Uranium: War, Energy and the Rock That Shaped the World [Hardcover]

Tom Zoellner (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 5, 2009

The fascinating story of the most powerful source of energy the earth can yield

Uranium is a common element in the earth's crust and the only naturally occurring mineral with the power to end all life on the planet. After World War II, it reshaped the global order-whoever could master uranium could master the world.

Marie Curie gave us hope that uranium would be a miracle panacea, but the Manhattan Project gave us reason to believe that civilization would end with apocalypse. Slave labor camps in Africa and Eastern Europe were built around mine shafts and America would knowingly send more than six hundred uranium miners to their graves in the name of national security.

Fortunes have been made from this yellow dirt; massive energy grids have been run from it. Fear of it panicked the American people into supporting a questionable war with Iraq and its specter threatens to create another conflict in Iran. Now, some are hoping it can help avoid a global warming catastrophe.

In Uranium, Tom Zoellner takes readers around the globe in this intriguing look at the mineral that can sustain life or destroy it.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. In this fine piece of journalism, Zoellnerdoes for uranium what he did for diamonds in The Heartless Stone—he delves into the complex science, politics and history of this radioactive mineral, which presents the best and worst of mankind: the capacity for scientific progress and political genius; the capacity for nihilism, exploitation, and terror. Because Zoellner covers so much ground, from the discovery of radioactivity, through the development of the atomic bomb, he doesn't go into great depth on any one topic. Nonetheless, he superbly paints vivid pictures of uranium's impact, including forced labor in Soviet mines and lucky prospectors who struck it rich in harsh environments, the spread of uranium smuggling, as well as an explanation of why it was absurd to claim that Saddam Hussein was attempting to purchase significant quantities of uranium from Niger. The only shortcoming is Zoellner's omission of the issue of radioactive wastes generated by nuclear power—a significant problem given the possibility of a growing reliance on nuclear power. (Mar. 9)
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From Booklist

In an element low on the periodic table, Zoellner discovers the focus for events at the top of the world’s list of troubles. Having traveled extensively through the savannas of Africa, the mountains of Eastern Europe, and the deserts of Utah, Zoellner knows well what uranium looks like, why peril pulses in its every atom, and how scientists exploit its nuclear volatility. But most readers will find the drama not in the science but in the weaponry uranium has spawned—terribly demonstrated at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In pursuit of this raw power, the U.S. let Navajos die extracting needed ore and let southwestern cities sicken beneath clouds from reckless testing. The Soviet Union sentenced tens of thousands to lethal gulag mines. Israel diverted ore through deception on the high seas. Pakistan stole European refining technology. Alive with devious personalities, Zoellner’s narrative ultimately exposes the frightening vulnerability of a world with too many sources of a dangerous substance and too little wisdom to control it. A riveting journey into perilous terrain. --Bryce Christensen

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult; First edition (March 5, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670020648
• ISBN-13: 978-0670020645
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.3 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #770,451 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Chemistry > Nuclear Chemistry
  • #88 in Books > Science & Math > Nature & Ecology > Field Guides > Rocks & Minerals

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 49 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Well travelled, well researched, and fascinating April 3, 2009

By Cynthia

Format:Hardcover

Unlike some of the other reviewers, I have actually read this book, and I recommend it wholeheartedly.

The focus of this book is on the history, not the science, of uranium (which should be obvious - it is a work of reportage, not science). Furthermore, the parts of the book that do deal with science are correct, clear, and concise; they are understandable to a lay reader but not boring -- the prose is poetic and beautiful in its description of uranium's structure, isotopes, and process of decay (ultimately winding up as lead).

Now on to the important stuff: Zoellner presents the paradox of uranium with drama and art. From the front lines, Zoellner reports on the tragic and terrifying. He speaks directly with survivors of Soviet prison camps on the border of East Germany and the Czech Republic, where thousands of political prisoners were forced to mine uranium to fuel the arms race. These stories are heartbreaking, and for me, were a new revelation about the havor wreaked by the cold war.

Zoellner travels into the heart of what is now the DRC, to visit Shinkolobwe, where the uranium for the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was mined. The discoveries he makes there are bone chilling (I won't give them away!)

He also captures the intangible influence uranium has had on society - the paradox of salvation (clean energy) and damnation (mutually assured destruction); its integration into capitalism and stock markets; how its pursuit in Canada, the American West, and even Mongolia, resembles the goldrush and embodies American entrepreneurship and adventure.

Despite the terrifying realities Zoellner reports, he is even-handed and does not set out to scare the reader.... Thankfully, he also reports on the pithy and humorous -- including his own foibles while travelling the world.

My primary criticism is the dearth of time spent discussing today's choices -- does America become a nuclear country, like France? How do we address the deadly remains of the Cold War? Who can we trust to make these decisions.

In sum, Uranium is a fascinating read, a good book for history buffs, current events junkies, non-fiction lovers of all stripes, and even scientists. Read more ›

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars An eye-opener April 8, 2009

By reviewer2009

Format:Hardcover

Forget the comparisons to pop histories about cod, salt, dictionaries, potatoes, or even the color blue. This book doesn't elevate an obscure or minor subject with the ersatz claim that it "changed the world." No--in point of fact, uranium really DID change the world, and continues to exert enormous influence. For once, we have a subtitle that really means what it says, and this book tells that story.

"Uranium" takes a profound subject and makes it accessible to the lay person. While obviously informed by science, "Uranium" approaches its topic from the angle of social history, which makes it especially compelling. Zoellner's narrative comes alive with first-person reportage, fascinating anecdotes and lucid prose. You come away with a deeper understanding of how uranium has shaped modern society, influenced governments, and held both despots and the destitute in its thrall. Its very instability as an element mirrors the instability it threatens on a global stage. And as a mainstream energy source, it holds promise--but only if we can manage its waste and keep the source material out of evil hands. The more people understand about this substance, the better. Highly recommended.

21 of 28 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars More Travelogue than anything serious - misses the real issue August 10, 2009

By Joseph Somsel

Format:Hardcover

Guess it depends on what you're looking for. Just don't look for too much science or engineering in this book. You will find entertaining stories and anecdotes as well as a bunch of travelogues. This is not a "serious" book - it's journalism in hard cover.

The author is a newspaper reporter and magazine editor writing on the beach in Northern California (literally) but, mercifully, he avoids the knee-jerk environmentalism and turns in a fairly balanced work. He does makes some boners like comparing occupational hazards of early US underground mining for uranium with mining slave labor behind the Iron Curtain. They are comparable neither in moral equivalency nor in quantified loss of life.

As someone with a little background in the subject, he's sloppier in terminology and scientific concepts that I would like and has a weakness for purple prose.

If you're looking for WHY uranium is so significant to the human race, he talks about the Bomb but does a lesser job on the core fact that some of the advocates he quotes only hint at. The discovery of nuclear energy really can be a game changer for the human race. We've only the most clumsy applications so far - I know, I'm a nuclear engineer - but a universe awaits us.

Why don't we have more than 20% of country's electricity come from uranium? Why don't we have nuclear rockets to shuttle us to the Moon and Mars? (They were ready for flight-testing in 1972!) Why aren't we rushing to build pebble reactors to make gasoline from water and coal via nuclear heat?

The book was a quick read and entertaining but again, hardly touches the real issues we must struggle with....

One quibble with the editor and not the author - why can't we have a cover photo with adequate depth of field so that the rock is all in focus? It is set up for eye strain now. Read more ›

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars FANTASTIC VOYAGE INTO THE AMAZING HISTORY OF URANIUM April 16, 2009

By Mark R. Hunsberger

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I think that Tom Zoellner presented a fantastic, well written, account of uranium. The book dives into, in great detail, the vast history of uranium including: The element, The mineral, and possible future uses.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone the is into physics and geology, as well as historians. I enjoyed reading this book very much.
Thanks,
Mark R. Hunsberger