Code-Breaker and Mathematician Alan Turing

STEM Trailblazer Bios / Biografías de Pioneros STEM

by Heather E. Schwartz

Have you ever wished that you could do something heroic to help your country? When Alan Turing was a boy, he was fascinated by math and science. Later, Turing's math skills would help Great Britain win World War II.Turing's parents and teachers thought he'd be better off dropping math in favor of more gentlemanly studies, such as literature and Latin. But he stuck with it, and by the start of World War II in 1939, he was ready to take on the biggest challenge his country Nazi Germany. Turing put his advanced knowledge of math to work decoding secret German messages. His ideas not only helped Great Britain turn the tide of the war—they provided the foundation upon which much of modern computing and artificial intelligence is based.

Genres: Biography, Childrens, Nonfiction

32 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent introduction to the life of Alan Turing and his contribution to helping win WW II. Extremely tragic that he did not receive the praise he should have received until after his death. Makes me think of all the people who have contributed to our defense who have been left out of history books.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Schwartz, Heather E. Code-Breaker and Mathematician: Alan Turing, 32 pages. PICTURE BOOK/NON-FICTION Lerner Publications, 2018. $26. 9781512499803

Alan Turing was a brilliant young man who wasn’t always considered the best student. Turing loved math and science from a young age and as he went through school he specialized in those areas. During World War II, Turing invented a computer that deciphered Nazi code and it is believed that his computer helped end the war and saved a million lives. When Turing was forty, he was charged with the then crime of being a homosexual and was stripped of his job and credentials. After Turing’s death, England’s government officials apologized for the way he was treated.

This is a great biography that summarized the amazing influence of Alan Turing towards computers and mathematics. There are interesting pictures, including some of the machine, known as the Bombe, which deciphered Nazi code and helped end the war. At the end of the book there is a timeline, glossary and other sources to go to for more information on Turing.

EL (K-3), EL – ADVISABLE. Reviewer, C. Peterson.
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...

[Mary Shelton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the way this book reached out to kids about things that matter. Here's the first line of the cover blurb: "Have you ever wished that you could do something heroic to help your country?" --What an interesting question! I don't think I've ever thought about that, exactly. I've thought about wanting to "do my part" like my dad said about his stint in WWII, but I don't think about that enough, and it's such a great question for kids because it honors them as being people who are strong and thoughtful. (I wonder if kids now might be more likely to wish they could do something heroic to help the world instead of just their countries?) I also liked the message embedded in the cover blurb: "Turing's parents and teachers thought he'd be better off dropping math in favor of more gentlemanly studies, such as literature and Latin." (Message: "Take charge of your education, kids!")
The book gives a full picture of his life, including his home science experiments, his competitive running, and of course the fact that he was gay. And on the subject of his assumed suicide, it presents evidence that his death may have been an accident (Message: "Hey kid readers, don't just believe what you read without looking at the evidence). (See below)
This book is not just "appropriate" for young readers. It's exactly what they need and deserve. And it's part of a series of biographies called STEM Trailbrazers Bios. When the Turing bio was published, the series included 38 other books, and at least 17 of them were about women/people with "girl names." I really like the way biographies for kids are being written now, and this one was a great example!

NOTE: Apparently his death was ruled a suicide rather than an accident or undetermined cause because of something the coroner said, "In a man of his type, one never knows what his mental processes are going to do next." Roland Pease (2012, June 26). Alan Turing: Inquest's "suicide" verdict not supportable, BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-envi...