Bombs Over Bikini: The World's First Nuclear Disaster

Gr 7 Up—"As soon as the war ended, we located the one spot on Earth that hadn't been touched by war and blew it to hell" (Bob Hope, 1947). Thus begins this chronicle of the period after World War II when the United States detonated 67 nuclear bombs over the Marshall Islands, specifically the Bikini and Enewetak Atolls. Three bombs are discussed in some detail—Able, Baker, and Bravo—but this is not a scientific journal. The decisions of the U.S. to evacuate (or not) the inhabitants of the islands, the countdown, the fallout, the cleanup, and the effects of radiation on the inhabitants and military personnel are all included. The author's focus is on the negative effects of the detonations on the people of the islands and considers that the U.S. knowingly put the lives of the islanders in danger in order to advance the study of radiation. The book ends with a discussion of the money that was awarded to the inhabitants of the islands affected and how most of it still has not been paid. The black-and-white period photos are an excellent accompaniment to the text. A well-written book about a painful piece of history, this is an excellent addition.—Stephanie Farnlacher, Trace Crossings Elementary School, Hoover, AL