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  • The Boy Who Played with Fusion

  • Extreme Science, Extreme Parenting, and How to Make a Star
  • Written by: Tom Clynes
  • Narrated by: P. J. Ochlan
  • Length: 12 hrs and 27 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (5 ratings)

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The Boy Who Played with Fusion cover art

The Boy Who Played with Fusion

Written by: Tom Clynes
Narrated by: P. J. Ochlan
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Publisher's Summary

This is the story of how an American teenager became the youngest person ever to build a working nuclear fusion reactor.

By the age of nine, Taylor Wilson had mastered the science of rocket propulsion. At 11 his grandmother's cancer diagnosis drove him to investigate new ways to produce medical isotopes. And by 14 Wilson had built a 500-million-degree reactor and become the youngest person in history to achieve nuclear fusion. How could someone so young achieve so much, and what can Wilson's story teach parents and teachers about how to support high-achieving kids?

In The Boy Who Played with Fusion, science journalist Tom Clynes narrates Taylor's extraordinary journey - from his Arkansas home, where his parents fully supported his intellectual passions; to a unique Reno, Nevada, public high school just for academic superstars; to the present, when now 19-year-old Wilson is winning international science competitions with devices designed to prevent terrorists from shipping radioactive material into the country. Along the way Clynes reveals how our education system shortchanges gifted students - and what we can do to fix it.
©2015 Tom Clynes (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Professionals & Academics Education Parenting & Families Relationships Physics
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Profile Image for Alex Gendron

Fantastic!

Wow! Great story. There're a multitude of life lessons presented that one can reflect on and learn from. The author does wonderful work integrating science facts into this real life story in a way that fascinates.


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  • Overall
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Profile Image for Roberta W

Taylor is a bright light

Totally enjoyed the first half of this book, all about Taylor, his mind and his experiments. Great biographical tale - and I learned a lot about science!
Enjoyed the next bit about cognition and whether mastery is born or learned.
The last part, about the decline in education programs for gifted children was interesting, but then went deep into USA education policy, so I stopped listening at that point. There were still 5 hours left, but felt I had the story.

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