Reviews for Radioactive Aerosols

The average rating for Radioactive Aerosols based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2008-08-12 00:00:00 Thomas Schrantz Eminently readable, Uranium traces the history of the element from garbage rock to coveted weapons material. Zoellner made the (probably wise) decision to avoid giving too much space in his book to events widely covered elsewhere. So there's very little about Chernobyl or Three Mile Island, and even the Manhattan Project gets rather less attention than it might have, with Zoellner focusing more on the uranium than on the scientists. Because let's face it, if you're going to pick up a history of uranium, you likely already have at least a passing knowledge those events. But readable as it is, Uranium is sometimes lacking in narrative. Too often, Zoellner is plugging in large amounts of relatively unconnected facts and stories. It looks like he found far more interesting information than he could successfully integrate into one book, but tried to squeeze in as much as possible anyways. I understand the impulse, because this is good stuff. There's also one chapter, about the post-war uranium booms in the US and USSR, where Zoellner attempted a split timeline, seemingly to showcase the similarities between the two countries. It didn't really work for me, and I think I would have gotten more out of the chapter if he'd written it more conventionally. So, readable, fascinating, but a little messy. Overall, more good than bad. I was also pleased to see that Zoellner did cite his sources. The complete list is available on his website, and there's also shorter but still fairly comprehensive list at the back of the physical book.

Review # 2 was written on 2009-05-14 00:00:00 Milton Yee This is basically the biography of Uranium. The history of how it was discovered and evolved to what it is today was a great read, especially considering the time we're in with everyone trying to get the bomb. This powerful quote from the book's introduction sums it all up, " From dust to dust, the Earth came seeded with the means of it's own destruction--a geological original sin. " The news is always talking about if terrorists ever got nuclear weapons how easy it would be to use them. After reading this book, I have become more fearful at the ease in which this could happen. If someone is determined to get uranium, I don't doubt that they will. There is little accounting of stuff by world governments and even some the inventory they know they are supposed to have goes missing. It was scary to read about some boys finding some in a field (nobody knows how the ore they found got there) and hitting it with a hammer because it made nice sparks. Yikes! I never knew how precariously we are balanced on the nuclear precipice and now, unfortunately, have to believe it is only a matter of time until some nuclear terrorism occurs. Oh yeah, I noticed an error in the book in which they talk about the Popeye cartoon and his nemesis "Brutus" according to the book. It's actually Bluto.