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Uranium: War, Energy And The Rock That Shaped The World (2009)

by Tom Zoellner(Favorite Author)

3.78 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0670020648 (ISBN13: 9780670020645)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Viking Adult

review 1: I liked the premise of this book more than I liked the execution. Basically, this tells the story of the atomic bomb and nuclear energy from the perspective of the fuel, i.e., uranium. It was good, but I took it down another star because it feels about 100 pages too long. It focuses heavily on the history and logistics of the mining and refinement of the mineral and provides and insight into nuclear history that I was painfully unaware of. It also highlights the willful ignorance (or monumental stupidity) that we demonstrated at the start of the nuclear age. The tale that struck me the most was that of the Radium Girls, who sometimes used radioactive paint as lip gloss and fingernail polish since they had been told that the substance was harmless (and it looked amazin... moreg while they were out dancing).If you don't have an interest and background in this area, I'd hesitate to recommend this book, but if you are interested in the history of nuclear development, this is definitely a book that can help you round out your knowledge.
review 2: " I am become death, the destroyer of worlds." I have always been very curious when it comes to Uranium. This single element can power an entire city or just as easily destroy it. Why is it the only element that can accomplish this? Where did it come from? What does the future have in-store? All these questions were answered by this wonderful book. From the heart of Africa all the way to the US, Tom Zoellner tells us the story of Uranium. less

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