Synopses & Reviews
If you could ask a Nobel Prize winner anything you wanted...Since 1901, the Nobel Prize has honored outstanding men and women throughout the world who have made the most important contributions to physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, economics, and world peace. Now, for the first time, these creative thinkers, writers, experimenters, and politicians are challenged to answer twenty-two of life's most difficult and intriguing questions for children. The well-known contributors include the Dalai Lama, who explains "What is love?, " Desmond Tutu, who answers "Why is there war?," Shimon Peres, who responds to "What is politics?" and Mikhail Gorbachev, who tells us how one can win the Nobel Prize.
Imagine being able to ask internationally renowned experts why you can't eat french fries all day long, why you feel pain, and why there are poor people and rich people. Ranging from the practical to the scientific to the philosophical, the questions cover virtually every field and area of study. The answer are rich with surprise, humor, and of course, wisdom. And every single answer will make you think...and learn something new.
Review
"[M]ost of these intellectuals do an amazing job of explaining complex ideas from nutrition to math. With spacious type and a brief biography of each prize winner, this will be especially welcome as a discussion opener in science and social studies classrooms." Booklist
Review
"The essays are conversational and friendly in tone....Overall, the book makes for interesting reading." School Library Journal
About the Author
Jimmy Carter was born in Plains, Georgia, and served as thirty-ninth President of the United States. He and his wife, Rosalynn, founded The Carter Center, a nonprofit organization that prevents and resolves conflicts, enhances freedom and democracy, and improves health around the world. He is the author of numerous books, including Palestine Peace Not Apartheid, An Hour Before Daylight and Our Endangered Values. He received a "Best Spoken Word" Grammy Award for his recording of Our Endangered Values. All of President Carter's proceeds from this series will go to the Maranatha Baptist Church of Plains, Georgia.
Table of Contents
How do I win the Nobel Prize? / Mikhail Gorbachev -- Why can't I live on french fries? / Richard J. Roberts -- Why do we have to go to school? / Kenzaburo Oe -- Why are some people rich and others poor? / Daniel L. McFadden -- Why do we have scientists / John C. Polanyi -- What is love? / H.H. Dalai Lama -- Why do we feel pain? / Gèunter Blobel -- Why is pudding soft and stone hard? / Klaus von Klitzing -- What is politics? / Shimon Peres -- Why is the sky blue? / Mario J. Molina -- How does the telephone work? / Gerd Binning -- Will I soon have a clone? / Eric Wieschaus -- Why is there war? / Desmond Tutu -- Why do Mom and Dad have to work? / Reinhard Selten -- What is air? / Paul Crutzen -- Why do I get sick? / George Vithoulkas -- Why are leaves green? / Robert Huber -- Why do I forget some things and not others? / Erwin Neher -- Why are there boys and girls? / Christiane Nèusslein-Volhard -- Why does 1 + 1 = 2? / Enrico Bombieri -- How much longer will the Earth keep turning? / Sheldon Glashow.