Atoms and Ashes: A Global History of Nuclear Disasters

Today, there are 440 nuclear reactors operating throughout the world, with nuclear power providing 10 percent of global electricity. Yet as the world seeks to reduce carbon emissions to combat climate change, the question arises: Just how safe is nuclear energy?

In Atoms and Ashes, Serhii Plokhy recounts six incidents that have dogged the nuclear industry in its military and civil incarnations: Bikini Atoll, Kyshtym, Windscale, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima. Through this chilling history of more than half a century of nuclear catastrophes, updated in light of events in Ukraine, Plokhy explores the risks of nuclear power, both for military and peaceful purposes, while offering a vivid account of how individuals and governments make decisions under extraordinary circumstances.