The Age of Radiance
The Epic Rise and Dramatic Fall of the Atomic Era
Scribner, March 2014
THE AGE OF RADIANCE is the first full history of the Atomic Age, from x-rays and Marie Curie to Los Alamos, Hiroshima, Mutual Assured Destruction, Dr. Strangelove, the Nevada Test Site, and the 3.11 meltdown in Japan. By the prizewinning and bestselling author of ROCKET MEN, it reveals the little-known details of a period you thought you knew and the human drama behind the headlines: How Jewish refugees, fleeing Hitler, transformed America from a country that created light bulbs and telephones, into one that split atoms. How a Polish girl grew up to become an international hero, yet her daughter, whose work was just as significant, remained almost completely hidden in her shadows. How a president fell so in love with a cotton-candy dream he destroyed what would have been his greatest legacy. How the most grotesque weapon ever invented by mankind could realize Alfred Nobel’s lifelong dream and win his Peace Prize. How German scientists needing to secure their eminence after the Nazis’ defeat denied a great scientist her due, and wrote her out of history. How emergency workers and low-level utility employees fought to contain a run-amok nuclear reactor, while wondering if they would live or die. Both page-turning and thought-provoking, THE AGE OF RADIANCE gives a new understanding to this strange and misunderstood epoch in American history, and restores to prominence the forgotten heroes and heroines who have changed all of our lives.
“The atomic age arrived with a bang in 1945, terrifying the world with the threat of nuclear holocaust while offering the possibility of a cheap source of energy. Yet neither scenario followed and the era petered out with the century’s end, as the digital age was ushered in. Nelson (Rocket Men) writes a wonderfully detailed, anecdote-filled account of atomic energy, from Wilhelm Roentgen’s 1895 discovery of radiation to the ongoing hangover of the Fukushima disaster. …Other authors have covered the myriad ways this invisible power impacts our lives, but Nelson brilliantly weaves a plethora of material into one noteworthy volume.”
– Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Nelson characterizes nuclear science as a ‘two-faced god,’ a blessing and a curse, and its history as irrational, confusing and conflicted. For example, nuclear weapons are so dreadful that they have effectively prevented war between superpowers, but their production and maintenance have been a staggering waste of resources. The author’s gripping narratives of the meltdowns at Chernobyl and Fukushima simply scream that fallible humans should not be messing around with this technology, and yet he argues that nuclear power is still the safest and best option for environmentally responsible power generation. Nevertheless, Nelson contends that the nuclear era is now drawing to a close, as the acquisition of nuclear weapons is viewed only as the mark of a pariah regime, and the dishonesty of governments and industry has ruined the prospects for further development of nuclear power. An engaging history that raises provocative questions about the future of nuclear science.”
– Kirkus (starred review)