The Apocalypse Factory: Plutonium and the Making of the Atomic Age [Paperback]

A thrilling narrative of scientific triumph, decades of secrecy, and the unimaginable destruction wrought by the creation of the atomic bomb. Olson is a crisp writer who brings clarity to complex subject matter...[he offers] hope based on his faith in human brilliance, tenacity and ingenuity to meet our challenges  the kind of traits and talents that made the Manhattan Project possible in the first place. Hanford, the vast complex that bred plutonium for the first atomic bombs on the banks of the mighty Columbia River in eastern Washington, has never had its full story told. Steve Olson now meets that challenge in a lively, dramatic, thrilling narrative of wartime crisis and scientific brilliance. A captivating, unnerving history...A riveting history of a lesser-known Manhattan Project triumph that, like so many wartime triumphs, has lost its luster. Olson writes lucidly, making even the most recondite details of the science involved clear to a nonscientist. And hes eloquent in his chronicling of the lives affected  and sometimes destroyed  by the invention and use of the worlds most deadly weapon& [A] deft, informative, sometimes terrifying book. Science writer Olson ( [F]ascinating and thought provoking. A gripping story of a time when the fate of the world lay on the line as the United States and Germany raced to translate scientific discoveries into decisive weapons of war. Anyone who has questioned whether investment in science matters must read this book. Anyone who hasnt will want to. A compulsively readable blend of science and storytelling& A captivating, unnerving history...A riveting history of a lesser-known Manhattan Project triumph that, like so many wartime triumphs, has lost its luster. US