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Atoms and Ashes: A Global History of Nuclear Disasters

by Serhii Plokhy (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 200 ratings
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A chilling account of more than half a century of nuclear catastrophes, by the author of the “definitive” (Economist) Cold War history, Nuclear Folly.

Almost 145,000 Americans fled their homes in and around Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in late March 1979, hoping to save themselves from an invisible enemy: radiation. The reactor at the nearby Three Mile Island nuclear power plant had gone into partial meltdown, and scientists feared an explosion that could spread radiation throughout the eastern United States. Thankfully, the explosion never took place―but the accident left deep scars in the American psyche, all but ending the nation’s love affair with nuclear power.

In Atoms and Ashes, Serhii Plokhy recounts the dramatic history of Three Mile Island and five more accidents that that have dogged the nuclear industry in its military and civil incarnations: the disastrous fallout caused by the testing of the hydrogen bomb in the Bikini Atoll in 1954; the Kyshtym nuclear disaster in the USSR, which polluted a good part of the Urals; the Windscale fire, the worst nuclear accident in the UK’s history; back to the USSR with Chernobyl, the result of a flawed reactor design leading to the exodus of 350,000 people; and, most recently, Fukushima in Japan, triggered by an earthquake and a tsunami, a disaster on a par with Chernobyl and whose clean-up will not take place in our lifetime.

Through the stories of these six terrifying incidents, Plokhy explores the risks of nuclear power, both for military and peaceful purposes, while offering a vivid account of how individuals and governments make decisions under extraordinary circumstances. Today, there are 440 nuclear reactors operating throughout the world, with nuclear power providing 10 percent of global electricity. Yet as the world seeks to reduce carbon emissions to combat climate change, the question arises: Just how safe is nuclear energy?

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  1. ISBN-10
    1324021047
  2. ISBN-13
    978-1324021049
  3. Publisher
    W. W. Norton & Company
  4. Publication date
    May 17, 2022
  5. Language
    English
  6. Dimensions
    6.5 x 1.2 x 9.6 inches
  7. Print length
    368 pages
  8. See all details
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From the Publisher

The names of six nuclear disasters covered in Atoms and Ashes: Bikini Atoll, Kyshtym, etc.
Praise for Atoms and Ashes from the New York Times and Financial Times
Nuclear Folly - Serhii Plokhy The Russo-Ukrainian War - Serhii Plokhy Chernobyl Roulette - Serhii Plokhy
Nuclear Folly The Russo-Ukrainian War Chernobyl Roulette
Customer Reviews
4.6 out of 5 stars
758
4.5 out of 5 stars
478
5.0 out of 5 stars
1
Price $22.00 $18.99 $29.99
Also by Serhii Plokhy A harrowing account of the Cuban missile crisis and how the US and USSR came to the brink of nuclear apocalypse. An authoritative history of Europe’s largest military conflict since World War II. A harrowing account of Russia’s occupation of the Chernobyl and Zaporizhia nuclear power plants, and the dangers of nuclear power colliding with warfare.
What Readers Say "[E]ngrossing and terrifying, and surely one of the most important books ever written about the Cuban Missile Crisis and 20th-century international relations." ―James Rosen, Wall Street Journal "Useful.... [and] very much worth reading.... An excellent survey of unresolved regional tensions." ―The Economist "A terrifying blow-by-blow account…This is a necessary book―and I can think of no writer better qualified to write it." ―Cal Flyn, author of Islands of Abandonment

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Frightening.... With catastrophic climate change bearing down on us, nuclear power has been promoted by some as an obvious solution, but this sobering history urges us to look hard at that bargain for what it is."
― Jennifer Szalai, New York Times

"[An] enthralling study of the atomic age and its perils.... A meticulously researched history ... [and] also a timely read."
― Lawrence Freedman, Financial Times

"Expertly concise."
― Robin McKie, The Observer

"Absolutely stunning. Atoms and Ashes is a formidable achievement. The prolific Serhii Plokhy has written a six-part historical thriller that is essential reading for both our politicians and the ordinary citizen. We have survived the Nuclear Age for three-quarters of a century, but this book calmly reminds us that accidents happen―and will surely happen again. Plokhy’s stories of nuclear accidents are riveting and frightening."
― Kai Bird, director of the Leon Levy Center for Biography and coauthor of the Pulitzer Prize–winning American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer

"Gripping.... [An] authoritative history.... Shelve this excellent account next to James Mahaffey’s Atomic Accidents and Kate Brown’s Plutopia. Hair-raising, instructive, and irresistible reading."
― Kirkus, starred review

"While considering the possible future of nuclear power, Plokhy ... reviews lessons learned from the most serious nuclear disasters since the end of WWII.... [He] asks whether nuclear energy is a viable path forward, considering all the risks."
― Booklist, starred review

"Stunning.... Plokhy lucidly explains complex scientific and technical procedures and draws sharp profiles of key players in each episode. This well-informed study strikes a note of caution about the nuclear future."
― Publishers Weekly

From the Back Cover

Praise for Serhii Plokhy's Nuclear Folly: A History of the Cuban Missile Crisis

"Superb…engrossing and terrifying, and surely one of the most important books ever written about the Cuban Missile Crisis and 20th century international relations."
― James Rosen, Wall Street Journal

"The story is extraordinary, and Plokhy is an accomplished narrator…This account is probably as authoritative a version of the Soviet side as we are likely to get."
― Max Hastings, Sunday Times (UK)

"[Plokhy] provides fresh and horrifying new details…Finishing this sobering account, I could not help but think of the dangers that exist today from nuclear standoffs involving Pakistan, India, China, North Korea, and the United States."
― Max Boot, Washington Post

"Magisterial…The perspective Plokhy provides exposes the perverse incentives that fueled dangerous nuclear power plays during the Cold War and, he suggests, beyond."
― Andre Pagliarini, New Republic

"The definitive history…With his masterly book, Mr. Plokhy has sounded a warning bell."
― Economist

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company (May 17, 2022)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1324021047
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1324021049
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.45 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.2 x 9.6 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 200 ratings

About the author

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Serhii Plokhy

Serhii Plokhy

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Serhii Plokhy is the Mykhailo Hrushevsky Professor of Ukrainian History at Harvard and the director of the university's Ukrainian Research Institute. The author of numerous books, including "The Last Empire," which received the Lionel Gelber Prize for the best book on international relations, and "Chernobyl," which was awarded the Baillie Gifford Prize for non-fiction, Plokhy lives in Burlington, Massachusetts.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
200 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Deboraht10
5.0 out of 5 stars Very accurate and well written
Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2024
Verified Purchase
Well written and comprehensive history of 6 atomic disasters. Discusses mistakes and government reactions, mistakes, and degree of disasters. Vital insight into Atoms for peace and costs of human life.
One person found this helpful
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Rob HNL
4.0 out of 5 stars Great on the Atoms but lacking on the Ashes 9Aftermath)
Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2022
Verified Purchase
A useful and comprehensive overview that makes clear many of the failures-in-common across the leading cases explored. Similar issues can be encountered in many other industries, but rarely with such devastating consequences; human Factors, knowledge gaps, ignorance and operational lapses, official sandbagging and obfuscation. The analysis would have been much more complete and compelling if the author had added two more chapters, one on decommissioning (which he acknowledges has never been accomplished in the nuclear age), and another on safe and economic long term disposal of nuclear wastes (for which there is still no accepted solution). These have both been known problems for over 50 years. Even if none of the accidents described in the six cases had ever occurred, or if there was never another one, an equally thorough exploration of these two issues would cast doubt on the viability of even the most optimistic case for epansion of the role of nuclear power in the future energy m
9 people found this helpful
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David Bennett-Pencil
5.0 out of 5 stars If you love nuclear disasters - this is the book for you
Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2024
Verified Purchase
My wife got this as a Christmas gift. She is obsessed with nuclear disasters and she has been heads down in this book since she got it. I can't vouch for how well it's written but i can say she talks about it al the time and tells me about things she didn't know about various nuclear disaster. I think if it were not well written, my chemist wife would not have such glowing comments.
2 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Alarming
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2023
Verified Purchase
I was disappointed Idaho Falls wasn't included, but overall a fascinating yet disturbing overview of the dangers inherent in nuclear energy.
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Sascha
3.0 out of 5 stars So Promising, but Missed
Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2022
Verified Purchase
I really loved the concept here. Very historical and topical in terms of telling the tales of nuclear accidents.

But...

Why so many units? For goodness sake, rem, roetgen, curries (and others). Please standardize or consistently convert to one in the next edition!

There was a strange focus on politics in lieu of science that I found distracting. These were real human tragedies, and it was more of a delineation of facts (coupled with a lot of writing on Gorbachev).

Nothing at all whatsoever about the next generation of nuclear power and whether it represents pitfall or promise.

In the end, a nice history of six events. But lacking the right focus. Still recommend if you are new to the subject.
12 people found this helpful
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vmiman
4.0 out of 5 stars Good narrative
Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2022
An excellent narrative. However, it would have been far better with a few photographs. What does Bikini atoll look like today? What does Chernobyl look like today? In addition, there are no diagrams or drawings of various designs of nuclear power stations. He talks about rods being inserted horizontally or vertically. How does a nuclear power reactor work? What makes one difference from another? How did the design actually end up being a problem?
4 people found this helpful
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Phil
5.0 out of 5 stars Atoms to Ashes
Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2023
Verified Purchase
I knew about the last three accidents but I thirsted for more information on the causes and effects. This book filled in the gap of missing information. God forbid another nuke accident occurs. The cause and effect may overshadow Windscale, Chernobyl, and Fukashima combined. Let's pray this does not happen.
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Alex
5.0 out of 5 stars Book came as advertised
Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2023
Verified Purchase
Is it a little boring at some times, yeah, but is it what I purchased, yes.
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