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Chernobyl
- The History of a Nuclear Catastrophe
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 14 hrs and 52 mins
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Publisher's Summary
Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction winner, 2018
A Chernobyl survivor and the New York Times bestselling author of The Gates of Europe "mercilessly chronicles the absurdities of the Soviet system" in this "vividly empathetic" account of the worst nuclear accident in history (Wall Street Journal).
On the morning of April 26, 1986, Europe witnessed the worst nuclear disaster in history: the explosion of a reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Soviet Ukraine. Dozens died of radiation poisoning, fallout contaminated half the continent, and thousands fell ill.
In Chernobyl, Serhii Plokhy draws on new sources to tell the dramatic stories of the firefighters, scientists, and soldiers who heroically extinguished the nuclear inferno. He lays bare the flaws of the Soviet nuclear industry, tracing the disaster to the authoritarian character of the Communist party rule, the regime's control over scientific information, and its emphasis on economic development over all else.
Today, the risk of another Chernobyl looms in the mismanagement of nuclear power in the developing world. A moving and definitive account, Chernobyl is also an urgent call to action.
What the critics say
"Serhii Plokhy has produced a highly [listenable] account of the Chernobyl disaster and its political impact. It is destined to be the authoritative account for years to come." (John Herbst, Director, Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council)
"Serhii Plokhy is uniquely qualified to tell this tragic story: he writes not only as a major historian, but also as someone who was living with his family under the cloud of the Chernobyl disaster at the time. The result is as riveting as a novel." (Mary Elise Sarotte, author of The Collapse: The Accidental Opening of the Berlin Wall)
"Serhii Plokhy provides the definitive story of the Chernobyl crisis and its aftermath, skillfully covering all angles from the scientific story, the humanitarian and economic costs of the clean-up, the manner in which the explosion forced Gorbachev to jump-start his perestroika reforms, and the igniting of Ukrainian nationalism." (Andrew Wilson, Professor of Ukrainian Studies, UCL)
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Very Detailed Account
Well worth your time. This book goes into more of the political hierarchy/admin process which gives a richer backstory to the disaster.
Full of details I've not read or seen anywhere else. If you want an in-depth take on Chernobyl, this book is it.
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- Ryan Gravis
- 2018-11-16
great story
very in-depth review of the event and the history of the system. well organized story
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- Sschonwa
- 2023-06-23
Excellent Book!
It was a very detailed account of the events leading up to and after the disaster.
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