Alan Turing
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In this book from the critically acclaimed Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Alan Turing, the genius code cracker and father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence. Alan grew up in England, where his best friends were numbers and a little boy called Christopher. When his young friend died, Alan retreated to the world of numbers and codes, where he discovered how to crack the code of the Nazi Enigma machine. This moving book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the brilliant mathematician's life. Little People, BIG DREAMS is a best-selling series of books and educational games that explore the lives of outstanding people, from designers and artists to scientists and activists. All of them achieved incredible things, yet each began life as a child with a dream. This empowering series offers inspiring messages to children of all ages, in a range of formats. The board books are told in simple sentences, perfect for reading aloud to babies and toddlers. The hardcover versions present expanded stories for beginning readers. Boxed gift sets allow you to collect a selection of the books by theme. Paper dolls, learning cards, matching games, and other fun learning tools provide even more ways to make the lives of these role models accessible to children. Inspire the next generation of outstanding people who will change the world with Little People, BIG DREAMS!
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''Even a broken clock is right twice a day.'‘ (quote from the 2014 film The Imitation Game)
Alan was a shy boy. His brain could work in such mysterious, fascinating ways and difficult math problems were only a child's puzzle to him. He soon discovered that there is another driving force in life besides Science. He discovered love.
But Fate had decided differently and the most terrible war, the most frightening era in History was about to begin...
Alan thought and thought, his dream seemed impossible. How could anyone create a machine that would be able to calculate anything calculable? Alan and his colleagues, engineers, chess players, mathematicians, were asked to use numbers and codes not to solve a mere mathematical problem but to achieve the highest ideal. To save innocent lives from a threat that slowly swallowed everyone and everything.
It is estimated that over 14 million lives were saved when the Enigma was broken. The Nazis were unable to resurrect it and the war was won. Everything was done in secrecy, the world didn't know that it was Alan and a small group of brilliant minds that have contributed to the defeat of the nightmare.
His country did not pay attention to his work, though. The fact that Alan was a homosexual was far more important than his invaluable gift to our world. Horrible ‘‘treatments'', abuse, persecution. This was what he deserved according to the Labouchere Amendment, a tyrannical law.
Alan Turing died at the age of 41 due to cyanide poisoning. His legacy lives in our homes, in our freedom, in the society that has become much more open-minded and accepting (although the road is still long...).
''Sometimes it is the people no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine.'‘ (Alan Turing)
Many thanks to Frances Lincoln Children's Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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