- Published: 28 November 2023
- ISBN: 9780141997179
- Imprint: Penguin Press
- Format: Paperback
- Pages: 384
- RRP: $30.00
Atoms and Ashes
From Bikini Atoll to Fukushima











- Published: 28 November 2023
- ISBN: 9780141997179
- Imprint: Penguin Press
- Format: Paperback
- Pages: 384
- RRP: $30.00
A timely and enthralling study of the atomic age and its perils . . . a meticulously researched history
Lawrence Freedman, Financial Times
A superbly crafted but enormously frightening history of nuclear disasters . . . without ever preaching, Plokhy constructs a formidable case for consigning nuclear power to the past
Gerard DeGroot, The Times
Plokhy's gripping, measured accounts of human error and staggering heroism in the face of the terrifying forces of nuclear power get under the skin
Simon Ings, The Telegraph
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
A revealing tour of some of the most terrifying experiences involving nuclear power. Plokhy excels in unpacking the human and systemic factors that contribute to nuclear disasters
Nature
Gripping . . . Plokhy combines newspaper interviews, memoirs, government reports and secondary sources to give a vivid account of the perils of nuclear power
TLS
Expertly concise. . . this account of the downhill slide of atomic power since its heyday in the 1950s illustrates why it can never be the solution to global heating
Robin McKie, Observer
Absolutely stunning. A formidable achievement. 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. His stories of nuclear accidents are riveting and frightening
Kai Bird, co-author of American Prometheus