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Fission
Imagine if you would, a story of greed and betrayal, intrigue and danger, war and destruction, the slaughter of the innocents on a biblical scale and the collapse of empire. And imagine at the centre of it all one woman, brilliant but shy, victimized but resolute, and ultimately vindicated. What a story that would make Well, you don't have to imagine it, because that is the Lise Meitner story. And I didn't have to invent any of it . . . it's all true.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
330 pages, Paperback
First published August 27, 2011
3 people are currently reading
103 people want to read
About the author
Tom Weston
14 books5 followersOriginally from England, Tom Weston now resides in Boston, Massachusetts. His works include the novel, Fission, based on the true story of Lise Meitner, the fantasy based, Alex and Jackie Adventures, and the collection of short stories, Tales from the Green Dragon Tavern.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 14, 2011
Fission is an Historical Literary Fiction.
Lise Mietner was a woman born before her times. The time is 1906 and Lise has just received her PhD in Physics, something quite unheard of, women were tolerated in the academics as long as it was known that they would get married and have children right after graduation. However, the family life is not for Lise as she overcomes the trials and tribulations set before her in a man's world.
Lise meets many great minds along her journey, such as Ernst Mach, who proved speed travel, Albert Einstein, an up and coming star in the realm of physics, as well as Max Planck, who helps guide her with his tutelage.
Lise's father is against the idea of Lise moving from Vienna to Berlin to pursue her advocation. However, he complies and Lise has never been happier. She does run into problems as she tries to secure a laboratory in which to experiment, space is tight and men will always have first crack at the opportunity of obtaining one, no matter how much her Professors admire her tenacity to the task.
Lise meets Otto Hahn, a chemist, and together they work on radiation and its causes and effects. When Lise is invited to give a lecture on some of her published papers, she embarks on the journey with trepidation. However, her colleagues are very supportive and Lise agrees to the talk. This will open many doors for this remarkable women from our historical past.
Lise is a prim and proper women, she has many eyes upon her and she fears making waves, always trying to hide in the shadows. Her nephew, Robert, is her pride and joy and it is only with him that she is able to be herself. There are many ups and downs concerning Lise and her career choice but she fronts them bravely and changes the face of science for future generations.
I thought this was an extremely well written book. I loved knowing that it was based on a true story and how pioneering the woman, Lise Mietner, was to humanity. I admired her courage and her determination to succeed in a man's world. She helped to change many of the male attitudes of the times and helped pave the way for other highly academic and career-orientated women to survive and succeed.
I enjoy reading the history that is shared throughout the pages, reading about some of the greatest minds in such a relaxed and personal way gives the story an added edge to its character building. I thought all aspects of the literature was well placed and everything worked well together, the plot, the characters and the back story all fit nicely together.
Author Tom Weston definitely knows how to spin a tale and gives just enough information to the reader that encourages you to go and learn more about Lise Mietner. Until reading this story, the only women I ever heard attached to radiation science was Madame Curie and it was really interesting to read about Lise and her life.
I would give Fission a five out of five stars. The history, the characters and the writing all blend together to make this a remarkable and intriguing read. The social and political strife encompasses the reader and you will find yourself needing to know more. Anyone with a fascination with true historical stories would love reading this.
Lise Mietner was a woman born before her times. The time is 1906 and Lise has just received her PhD in Physics, something quite unheard of, women were tolerated in the academics as long as it was known that they would get married and have children right after graduation. However, the family life is not for Lise as she overcomes the trials and tribulations set before her in a man's world.
Lise meets many great minds along her journey, such as Ernst Mach, who proved speed travel, Albert Einstein, an up and coming star in the realm of physics, as well as Max Planck, who helps guide her with his tutelage.
Lise's father is against the idea of Lise moving from Vienna to Berlin to pursue her advocation. However, he complies and Lise has never been happier. She does run into problems as she tries to secure a laboratory in which to experiment, space is tight and men will always have first crack at the opportunity of obtaining one, no matter how much her Professors admire her tenacity to the task.
Lise meets Otto Hahn, a chemist, and together they work on radiation and its causes and effects. When Lise is invited to give a lecture on some of her published papers, she embarks on the journey with trepidation. However, her colleagues are very supportive and Lise agrees to the talk. This will open many doors for this remarkable women from our historical past.
Lise is a prim and proper women, she has many eyes upon her and she fears making waves, always trying to hide in the shadows. Her nephew, Robert, is her pride and joy and it is only with him that she is able to be herself. There are many ups and downs concerning Lise and her career choice but she fronts them bravely and changes the face of science for future generations.
I thought this was an extremely well written book. I loved knowing that it was based on a true story and how pioneering the woman, Lise Mietner, was to humanity. I admired her courage and her determination to succeed in a man's world. She helped to change many of the male attitudes of the times and helped pave the way for other highly academic and career-orientated women to survive and succeed.
I enjoy reading the history that is shared throughout the pages, reading about some of the greatest minds in such a relaxed and personal way gives the story an added edge to its character building. I thought all aspects of the literature was well placed and everything worked well together, the plot, the characters and the back story all fit nicely together.
Author Tom Weston definitely knows how to spin a tale and gives just enough information to the reader that encourages you to go and learn more about Lise Mietner. Until reading this story, the only women I ever heard attached to radiation science was Madame Curie and it was really interesting to read about Lise and her life.
I would give Fission a five out of five stars. The history, the characters and the writing all blend together to make this a remarkable and intriguing read. The social and political strife encompasses the reader and you will find yourself needing to know more. Anyone with a fascination with true historical stories would love reading this.
January 13, 2012
Not sure how I found this book but the description piqued my interest. I have always been interested in history but this story had escaped me for the most part. Part history part personal trial the book covers the life of Lise Meinter a German Physicist who was contributions were crucial to the discovery of Nuclear Fission. What makes the story interesting is the circumstances under which Lise accomplished her storied lise and career. Working on her pHD in 1908 in Vienna she was a fish out of water, a woman in a mans world, a world that resisted letting her in. Through her perseverance she not only entered the male world of physics, she was a very notable scientist who worked with the likes of Albert Einstein and Otto Hahn as well as other notable scientists of the time. After WWI she gets the recognition that she has earned and deserved for her work, As WWII begins the Nazi's discredit her work and remove all references of her contributions from her work. She flees Nazi Germany and continues her research for the allies. Ultimately much of her work leads to the development of the Nuclear bombs that were dropped on Japan something she was never proud of. She never received a Nobel prize which many thought she deserved and did not seem to let the hardships of her life keep her from her work. A partially fictionalized account of her life it is based on truth. A fascinating read I had trouble putting it down.
April 18, 2013
3.5/5 stars.
"Fission" is the story of a real person, Lise Meitner. She is the physicist who actually discovered the principle of fission, although her partner was given credit for it, up to and including receipt of the Nobel Prize.
Weston's story telling is sometimes a little dry, but the characters he developed were quite good. The last third of the book was, in my opinion, more interesting. It is at that point in her life that Meitner is being hounded by the Nazis because of her Jewish heritage (Meitner was a Christian).
There were also some bothersome formatting issues, but I cannot be sure whether they were related to the book itself or to my eReader; when Weston was quoting historical documents, the material was only on the right-hand side of the page.
The book is clearly well-researched and Weston is passionate about his subject matter. Those interested in the history of physics and World War II are sure to enjoy this book.
"Fission" is the story of a real person, Lise Meitner. She is the physicist who actually discovered the principle of fission, although her partner was given credit for it, up to and including receipt of the Nobel Prize.
Weston's story telling is sometimes a little dry, but the characters he developed were quite good. The last third of the book was, in my opinion, more interesting. It is at that point in her life that Meitner is being hounded by the Nazis because of her Jewish heritage (Meitner was a Christian).
There were also some bothersome formatting issues, but I cannot be sure whether they were related to the book itself or to my eReader; when Weston was quoting historical documents, the material was only on the right-hand side of the page.
The book is clearly well-researched and Weston is passionate about his subject matter. Those interested in the history of physics and World War II are sure to enjoy this book.
June 9, 2013
Characters in this book include some of her famous physicist co-workers that we've heard of. Of course we haven't heard of her b/c women didn't get any credit for discoveries AND she was Jewish so she was swept under the rug (and pushed out of the country). Interesting read if you like history. I consider it important history.
December 29, 2011
For historical fiction lovers, this is a winner. For everyone else, this novel will make you a fan of historical fiction!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews