What will they think of next? That's the sense of wonder generated by this entry in the Beyond 2000 series, which looks ahead to the day when tiny submarines patrol arteries, destroying hostile germs and fat buildups and other tiny devices digest garbage on waste dumps. These advances might come through the science of nanotechnology, which involves building structures and machines from individual atoms and molecules. Darling looks at the history of miniaturization and gives a detailed explanation of how computer microchips are made. Most exciting is the research involved in creating microscopic versions of machines such as gears, pumps, and motors, aptly known as micromachines. The author has a real gift for writing about complicated technology; he presents the potential for both good and evil that can arise out of such scientific leaps. (further reading, glossary, diagrams, full- color and b&w photos) (Nonfiction. 10+)
Pub Date: June 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-87518-615-7
Page Count: 64
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1995
BOOK REVIEW
Illuminated by sudden twists and magical transformations, these linked stories from the author of Winning Scheherazade (p. 392) will have middle readers wondering if their schools and teachers aren't more than they seem. Every year, graduating eighth-graders at the old school on Poor Farm Road have sewn keepsake pillows. This time they have to hurry, for the building is collapsing—the well over which it was built wants it back—so, with the help of three very senior members of the faculty (Ms. Oakes, Ms. Laurel, and old librarian Ms. Holly), the students work away, matter-of-factly accepting the apparitions that appear one after another to share a memory, a memorable character, an urban legend, or a campfire story. A headless ``Silver Skier'' swoops down the slope to snatch a loved one away; a ring of ``Gypsy Gold'' brings loss in one tale, but solace to lonely ``Myra'' in another; the title story explains why manners are important near a well; ``An Old, Often Retold Story of Revenge'' is funny and satisfying, but definitely not delicious; while other tales feature ghostly touches, just deserts, or hilarious slapstick. The main plot is more than a device to bridge the stories, it's strong enough to stand on its own. Appealing and well-told. (Fiction. 11-15)
Pub Date: Oct. 18, 1991
ISBN: 0-399-21803-3
Page Count: 119
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1991
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The complementary strengths of a social-science writer and a psychiatrist produce a balanced sociological/neuro-biological exploration of violence as a public-health problem. Humans are exceptional: other species rarely kill their own. The authors tell how violence has been explained and countered, from exploding the XYY myth and giving a history of psychosurgery (including lobotomies) to trying to understand hate crimes. Seeing violence as multicausal in nature (drug addiction, poverty, and a search for control, etc.), they cite cases to demonstrate both sides of each issue, e.g., violence and its relation to TV. Perhaps the gravity of the problem comes through most arrestingly in street terminology, where a ``mushroom'' is a person unwittingly caught in drug-war crossfire. Aside from an occasional tendency to lop off stories (Joe abused of the elderly, but what did he do?), a thoughtful examination that compares theory with a reality where there are no satisfactory answers. Glossary; notes; sources; bibliography; index. (Nonfiction. 12+)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1991
ISBN: 0-531-11060-5
Page Count: 144
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1991
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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