Blood and Water: Sabotaging Hitler's Bomb

Rating:
Summary: A beautifully written real-life history thriller
Review: Kurzman's book describes a little-known event in rural Norway that might well have changed the course of World War II. Men's heroism, stoicism, perseverance, and sacrifices are generously exposed in this book. A very good reading in general, but may be a little too sensationalistic for historians.

Rating:
Summary: Very good perspective
Review: Most are familiar that there was an ongoing race to build an atomic bomb during world war 2. You'll get chills when you read how close the race really was. The book is well written and is a real page-turner. The book is intriguing and is unembellished enough to remind you this is nonfiction. These are real heros and real missions. I recommend this book and I am going to read more of Kurzman's work

Rating:
Summary: Keeping Hitler From the Bomb
Review: This is a part of history that certainly needs telling, and B&W fills the bill. Written in a non-academic style it tells the story of how the allies crippled Germany's heavy water supply in Norway. It is a fascinating tale of a few heroes who risked, and sometimes gave, their lives to prevent Germany from developing the atomic bomb. Some interesting facts are also given regarding the development of a nuclear weapon. If German scientists had just developed a slightly different mind set they wouldn't have needed the heavy water, and could have built a bomb without it. Good rendering of a small but very important story of World War II.

Rating:
Summary: Keeping Hitler From the Bomb
Review: This is a part of history that certainly needs telling, and B&W fills the bill. Written in a non-academic style it tells the story of how the allies crippled Germany's heavy water supply in Norway. It is a fascinating tale of a few heroes who risked, and sometimes gave, their lives to prevent Germany from developing the atomic bomb. Some interesting facts are also given regarding the development of a nuclear weapon. If German scientists had just developed a slightly different mind set they wouldn't have needed the heavy water, and could have built a bomb without it. Good rendering of a small but very important story of World War II.

Rating:
Summary: Truth is better than fiction/excellent movie material!
Review: Though history has shown that the Nazis were not nearly as close to developing the bomb as was then believed, it does not diminish the impact of this edge of your chair thriller! THe allies, both British and Americans, attempt a series of missions to blow up the German heavy water plant (heavy water is used to make nuclear reactors, a key element in building a nuclear bomb) that was located in Norweigan territory. British glider pilots are unsuccessful and captured and tortured by the Nazis, a second attempt is successful in bombing the plant but does not do enough damage. THe book chronicles these and other espionage efforts to destroy the plant and does so in a quick style that will keep you reading til finished. THis book would make an excellent action/adventure WWII thriller type movie and I hope someone buys the rights to it. AS many of you know, the author, Dan Kurzman has made a career of documenting WWII stories. He's a good storyteller, though not quite as good a writer. If you enjoy this book, then try his story of the sinking of the Indianapolis, the ship that carried parts of the Atomic bomb and saw a large number of its crewman get eaten by sharks. The book demonstrates that there are enough true to life thrillers out there, so why bother with fiction when you can read a thriller and learn something about history at the same time!