Ken Silverstein

Traces a boy's fascination with science and nuclear physics, which compelled him to misrepresent himself to the government and build a reactor in his back yard, causing an environmental catastrophe in his quiet Detroit town.

The Frightening True Story Of A Whiz Kid And His Homemade Nuclear Reactor

The Radioactive Boy Scout

During the mid-90s, David Hahn was a teenager obsessed with nuclear physics. In a bid to earn his Eagle Scout rank, he designed and (almost successfully) built a breeder reactor in his family shed. While he did earn Eagle, he also was busted by local and federal authorities who shut down his home-made reactor. Instead of fostering his talents, his family and community continued to shun him. He dropped out of community college, was discharged from the US Navy, and eventually was arrested and investigated by the FBI for stealing materials to build another reactor. He died in 2016 of substance abuse. 

This is a sad story about a squandered talent, but the journalism is somewhat lackluster. I would still recommend reading it or listening to the audiobook to know the story, though.

Ashlyn

During the mid-90s, David Hahn was a teenager obsessed with nuclear physics. In a bid to earn his Eagle Scout rank, he designed and (almost successfully) built a breeder reactor in his family shed. While he did earn Eagle, he also was busted by local and federal authorities who shut down his home-made reactor. Instead of fostering his talents, his family and community continued to shun him. He dropped out of community college, was discharged from the US Navy, and eventually was arrested and investigated by the FBI for stealing materials to build another reactor. He died in 2016 of substance abuse. 

This is a sad story about a squandered talent, but the journalism is somewhat lackluster. I would still recommend reading it or listening to the audiobook to know the story, though.

The Radioactive Boy Scout The Frightening True Story Of A Whiz Kid And His Homemade Nuclear Reactor

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