Wilborn Hampton

In the first chapter, Hampton relives the terror of the atomic bomb on the people of Hiroshima. Using reactions from the scientific community at the time, Hampton explains how public perception about nuclear ability shifted to allow the development of nuclear energy plants. Hampton’s insider knowledge about the workings of the press, gives this book a human edge, especially as we realize that the same destructive forces that killed so many in Hiroshima, threaten the very same reporters who show more are standing in easy wind-shot of the doomed Three Mile Island reactor. Hampton reveals the defensive misinformation supplied by both the government and the power companies. In the book is the argument about the importance of a free, independent press trying to balance the need for passing along important information against the possible destructive panic that the information could generate. Along the way, readers find themselves learning something about the way reactors, governments, and the press work. Physics teachers and other science teachers will find much to use in this book that also reads like a novel. show less

By Todd Morning (Booklist, Mar. 1, 2009 (Vol. 105, No. 13):
Hampton announces early in this biography of Babe Ruth that his emphasis is on separating fact from legend, and he is not afraid to dig up some of the more tawdry aspects of the slugger’s life. Unlike the approach in other books about Ruth, the focus here is on Ruth’s sad early life and his career as a pitcher with the Boston Red Sox. Throughout, an attempt is made to give some sense of the grace, power, and skill of Ruth on the show more field. Of course, nearly all biographies of Ruth for young people inevitably end up discussing Ruth’s outside appetites for food and drink, and this biography also mentions his many extramarital affairs and his illegitimate child, who was officially passed off as a sudden adoption. Most libraries already have a full lineup of Ruth biographies. This title, part of the UpClose series and illustrated with a nice selection of photos, has the advantage of telling the complete, unvarnished story in a snappy, concise style. Grades 6-9 show less

I thought this book was very informative and put together. I've learned a lot of Babe, for example that his real name is George, that he had a very troubled childhood, and that he basically grew up in a school. This book gave you a lot of basic knowledge that most people wouldn't necessarily know. The only thing I'd would change is the amount of baseball statistics in the book. It may seem crazy to say that, but I feel like the book should've focused more on the important things rather than show more ever minor fact. Overall it didn't really take away from the book, but it did feel a bit much a times. show less

I was never a serious Elvis fan and since most of my knowledge of him came from magazine articles it was nice to hear the story of his life filled in with more details and sympathetic to Elvis as a person rather than an icon.