Customer Reviews

Atomic Harvest: Hanford and the Lethal Toll of America's Nuclear Arsenal

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...My father is a retired nuclear engineer who spent a majority of his career working as a project manager for three of the "area" contractors. My mother was a staunch pro-nuclear advocate who directed a grassroots organization called W.A.V.E.- Washington Voices for Energy. Now they're both voicing concerns over the information that has recently come to light regarding past practices at Hanford. Their concerns are based on solid knowledge and the cause & effect results of nuclear industry practices. Many of these concerns, especially the plight of the downwinders, are addressed in this book. Atomic Harvest is well written, and gives a personal voice to the peole afflicted by the heinous acts perpetrated by the nuclear industry. Some of these people are personal friends of my family. In an age where government conspiracy theories are rampant it's easy to say this book is just another example of history blown out of proportion. It's not, and the truth hurts! I'd like to see D'Antonio write more books. It would be interesting to read his take on the current waste management fiasco in the Tri Cities. I'd also like to read more about the Yucca Mountain situation.

I feel this book expresses both sides of the issue. However, it's difficult to swallow the side of illness & death... in that there are, "Downwinders" today who are just now realizing their illnesses & losses are due to Hanford & other atomic sites. There is not real justification for the blatant lack of concern for the, "low importance" segment of the nation.

This book should be required reading! It's an excellent place to begin on your awakening about what the, "Manhattan Project" did to all of us & is still doing... as the waste flows into our rivers & winds to this day.

D'Antonio is clearly an excellent writer but he relies too much on a prevalent sinister attitude as portrayed to him by a few "legends in their own minds" at the Hanford Reservation. The "whistleblowers" he interviews are clearly so caught up in their own personna that we have to be reminded that these "experts" have no college degrees and are going up against PHD's. Yes it is clear that there were mistakes made in the past before adequate safety measures were observed, but D'Antonio seizes on exploiting what he perceives as secrecy as evil and sinister.

I live in the Hanford area of Washington State. I did not appreciate Michael D'Antonio's portrayal of the surrounding communities as uneducated and ignorant. We have some of the finest schools in the area and some of the most stringent regulations to control and regulate wastes. The author tries to paint a pictures of whistleblowers as prophets when generally they are just loud mouthes who crave attention and want their day on the spotlight.