CHILDREN OF THE ATOM

An extension of a short story which has been anthologized several times, this lends a warm and personal touch to the problem of the prodigy when a group of children, born in the aftermath of an atom bomb explosion, show a special superiority but are also the victims of loneliness and disorientation in an ordinary world. It is a psychiatrist who recognizes the extraordinary powers of secretive Timothy, and from there goes on to corral others who are also mutants, and starts a special school in which the children learn to make their adjustment to each other and develop their gifts. But the attack of a rabble rouser teaches them that they must learn to assimilate- and make their identity- in the world at large.... A believable and personable projection in human terms.