Nuclear Afternoon: True Stories of Atomic Disasters [Paperback]

Clyde Burleson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 10, 2007

A chilling chronicle of major nuclear incidents around the globe such as Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, spanning more than 60 years.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Clyde W. Burleson is a marketing consultant and writer. He has written fourteen books, including Effective Meeings: The Complete Guide and The Heart Owner’s Handbok. His work has been produced for Showtime, the Discovery Channel, and the History Channel.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (April 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560259965
• ISBN-13: 978-1560259961
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 1.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,464,485 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't buy this book, July 20, 2007

By 

Jasmine L. Strong "engineer and author" (San Francisco, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nuclear Afternoon: True Stories of Atomic Disasters (Paperback)

This is not a good book.

Allow me to explain.

I bought this book hoping for some accurate histories, collected in a single volume, of some of the more interesting accidents in nuclear history. Rather, what I got was a barely coherent rant, railing against the supposed dangers of nuclear power. I wouldn't have minded so much- I'm not particularly enamoured with the horribly confused and schizophrenic nuclear industry myself- but the book is riddled with inaccuracies. It even goes so far as to confuse radioactivity (the property of a material that causes it to produce radiation) with radiation (the emanations of such a material). This is important in a volume that concerns itself with dosimetry and the safety ramifications of nuclear technology.

I can't recommend this book. It's hysterical and relentlessly unbalanced. It's also stunningly badly written. Just don't buy it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Poorly researched, poorly written, February 28, 2008

By 

Robert C. Ristuccia "Scientist and Objective ... - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nuclear Afternoon: True Stories of Atomic Disasters (Paperback)

Burleson's book seemed like a "cant-miss" proposition, but the author's poor writing and flawed research leaves much to be desired. On the one hand, the actual stories that he addresses have the potential to be very interesting. Sometime Burleson succeeds, and the reader can actually learn something. Most of the time, however, his writing is a mixture of spotty details and rambling explanations that vacillate between opposing viewpoints without any information to support his claims. In addition, by the time the reader reaches the half-way point of this book, it is painfully clear that Burleson is very much a pro-nuclear power thinker. While I don't begrudge him is point of view, I was incredibly disappointed with his lack of objectivity in "Nuclear Afternoon."

The only reason I gave this book two stars instead of one is that, in those few spots where the writing is well organized and objective, it is both entertaining and informations. Most of the time, however, "Nuclear Afternoon" is waste of time.