Day One Before Hiroshima and After

Rating:
Summary: Hisroshima -- Never Again ; but, read this again and again
Review: Day One is a startling and detailed account of the events surrounding the dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima at the end of WWII. So significant is the event that human history can almost be split into events before this, and events after the bomb : thus the title of the book -- Day One.

The first half of the book describes the making of the bomb. As an avid reader of WWII history, this book is unique in that it does not describe movements of battleships, carriers, tanks, or troops ; but instead, the book describes the personalities, interactions, and challenges of a group of brilliant scientists. Of interest are their quirks, most notably Oppenheimer and his wife Kitty, but also of all the other scientists, and also Truman who is described as a boy on a toboggan. Their contrast and interaction with the military people is interesting, as is the slow-to-grasp government. The decision making process on whether to drop the bomb or not, and where, is of course insightful. Suprisingly, there is a lot of detailed information on specific technical challenges and resolutions that are disturbing in that the makings of a bomb are apparently common knowledge.

What is most interesting in the first half of the book is this -- they didn't know! They didn't know if it would work. They didn't know if it would cause a chain reaction and end the world. They didn't know about the effects of radiation on human tissue.

When the bomb is dropped half-way through the book, the book literally explodes with disturbing and startling drama. First hand accounts from at least 4 survivors from the bomb's hypocenter are absolutely moving beyond description.

The aftermath is disturbing in a different way...politics, cover-ups, etc... And what did we learn? Did we learn not to do this again? I'm not sure, the genie is out of the bottle and will never be put back in.

This is a fantastic book. The bibliography is huge indicating huge research. The author is an ex-Newsweek correspondent and the author of about a dozen books -- and he has visited the hypocenter, ground-zero, seen the A-bomb dome and talked to survivors and relatives of deceased. This whole thing is unbelievable and startling and a must-read in my opinion. You won't think about the world or nuclear war the same after reading this book.

Rating:
Summary: Hisroshima -- Never Again ; but, read this again and again
Review: Day One is a startling and detailed account of the events surrounding the dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima at the end of WWII. So significant is the event that human history can almost be split into events before this, and events after the bomb : thus the title of the book -- Day One.

The first half of the book describes the making of the bomb. As an avid reader of WWII history, this book is unique in that it does not describe movements of battleships, carriers, tanks, or troops ; but instead, the book describes the personalities, interactions, and challenges of a group of brilliant scientists. Of interest are their quirks, most notably Oppenheimer and his wife Kitty, but also of all the other scientists, and also Truman who is described as a boy on a toboggan. Their contrast and interaction with the military people is interesting, as is the slow-to-grasp government. The decision making process on whether to drop the bomb or not, and where, is of course insightful. Suprisingly, there is a lot of detailed information on specific technical challenges and resolutions that are disturbing in that the makings of a bomb are apparently common knowledge.

What is most interesting in the first half of the book is this -- they didn't know! They didn't know if it would work. They didn't know if it would cause a chain reaction and end the world. They didn't know about the effects of radiation on human tissue.

When the bomb is dropped half-way through the book, the book literally explodes with disturbing and startling drama. First hand accounts from at least 4 survivors from the bomb's hypocenter are absolutely moving beyond description.

The aftermath is disturbing in a different way...politics, cover-ups, etc... And what did we learn? Did we learn not to do this again? I'm not sure, the genie is out of the bottle and will never be put back in.

This is a fantastic book. The bibliography is huge indicating huge research. The author is an ex-Newsweek correspondent and the author of about a dozen books -- and he has visited the hypocenter, ground-zero, seen the A-bomb dome and talked to survivors and relatives of deceased. This whole thing is unbelievable and startling and a must-read in my opinion. You won't think about the world or nuclear war the same after reading this book.

Rating:
Summary: The A-bomb- its uses, and its consequences
Review: While doing a research project on the decision to drop the A-bomb, I stumbled across this jewel of a book. Not only did it talk about everything I needed to know, but it presented it in an organized concise manner. It covered all stages of the atomic bomb from its conception, other countries' efforts to build an atomic bomb, the race to build it, the drop on Japan, and the consequences. Furthermore, it was a joy to read and I continued reading it after my project was finished. It presented all the information in a crystal clear light.