Catastrophes of the Nuclear Age

In Atoms and Ashes, Serhii Plokhy recounts the dramatic history of Three Mile Island in the US and five more nuclear accidents: the disastrous fallout caused by the testing of the hydrogen bomb in the Bikini Atoll; the Kyshtym nuclear disaster in the USSR; the Windscale fire, the worst nuclear accident in the UK’s history; Chernobyl, the result of a flawed reactor design; and, most recently, Fukushima in Japan, triggered by an earthquake and a tsunami.

Through the stories of these six terrifying incidents, Plokhy explores the risks of nuclear power, both for military and peaceful purposes. As the world seeks to reduce carbon emissions to combat climate change, the question arises: Just how safe is nuclear energy?

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