Crystal Fire

Crystal Fire written by Michael Riordan and Lillian Hoddeson is a historical non-fiction novel detailing the discovery and subsequent invention of the transistor. Written in 1997, and published by W. W. Norton & Company in 1998. Crystal Fire’s authors, Michael Riordan and Lillian Hoddeson, both graduated from prestigious universities, MIT and Columbia respectively, with deep interests in physics. Through that shared interest they came together to create an account of the birth of the transistor, the building block of our modern electronic devices. When reading Crystal Fire one theme kept popping out at me, and it was family. The book begins with a look at each inventor’s family, and the way in which they were subsequently raised. As …show more content…
None of the inventors, despite facing numerous setbacks and stalls ever gave up on their end goal, to transfer and increase current quickly and efficiently. In fact, the lead research, William Shockley, led his team for eight years before they finally made their breakthrough. In doing so they were all happy, but they still felt the urge to be more efficient. And because of that the third major theme cropped up, competitiveness. Bardeen, Brattain, and Shockley were more competitive than they thought, and in the end it led to some conflicts in the workplace, so much so that Shockley was separated from his research partners very soon after the initial …show more content…
begins with Walter Brattain. His mother and father lived in Japan during his early life, so that his father could teach at a wealthy private school. After a few years they moved back to the United States. There they purchased a large cattle ranch, and began to settle down. All throughout this Brattain’s father knew he was intelligent, and he wound up going to school, and skipping grades. Brattain, despite attending college, continued, “to help his father with the farm and the ranch” (14). Leading a different life Charles Bardeen found his way to Madison, Wisconsin. After graduating from John Hopkins Medical School he, along with a close friend, came to University of Wisconsin, petitioned for, and were granted the rights to build a medical school. After establishing his position there Charles met his wife, married, and they had John Bardeen. John had siblings, but his father tended to his needs over the others. Even being quoted as saying, “John is the concentrated essence of brain”(16). After skipping three grades John was admitted to University of Wisconsin Madison at the age of 15, where he graduated. After graduating from Stanford University Ms. Bradford went back to Nevada to help her father’s mining business. There she met Mr. Shockley, they married, and had William Shockley. After troublesome years, and nearing the age of 12 Mr. Shockley had no choice but to enroll William in a military prep high school. In regards to