obsessive about their work. Instead, it seems that David spent his whole life listening to what his dad wanted him to do and ends up with a rather sad existence.
The book was well written and entertaining - however, the ending was flat and seemed like it came abruptly.
June 7, 2019
The Radioactive Boy Scout: The True Story of a Boy and his Backyard Nuclear Reactor
In Ken Silverstein’s The Radioactive Boy Scout, we are introduced to David Hahn who was socially awkward and often neglected since his father Ken being at work all day and his mother Patty had developed a drinking problem after David was born. The neglect from his parents played a very important role in him developing an interest in chemistry and eventually interest in building a nuclear breeder reactor. In the beginning stages of his story, we learn about a book that inspired David called The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments that contained information about the Curies who David worshipped and looked up to due to their work with radioactive material. The Golden Book also led to his first experiments conducted at David’s father’s house where he would start doing dozens of experiments with beakers, test tubes, and Bunsen burners, as well as chemicals such as sodium hydroxide, potassium nitrate, and magnesium that he bought himself. Of course, when David experimented with chemicals by himself in a shed and unsupervised by and adult, accidents are bound to happen such as a chemical explosion in his shed that resulted in severe burns and caused his girlfriend and her mother to worry about him. David had been a part of the Boy Scouts for a while but due to ridicule from his classmates and people deeming him weird due to his obsession with science, David wanted to quit Boy Scouts. However, his dad Ken wanted David to stay in Boy Scouts not only so he could achieve Eagle Scout status, but so that David could stay away from his chemistry work. Little did Ken know, since David needed twenty-one merit badges to be an Eagle Scout, one of his choices was the Atomic Energy badge. Not only did this badge lead to David learning more about atomic energy, but it also led David to have bigger hopes in the field of chemistry. After achieving the Atomic Energy badge, David wanted to see if he could get his hands on not only the common elements on the periodic table, but also the rare elements such as the radioactive elements. This led to David posing as a Professor and sending letters to groups such as the American Nuclear Society and the Nuclear Regulatory Commision while actually getting responses back from them even though he misspelled so many words in his letters. This led to David gathering multiple sources of information on how to obtain radioactive materials even if they are in very tiny bits and pieces. Since David could not obtain Uranium-233 himself, he had to improvise and create Uranium by bombarding Thorium-232 with neutrons. To no surprise, David emails the Department of Energy to obtain more information this time pertaining to the production of neutrons for his neutron gun and Donald Erb, the director of isotope production and distribution told David that Beryllium could be up to 250 times more efficient in producing neutrons than Aluminum, which David was going to use at first. Unfortunately, David was unable to obtain Beryllium so he had to stay with Aluminum. He then obtained Americium-241 from more than 100 smoke detectors and used it as the alpha-emitting element in his neutron gun to create Uranium-233. After this occurred, David was driving through Clinton Township and saw an antique shop so he strode in carrying a Geiger counter. To his surprise, the Geiger counter reacted strongly to one of the clocks inside and after he purchased the clock and took it apart, he found a vial of Radium which allowed him to substitute Radium instead of Americium for his breeder reactor. Will he successfully build a Breeder Reactor? Will he get caught by the government? Find out in The Radioactive Boy Scout by Ken Silverstein.
As far as the scoring of this book goes, I would give it an 8 out of 10. I personally found this book to be very interesting for several reasons. First, the book was set in Clinton Township, Michigan which is not too far from Saline and it is kind of hard to imagine that there was a nuclear breeder reactor not too far from here. Also, I loved the way that Ken Silverstein organized this book in a way that each chapter was basically a phase of David Hahn’s life and clearly explained how each of the aspects lead to the next. For example, when Ken Silverstein was talking about David’s involvement in the Boy Scouts, he ended the chapter by saying that the Boy Scout had stirred even bigger hopes for David and that the next chapter about his interest in the periodic table resulted from him getting his Atomic Energy merit badge and how his work towards the merit badge for Boy Scouts increased his interest in obtaining radioactive elements from the periodic table. The third thing was that the author really portrayed each character in the book well whether it was David or his parents who were not really part of the story. For example, since he mentioned that David was very knowledgeable in the field of chemistry but could not spell the simplest words correctly then later in the book, he would show a letter written by David and misspell the most obvious words to really show how obvious that the letters were written by David. Also, it was pretty funny how the author shows us the letters David wrote and then tells us that he posed as a professor writing to government agencies to try to obtain information or materials for his experiments and how the people that wrote back actually though a professor could write so badly. Lastly, I loved how the author described David’s step by step process of obtaining all of his chemicals needed to end up building his reactor and allow me to fully picture what was happening with vivid descriptions throughout the book. However, the reason that I did not give this book a 10 out of 10 is because there were parts of the book that were unnecessary such as giving us background on radium and the projects such as the manhattan project and the background on the breeder reactor that were too long and sort of repeating itself like when Ken Silverstein gave about ten different examples of companies attempting and failing to construct a successful breeder reactor. Although these would help the reader understand the danger of chemicals such as radium and that needed to build a breeder reactor, the author kind of went overboard on giving us too much unnecessary information. All in all I thought that this book was very good and really dug deep into all the events that led to David Hahn building a nuclear breeder reactor.
In Ken Silverstein’s The Radioactive Boy Scout, we are introduced to David Hahn who was socially awkward and often neglected since his father Ken being at work all day and his mother Patty had developed a drinking problem after David was born. The neglect from his parents played a very important role in him developing an interest in chemistry and eventually interest in building a nuclear breeder reactor. In the beginning stages of his story, we learn about a book that inspired David called The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments that contained information about the Curies who David worshipped and looked up to due to their work with radioactive material. The Golden Book also led to his first experiments conducted at David’s father’s house where he would start doing dozens of experiments with beakers, test tubes, and Bunsen burners, as well as chemicals such as sodium hydroxide, potassium nitrate, and magnesium that he bought himself. Of course, when David experimented with chemicals by himself in a shed and unsupervised by and adult, accidents are bound to happen such as a chemical explosion in his shed that resulted in severe burns and caused his girlfriend and her mother to worry about him. David had been a part of the Boy Scouts for a while but due to ridicule from his classmates and people deeming him weird due to his obsession with science, David wanted to quit Boy Scouts. However, his dad Ken wanted David to stay in Boy Scouts not only so he could achieve Eagle Scout status, but so that David could stay away from his chemistry work. Little did Ken know, since David needed twenty-one merit badges to be an Eagle Scout, one of his choices was the Atomic Energy badge. Not only did this badge lead to David learning more about atomic energy, but it also led David to have bigger hopes in the field of chemistry. After achieving the Atomic Energy badge, David wanted to see if he could get his hands on not only the common elements on the periodic table, but also the rare elements such as the radioactive elements. This led to David posing as a Professor and sending letters to groups such as the American Nuclear Society and the Nuclear Regulatory Commision while actually getting responses back from them even though he misspelled so many words in his letters. This led to David gathering multiple sources of information on how to obtain radioactive materials even if they are in very tiny bits and pieces. Since David could not obtain Uranium-233 himself, he had to improvise and create Uranium by bombarding Thorium-232 with neutrons. To no surprise, David emails the Department of Energy to obtain more information this time pertaining to the production of neutrons for his neutron gun and Donald Erb, the director of isotope production and distribution told David that Beryllium could be up to 250 times more efficient in producing neutrons than Aluminum, which David was going to use at first. Unfortunately, David was unable to obtain Beryllium so he had to stay with Aluminum. He then obtained Americium-241 from more than 100 smoke detectors and used it as the alpha-emitting element in his neutron gun to create Uranium-233. After this occurred, David was driving through Clinton Township and saw an antique shop so he strode in carrying a Geiger counter. To his surprise, the Geiger counter reacted strongly to one of the clocks inside and after he purchased the clock and took it apart, he found a vial of Radium which allowed him to substitute Radium instead of Americium for his breeder reactor. Will he successfully build a Breeder Reactor? Will he get caught by the government? Find out in The Radioactive Boy Scout by Ken Silverstein.
As far as the scoring of this book goes, I would give it an 8 out of 10. I personally found this book to be very interesting for several reasons. First, the book was set in Clinton Township, Michigan which is not too far from Saline and it is kind of hard to imagine that there was a nuclear breeder reactor not too far from here. Also, I loved the way that Ken Silverstein organized this book in a way that each chapter was basically a phase of David Hahn’s life and clearly explained how each of the aspects lead to the next. For example, when Ken Silverstein was talking about David’s involvement in the Boy Scouts, he ended the chapter by saying that the Boy Scout had stirred even bigger hopes for David and that the next chapter about his interest in the periodic table resulted from him getting his Atomic Energy merit badge and how his work towards the merit badge for Boy Scouts increased his interest in obtaining radioactive elements from the periodic table. The third thing was that the author really portrayed each character in the book well whether it was David or his parents who were not really part of the story. For example, since he mentioned that David was very knowledgeable in the field of chemistry but could not spell the simplest words correctly then later in the book, he would show a letter written by David and misspell the most obvious words to really show how obvious that the letters were written by David. Also, it was pretty funny how the author shows us the letters David wrote and then tells us that he posed as a professor writing to government agencies to try to obtain information or materials for his experiments and how the people that wrote back actually though a professor could write so badly. Lastly, I loved how the author described David’s step by step process of obtaining all of his chemicals needed to end up building his reactor and allow me to fully picture what was happening with vivid descriptions throughout the book. However, the reason that I did not give this book a 10 out of 10 is because there were parts of the book that were unnecessary such as giving us background on radium and the projects such as the manhattan project and the background on the breeder reactor that were too long and sort of repeating itself like when Ken Silverstein gave about ten different examples of companies attempting and failing to construct a successful breeder reactor. Although these would help the reader understand the danger of chemicals such as radium and that needed to build a breeder reactor, the author kind of went overboard on giving us too much unnecessary information. All in all I thought that this book was very good and really dug deep into all the events that led to David Hahn building a nuclear breeder reactor.
August 25, 2010
I checked this out looking for fun nonfiction to booktalk to teens. It was listed on one of the best-of nonfiction lists for teens from ALA. It's an expansion of an article the author wrote for Harper's Magazine. And it felt like it. It felt like there was this core story, then a lot of extra information that wasn't necessarily crucial for the story to be told. Silverstein goes into detail about the history of the Boy Scouts, of the atomic energy movement in the United States, a tonne of detail about the scientific processes the kid went through to do what he did etc. etc. And some of it is interesting to this adult. But I really don't think it would interest any but the most scientifically minded teens. The first half or so of the book goes very quickly but it seriously bogs down in the second half and by the end I was desparate to finish, which is never a good sign. Almost dropped it a few times. Too bad - great cover. Worth reading, as I appreciate the context Silverstein gives the phenomenon, but not teen-friendly.
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