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David A. Lochbaum

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Fukushima: The Story of a Nuclear Disaster Hardcover – February 11, 2014

by David Lochbaum (Author), Edwin Lyman (Author), Susan Q. Stranahan (Author),

4.0 245 ratings

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On March 11, 2011, an earthquake large enough to knock the earth from its axis sent a massive tsunami speeding toward the Japanese coast and the aging and vulnerable Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power reactors. Over the following weeks, the world watched in horror as a natural disaster became a man-made catastrophe: fail-safes failed, cooling systems shut down, nuclear rods melted.

In the first definitive account of the Fukushima disaster, two leading experts from the Union of Concerned Scientists, David Lochbaum and Edwin Lyman, team up with journalist Susan Q. Stranahan, the lead reporter of the Philadelphia Inquirer's Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the Three Mile Island accident, to tell this harrowing story. Fukushima combines a fast-paced, riveting account of the tsunami and the nuclear emergency it created with an explanation of the science and technology behind the meltdown as it unfolded in real time. Bolstered by photographs, explanatory diagrams, and a comprehensive glossary, the narrative also extends to other severe nuclear accidents to address both the terrifying question of whether it could happen elsewhere and how such a crisis can be averted in the future.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Japan assured the public that its 54 nuclear power stations, even those built in seismically active regions, were perfectly safe. Then on March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9 earthquake hit, shifted the earth’s axis, caused a tsunami that killed nearly 19,000 people, and brought the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant to the brink of utter disaster. Lochbaum, head of the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Nuclear Safety Project; Lyman, a senior scientist for the same organization; and Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Stranahan, who covered the Three Mile Island nuclear accident, pilot the first in-depth account of all that went nightmarishly wrong. Their thriller-like, minute-by-minute chronicle covers every harrowing technical breakdown, backed by briskly informative illuminations of the science underlying the boiling-water reactors and the systems designed to prevent their meltdown. They are equally precise in their coverage of the human side of the story, from the grave dangers confronting the plant’s valiant staff to the scrambling of public officials to the trauma of evacuees as explosions wracked Fukushima and radiation leaks increased. As the crisis at Fukushima continues, this exacting and chilling record of epic failures in risk assessment, regulation, preparedness, and transparency will stand as a cautionary analysis of the perils of nuclear power the world over. --Donna Seaman

Review

"No one with an interest in the present and future of nuclear power in the United States should miss it."
―Los Angeles Times

"There are other books on Fukushima, but the only one covering this ground is Fukushima, which takes a more global and policy-related approach. Told with economy, drama, and scientific accuracy, this book is a must for anyone involved in energy assessment or concerned about nuclear energy issues."
―Library Journal (starred review)

"The book is a gripping, suspenseful page-turner finely crafted to appeal both to people familiar with the science and those with only the barest inkling of how nuclear power works. Even with the broad outlines of the story in the public record, the authors have uncovered many important details that never came to light during the saturation-level media coverage."
―Kirkus Reviews

"Their thriller-like, minute-by-minute chronicle covers every harrowing technical breakdown, backed by briskly informative illuminations of the science underlying the boiling-water reactors and the systems designed to prevent their meltdown. They are equally precise in their coverage of the human side of the story, from the grave dangers confronting the plant's valiant staff to the scrambling of public officials to the trauma of evacuees as explosions wracked Fukushima and radiation leaks increased. As the crisis at Fukushima continues, this exacting and chilling record of epic failures in risk assessment, regulation, preparedness, and transparency will stand as a cautionary analysis of the perils of nuclear power the world over."
―Booklist (starred review)

"Anyone seriously interested in understanding the issues involved in delivering 'safe' nuclear energy will be rewarded by reading this book; anybody involved in delivering nuclear power should be required to read it."
―Robert Gallucci, president of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

"It's hard to imagine a more comprehensive and compelling account of what happened after an earthquake and tsunami struck the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in March 2011. There are lessons in this book for all of us. This book is a must-read for anyone who cares about nuclear power."
―Robert J. Rosenthal, executive director of the Center for Investigative Reporting

"A compelling analysis of the nuclear disaster at Fukushima and a pointed challenge to the nuclear industry and its regulators."
―Rush Holt, U.S. House of Representatives

"A riveting account of the unfolding of the Fukushima accident that gives the reader a feel for how hard it is to respond to an unprecedented catastrophe in the face of uncertainty."
―Victor Gilinsky, former commissioner at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

"Everyone who cares about the Faustian bargain we make for nuclear energy must read this terrifying story."
―David Suzuki, co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation and host of The Nature of Things

"This amazing book provides both a blow-by-blow account of the Fukushima accident and an exploration of what needs to be done worldwide to improve nuclear safety. Essential reading, whether you agree with all of its conclusions or not."
―Matthew Bunn, professor at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government

"Gripping and authoritative, Fukushima opens a new chapter in the debate on the difficult and perhaps impossible goal of safe nuclear power."
―Alexander Glaser, assistant professor at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ The New Press (February 11, 2014)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1595589082
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1595589088
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.28 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.25 x 9.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,367,285 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #156 in Nuclear Engineering (Books)
- #652 in Disaster Relief (Books)
- #2,821 in Environmental Science (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.0 245 ratings

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245 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book informative and well-researched. They describe it as an engaging read with readable writing and accurate historical details. However, opinions differ on nuclear safety issues, with some finding them excellent and dispelling the myth that nuclear power is safe.

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Information quality Readability Readable writing Historical accuracy Nuclear safety

21 customers mention "Information quality"19 positive2 negative

Customers find the book informative and well-documented. They appreciate the detailed, understandable description of the events as they unfolded. The book provides a comprehensive overview of Fukushima from various inside perspectives.

"...The writers are competent, and their research impressive, but I’d complain that the subject of LNT, which finally showed up on page 216, received..." Read more

"This book has the best coverage of the Fukushima disaster that we've come across so far (as of Feb 2014)...." Read more

"...To my surprise, it wasn't. They give a detailed and accurate analysis of the events related to the Fukushima disaster...." Read more

"...The Fukushima info in the book is about as comprehensive and insightful as anyone might need or want, and David puts additional insights in that..." Read more

15 customers mention "Readability"15 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and a worthwhile read for concerned citizens. They describe it as an incredible, fast-paced, white-knuckle ride that reveals the worst.

"An incredible, fast-paced, white knuckle ride that reveals the worst and best of human behavior surrounding March 11th earthquake and tsunami in..." Read more

"...A good book it is. Very very readable, like a who done it mystery...." Read more

"This is a really important book, especially if you are at all concerned (and you SHOULD be) about the safety of nuclear power." Read more

"...There the book fell short. I do think it is worth reading regardless that it seems to have been an attempt to relate the story of..." Read more

14 customers mention "Readable writing"11 positive3 negative

Customers find the book well-written and easy to understand. They also appreciate the vinyl decal, which is simple to apply and creates a growth chart.

"...The writers are competent, and their research impressive, but I’d complain that the subject of LNT, which finally showed up on page 216, received..." Read more

"...A good book it is. Very very readable, like a who done it mystery...." Read more

"This is eminently readable, so don't be put off by reviewers who claim it is technical...." Read more

"I liked the reportorial style of writing...." Read more

3 customers mention "Historical accuracy"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the historical accuracy of the book. They find it a great historical record, even though it's out of date.

"...but decided to read it because it also promised an accurate history of the incident including some readable technical information...." Read more

"...Unfortunately the conclusion is getting out of date but make a great historical record." Read more

"40 good years and one bad day...." Read more

8 customers mention "Nuclear safety"3 positive5 negative

Customers have different views on the book's nuclear safety summary. Some find it an excellent overview of issues and a good analysis of risks, while others feel there is a bias against nuclear energy in the last chapters. They also mention that the book doesn't deal with Fukushima directly and has shortcomings pertinent to the disaster.

"...however, careful reading reveals an anti-nuclear bias. "..." Read more

"...This book, should dispel once and for all, the myth that nuclear power is safe...." Read more

"...It was disappointing that so much of the book doesn't deal with Fukushima and the disaster directly...." Read more

"Excellent summary of nuclear safety issues for the past couple of decades..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

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Barbara Beach-moody
Absolutely a MUST READ
Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2014
Verified Purchase
An incredible, fast-paced, white knuckle ride that reveals the worst and best of human behavior surrounding March 11th earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The author sets the groundwork of human, corporate and governmental arrogance, greed, and poor judgement that led to the nuclear disaster at Fukushima. At the same time she gives witness to the selfless bravery and resolve of the Daiichi workers who battled one catastrophic event after another in the end preventing, at least for the time-being, the greatest environmental disaster the world has ever seen. This book, should dispel once and for all, the myth that nuclear power is safe. Let there be no mistake, "nuclear power is an energy choice" that always carries with it the possibility, and in fact, the probability of disaster. This book is a must read for anyone who still buys the illusion that the nuclear industry continues to promote. It should prompt us all to JUST SAY NO to both nuclear power and nuclear weapons.

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Ronald Remmel
Describes the disaster and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Agency
Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2021
Verified Purchase
The Fukushima disaster is thoroughly described from the point of view of the staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NRC). Then the history of the NRC is described by an insider in verbose detail. The question of "what is safe enough" is debated and agonized over.
Yes, a Fukushima-level disaster might happen in the U.S., but that is unlikely. We will need many more nuclear power plants in the future; clearly the new designs must be much safer than the old 1960s designs.

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GEORGE ERICKSON
should have been titled “Fukushima: a Disaster That Shouldn’t Have Happened”
Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2014
Verified Purchase
Fukushima: The Story of a Nuclear Disaster

Except for a few instances, Fuku is an even-handed book. however, careful reading reveals an anti-nuclear bias.

"Fukushima" gave me pause in its brief introduction, where I read that “many in the US, Japan and elsewhere are pushing hard to defend the status quo and hold fast to the assertion that severe accidents are so unlikely that they require scant advance planning.”

Really? How “many” is “many?” And who are these people who oppose advance planning re. accidents?

Chapter 1 describes the events of March 11, the day of the tsunami – and it does it well – but on page 27, a two page insert begins that discusses radiation and its effects on the body. While that’s timely, no mention is made of LNT theory or its flaws, though the subject appears briefly (and inadequately) later in the book.

Chapter 2 is notable for its apparently accurate description of the relationship of Tepco and the Japanese government agencies, which it termed “incestuous.” Moving on, it reviewed events at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, but for some reason neglected to note that Chernobyl lacked a robust containment structure that is required elsewhere in the world - structure that could have greatly reduced the disaster if it had been in place.

Then, on page 48, I learned something new – that “Tepco had been falsifying safety records for years.”

The writers are competent, and their research impressive, but I’d complain that the subject of LNT, which finally showed up on page 216, received little comprehensive attention, and nothing like the information in Robert Hargrave’s Radiation: the Facts, was included. That information is available free from tundracub@mchsi.com.

Furthermore, the authors avoided a golden opportunity to point out that if the Fukushima reactors had been Molten Salt Reactors, there would have been no crisis. Neither did they mention that Tepco’s Onagawa plant on the same coast, which had a much higher seawall, easily survived the event.

Fukushima, though tarred as a nuclear failure, was caused by a long chain of corporate indifference, rule-breaking, penny pinching and lying combined with a government “oversight” panel that failed to do its job.

Grade C book, well written, but flawed by what it should have included, but didn’t.

George Erickson - [...], member- Union of Concerned Scientists, past V P American humanist Assoc.

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21 people found this helpful

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David Slik
An excellent summary of Fukushima as seen from many inside perspectives
Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2014
Verified Purchase
This book has the best coverage of the Fukushima disaster that we've come across so far (as of Feb 2014).

Written by scientists from the Union of Concerned Scientists and a prize-winning reporter that covered Three Mile Island, this book clearly describes the events before, during, and after the Fukushima meltdowns, and how the NRC and Japan's equivalent regulator are captured by the nuclear industry, how risks are routinely dismissed and downgraded, how unsafe reactors world-wide threaten our present and future, and how the Japanese government is disregarding the will of their people, who no longer want nuclear power.

Some highlights:

Page 42 - How a Japanese court ruled against concerned geologists, saying that a fault under a seven reactor complex didn't exist. Two years later, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck on that very fault, almost causing a major incident.

Page 64 - How the NRC didn't want people to ask if a Fukushima-style meltdown could occur in the U.S.

Page 128 - How Obama addressed the nation, saying, "We do not expect harmful levels of radiation to reach the United States...", when government experts were still arguing whether radiation levels would or would not be harmful. In fact, at the time, some models showed that exposure to one-year-olds in Alaska could be as high as 35 rem.

Page 184 - How a U.S. Nuclear power plant sits right below a large dam, and, unbelievably, a dam failure was never taken into account when it was licensed. Hint: It would cause another Fukushima.

And much, much more.

This book doesn't exaggerate the risks, and doesn't underplay them either. Ultimately, it is a damming indictment of both the regulators and the industry, and shows yet again why nuclear energy of today is just too risky.

Hopefully they will write a second book, since Fukushima is not over yet, not by a long shot.

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Top reviews from other countries

Chillyfinger
An urgently needed tutorial in nuclear technology
Reviewed in Canada on June 17, 2015
Verified Purchase
The devil is in the details and the details are terrifying. One detail not generally known is that you can't actually turn a reactor OFF. There are many ways it can turn into a dirty bomb. A reactor is "safe" in the same way the Titanic was unsinkable.

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an engineer
A chilling and detailed account of a disaster that is ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 30, 2015
Verified Purchase
A chilling and detailed account of a disaster that is still unfolding. One that came close to being catastrophic. This book exposes the frail optimistic outlook of scientist and engineers that continues to blind them to a holistic view of the risks of such undertakings. Essential reading.

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Jakob Bonde
A serious and analysing description of the events that let to the Fukushima disaster
Reviewed in Germany on June 4, 2014
Verified Purchase
A book that anyone who tries to understand the events that let to the disaster, and why it potentially could happen again, and how the risk could be minimised without using the enormous energy potential nuclear energy has, should read.

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David James
More conjecture than fact-based analysis.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 9, 2016
Verified Purchase
An interesting book that unfortunately often reads like a polemic. When I bought it I hadn't realised that it was a collaborative effort with the Union of Concerned Scientists. A group with a well known bias, this is reflected throughout the book when every human error is given sinister connotations. Sadly this detracts from the central message. If this book had been more factual and less bombastic, it would enjoy far greater credibility.

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Francois Lemay
First half is factual, second half is an opinion piece on nuclear industry.
Reviewed in Canada on January 10, 2015
Verified Purchase
The first six chapters of this book contain a factual description of the events at Fukushima and the response of the US. It is simply good journalism, well written. Well worth reading and a good reference to what happened.

The remaining six chapters are an opinion piece on the policy decisions of the US NRC Commissioners over the last twenty years. I respect the authors for their opinions, but like any opinion piece, there is much to disagree with. Making tough decisions that impact the whole society is not simple. Policy is hard. It is an act of balance and judgement. And sometime you get it wrong.

The story told in this book is still unfolding and I think it is premature to close the chapter on it.

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