First published 2007
Ernest Rutherford arrives at Cambridge from colonial New Zealand, a scholarship student who will reshape our understanding of matter itself. In his laboratory, he discovers how atoms are structured, with electrons orbiting a central nucleus. He develops the concept of radioactive half-life, a breakthrough that forces scientists to recalculate Earth's age from 100 million years to billions. Rutherford and his team become the first to split an atom, releasing enormous energy. He foresees the terrible potential of this discovery, predicting it will lead to atomic weapons. As Nazi and Soviet regimes threaten fellow scientists, Rutherford uses his influence to help endangered colleagues. The Queen makes him Baron Rutherford, and he receives the Nobel Prize, but his greatest legacy may be the brilliant young physicists he mentors. Reeves brings this ruddy, enthusiastic scientist to vivid life, showing how one man's curiosity unlocked forces that would change the world forever.
Genres: biography, 20th-century, academic, history-of-science
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, mentor-mentee
Setting: Cambridge, New Zealand
Period: 20th-century
207 pages · Hardcover · W. W. Norton & Company