Now rare, this collection of journalism about the average people of the early atomic age still resonates. ( )

Provides an interesting perspective of nuclear America from when the atomic age wasn't even ten years old. Journalist Daniel Lang interviews several people, each reflecting a different aspect of American's nuclear programs. The first chapter actually deals with Werner Von Braun, recently arrived to Alabama. I found this chapter very interesting, but it does relay a highly idealized version of what the German rocket team did during the war. Among those we meet include a civil defense planner, a physics professor involved in Operation Alsos, and a physicist from Oak Ridge who becomes an ordained priest after a "come to Jesus" moment when Nagasaki was bombed. Each segment of the book provided a different perspective. I think it is important to have a good understanding of nuclear history going into this. The chapter on using the Navajo people to prospect for uranium deposits was interesting, but takes a much darker turn when you know what happened to the Navajo as a result of this quest for "yellow rocks."

All in all, this would be a great choice for those interested in nuclear history, since it gives you a perspective from very early on. ( )