Linus Pauling

August 1, 1998
Gr 7 Up-This well-written biography of the winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry is truly a portrait of a "scientific giant." Pauling's research achievements in chemistry, physics, biology, and medicine are clearly discussed in relation to his life. One-to-two page sidebars offer additional information about the nature of the chemical bond, the molecular structure of proteins, Vitamin C, and other topics that engaged his interest. Pauling's use of his recognition as a scientist to advance political causes and the problems that this activism caused him (FBI and other governmental investigations, attacks by the press, cancellation of research grants, etc.) is given equally fine coverage. Black-and-white photographs of the scientist and reproductions of handwritten pages from his notes and speeches illustrate the text. The extensive list of further reading by and about the Nobel Prize winner and his political and scientific interests will be useful to students stimulated by this engaging title.-Carolyn Angus, The Claremont Graduate School, CA

May 15, 1998
Gr. 9^-12. Hager's lively entry in the Oxford Portraits in Science series introduces Pauling, winner of the Nobel Prize and vitamin C advocate, integrating technical discussions of chemistry into the story of a scientist with a passion for discovery and compassion for humanity. Recounting a variety of incidents from Pauling's life, Hager depicts a man who was propelled by curiosity and whose relentless work ethic netted him stellar academic appointments, the Nobel Prize in chemistry, and numerous other honors. In the 1940s, at the urging of his wife, he added politics to his plate and became a forceful voice in the antiwar and antibomb movements, garnering the Nobel Peace Prize in 1963. Students with a strong science background will get the most out of this biography, but even young people who don't like science will be able to identify with a man whose scientific curiosity and political principles led him to try to change the world. Chronology and recommended readings. ((Reviewed May 15, 1998))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1998, American Library Association.)