Chernobyl: The History of a Nuclear Catastrophe

Serhii Plokhy

May 2018 · Sold by Basic Books

About this ebook

A Chernobyl survivor and the New York Times bestselling author of The Gates of Europe "mercilessly chronicles the absurdities of the Soviet system" in this "vividly empathetic" account of the worst nuclear accident in history (Wall Street Journal).

On the morning of April 26, 1986, Europe witnessed the worst nuclear disaster in history: the explosion of a reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Soviet Ukraine. Dozens died of radiation poisoning, fallout contaminated half the continent, and thousands fell ill.

In Chernobyl, Serhii Plokhy draws on new sources to tell the dramatic stories of the firefighters, scientists, and soldiers who heroically extinguished the nuclear inferno. He lays bare the flaws of the Soviet nuclear industry, tracing the disaster to the authoritarian character of the Communist party rule, the regime's control over scientific information, and its emphasis on economic development over all else.

Today, the risk of another Chernobyl looms in the mismanagement of nuclear power in the developing world. A moving and definitive account, Chernobyl is also an urgent call to action.

Ratings and reviews

Serhii Plokhy's writing will hold your attention from the first page to the last no matter the previous depth of your knowledge of the disaster. He sets the stage of society and government in the USSR without dragging on, allowing the reader to grasp how these both helped allow the disaster and crippled the response to it. His descriptions of the disaster and those caught up in it let you feel as if you were there watching it happen. Reading of what goes on afterwards, and the short- and long-term damage is informative and often heart-rending. I could go on, but he's a far better writer so just go read the book already.

so far really interesting!!! I really want to read entire book, beyond the free sample on Google Play Books

About the author

Serhii Plokhy is the Mykhailo Hrushevsky Professor of Ukrainian History and director of the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University. The New York Times bestselling author of The Gates of Europe and Nuclear Folly, Plokhy is an award-winning author of numerous books. He lives in Burlington, Massachusetts.