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A review by nelsta
Chernobyl: The History of a Nuclear Catastrophe by Serhii Plokhy
3.0
The book has a compelling narrative that weaves quotes from "Voices from Chernobyl" and primary sources expertly. Serhii Plokhy is a superb narrator. This is the first book I have read on the subject that could truly be called a comprehensive history of the disaster. However, this book would be more appropriately titled "Chernobyl: A Political History." While the first 3/4 of the book addresses the Chernobyl disaster directly, the last four or five chapters take a hard left turn into Ukrainian politics and Chernobyl's effect on them. He also makes some factual errors, one of which I chronicle in my review. The greatest flaw is what truly seals this book as deserving of three-stars, however. Throughout the book, Mr. Plokhy makes a concerted effort to paint nuclear energy as dangerous. This is the real underlying narrative of the book, and I found it both misleading and ill-founded.
Before I continue, let me be clear: the last section is very interesting, but it is not immediately relevant to a "History of a Nuclear Catastrophe." It catalogs how the Chernobyl disaster, and the anti-nuclear sentiment that followed it, set the dissolution of the USSR into high gear. He makes some truly compelling points, but it feels disconnected from the rest of the book.
Mr. Plokhy also makes a mistake typical of Chernobyl historians: he declares the three divers-who emptied the Chernobyl reactor water tanks to prevent another steam explosion-as having died in the weeks after the accident. This is incorrect. Two of the three divers-Valeri Bezpalov and Alexei Ananenko-are alive today, and Alexei continues to work in the nuclear energy industry. The third diver, Boris Baranov, died in 2005 from heart failure. For more information, read "Chernobyl 01:23:40" by Andrew Leatherbarrow.
These first two critiques are somewhat minor and could be forgiven, but Mr. Plokhy's anti-nuclear purpose behind the book is in poor taste. He spends of good deal of time explaining how the Chernobyl reactor only exploded because it was poorly designed and poorly managed, but he does not extend this reasoning to his criticism of nuclear power. The RMBK reactors that the USSR operated were graphite-moderated and did not have concrete containment lids to prevent the exact type of disaster that happened at Chernobyl. The pressurized water reactors that the United States and other nations use are far more safe than those of the RMBK design.
Mr. Plokhy is a wonderful story-teller, but his book exceeds its mandate and strays into political topics that catch the reader by surprise. Overall, I would recommend this book to friends, but I would caution against the author's underlying intentions.
Before I continue, let me be clear: the last section is very interesting, but it is not immediately relevant to a "History of a Nuclear Catastrophe." It catalogs how the Chernobyl disaster, and the anti-nuclear sentiment that followed it, set the dissolution of the USSR into high gear. He makes some truly compelling points, but it feels disconnected from the rest of the book.
Mr. Plokhy also makes a mistake typical of Chernobyl historians: he declares the three divers-who emptied the Chernobyl reactor water tanks to prevent another steam explosion-as having died in the weeks after the accident. This is incorrect. Two of the three divers-Valeri Bezpalov and Alexei Ananenko-are alive today, and Alexei continues to work in the nuclear energy industry. The third diver, Boris Baranov, died in 2005 from heart failure. For more information, read "Chernobyl 01:23:40" by Andrew Leatherbarrow.
These first two critiques are somewhat minor and could be forgiven, but Mr. Plokhy's anti-nuclear purpose behind the book is in poor taste. He spends of good deal of time explaining how the Chernobyl reactor only exploded because it was poorly designed and poorly managed, but he does not extend this reasoning to his criticism of nuclear power. The RMBK reactors that the USSR operated were graphite-moderated and did not have concrete containment lids to prevent the exact type of disaster that happened at Chernobyl. The pressurized water reactors that the United States and other nations use are far more safe than those of the RMBK design.
Mr. Plokhy is a wonderful story-teller, but his book exceeds its mandate and strays into political topics that catch the reader by surprise. Overall, I would recommend this book to friends, but I would caution against the author's underlying intentions.