I have just finished reading Chernobyl: History of a Tragedy by Serhii Plokhy. I really ‘enjoyed’ (that’s not quite the right word — I was enthralled and fascinated by) the first half of this book describing the events leading up to the Chernobyl disaster, the immediate aftermath and the efforts to clean and contain the ongoing release of radiation.

The second half of the book describing the political ‘fallout’ (pun intended) was far less gripping and I did find myself scanning forward over a few pages occasionally.

Overall though, reading this book was a very worthwhile experience, particularly in light of the more recent disaster at Fukushima and the increasing use of ‘clean’ nuclear power across the globe, including countries where the politics are as oppressive and demanding as the old Soviet Union.

Posted on May 23, 2019   #Books