Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood Book

I read this, a chapter at a time, as bedtime reading for my 11-year-old son, who is very much into science, and said son is now fascinated with chemistry, its history, and all the people that were involved in many of the theories that have been proved.

I am struck by Sack's language throughout, the lyrical quality with which he describes a unique home life in London during the Second World War, the chemical explorations of his boyhood (my son was especially struck by the idea of another 11-year-old creating poisonous gasses in his own laboratory at home), and the qualities of his relatives who were all into various aspects of metallurgy, chemistry, lighting, and other endeavors that required a working knowledge of how things really are.

I don't give many fives, but Sack's historical research and accuracy and musings are gorgeous, his emotional honesty about the pain of his boyhood, and the detailed descriptions of the various experiments that cements his own relationship with chemistry and the pioneers of chemistry are inspiring as well as fascinating.