City Behind a Fence: Oak Ridge, Tennessee, 1942-1946 [Hardcover]

Charles W. Johnson (Author), Charles O. Jackson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1981

Oak Ridge, Tennessee, was created by the U.S. government during World War II to aid in the construction of the first atomic bomb. Drawing on oral history and previously classified material, this book portrays the patterns of daily life in this unique setting.



 

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 248 pages
• Publisher: University of Tennessee Press; 1st edition (December 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870493035
• ISBN-13: 978-0870493034
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,383,329 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Nice Story of Life Behind the Fences, August 28, 2000

By 

Lee Engler (Plano, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: City Behind A Fence: Oak Ridge, Tennessee, 1942-1946 (Paperback)

I was born in the Atomic City during the 60's, and grew up hearing the stories of my parents life 'behind the fences'. The book provided a glimpse of the way in which people endured hardship and sacrifice in the name of national security and for an often misunderstood (and rarely discussed) science. Many of the places mentioned in the story still exist today. This story may have meant more to me as a native to the area than to those simply looking for a story about the Manhattan Project, as it focused more on the daily lives of the people than the scientific matter.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Human Story of Oak Ridge, December 29, 2007

By 

Jennifer Huggins "Bookchick" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: City Behind A Fence: Oak Ridge, Tennessee, 1942-1946 (Paperback)

Those looking for technical, scientific information or Manhattan Project secrets wont be satisfied with this book. However, it provides an incredibly detailed account of social issues, and the effects of a secret city on a person's psyche. It highlights stories of human sacrifice, class warfare and living under Big Brother's thumb in the name of National Security and scientific proweress. Its yet another story of how the government attempted a secret project and succeded, but as a dismal failure on the human front.

Unfortunately, the story was written by a couple of UT (Tennessee) professors, who are not exactly professional writers. Gramatical errors and poor sentance structure plague each chapter. But despite the quality of writing, this is an incredible story that I could not put down!

Anyone interested in The WWII home front, baby boomers, E Tennessee history, and governement secrets would find this a fascinating read!

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars No one wanted to talk about it!, January 3, 2001

By 

D. Hart (Lawrenceville, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: City Behind A Fence: Oak Ridge, Tennessee, 1942-1946 (Paperback)

My husband always told me his Mom and Dad met and married in Oak Ridge, TN and he has always been after them to write - or tape - the story of their lives in Oak Ridge. His Mom always says "Oh, nobody wants to hear about that!" We attended a family reunion there and as part of the trip, visited the Museum of Atomic Energy in Oak Ridge. In the bookshop, I spotted this book, and couldn't leave without it. It was so interesting! I believe the people of Oak Ridge were in shock the days that Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed, and they were so used to not talking about what they did there, the silence just continued. My inlaws confirmed that they truly did not know what they were building. When they saw news footage of the devastation, many Oak Ridgers didn't want anyone else to ever know. My inlaws say that a family member who worked there suffered such emotional trauma upon finding out, she was never normal again. No one knows what a unique place - in all the world and perhaps for all time - Oak Ridge, TN was - and is. If you believe that truth is often stranger than fiction, you'll enjoy this history lesson.