1990-2000: The Electronic Age

Children's Literature

The last decade of the twentieth century was one that would have astounded people living a century ago. In that ten-year time period items such as cell phones, the Internet, laptop computers, and microwave ovens all became very common devices. In developed nations the standards of living rose as the daily grind of manual labor decreased. However, the compelling gap between "have" and "have not" nations became strikingly familiar. Additionally, the ecological effects of industrial development began to have obvious and long lasting impact. The science that produced so valuable a tool as the personal computer also set the stage for weapons of mass destruction, acid rain, global warming, and smog. Steve Parker addresses these contrasting pluses and minuses in the sixth and final volume of his illuminating "20th Century Science and Technology" series. In this solid work, Parker describes some of the most recent technological developments in our world. He does a fine job of highlighting key innovations but also leaves readers with the perplexing reality of a steadily increasing technology gap among some portions of the world. Technology drawn from scientific discovery is one of humanity's greatest achievements. Yet, as Parker points out, technology unbridled by a social conscience can have disastrous results. That telling message is relayed in an insightful way in this book and its series.