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A review by abidoodle
The Atomic City Girls by Janet Beard
3.0
3.5 - I thought this book was super interesting, and the whole concept of it is absolutely amazing...
It just wasn’t quite what I was expecting, as it was less focused on the history and more on the story. Maybe it was just me, but I was kinda expecting something more like the book “Hidden Figures,” and that this was an empowering story of women behind the scenes of the making of this bomb. It wasn’t really like that, it was just a story set at that time. Which isn’t bad, just not what I was expecting.
The story follows a few different characters, with different backgrounds and roles, throughout the development of the atomic bomb in the Army town of Oak Ridge, Tennessee. June, a country girl from nearby, starting her first job. Cici, a seemingly rich girl from Nashville. Sam, a physicist taking part in the process. And Joe, a Negro working there for construction.
The book itself was really good, and I enjoyed reading it a lot. Some of the characters were rather epitomized, and weren’t developed as well as they could be, but I liked the story. The bits of history involved was very fascinating, and I very much enjoyed that bit of it. The ending was satisfactory, not depressing, but not a perfect, happily-ever-after ending either, which made it realistic. Overall I enjoyed the book, and I would recommend it to people who like historical fiction. But just know that it is not so much about the women behind the scenes, and is rather just a story.
It just wasn’t quite what I was expecting, as it was less focused on the history and more on the story. Maybe it was just me, but I was kinda expecting something more like the book “Hidden Figures,” and that this was an empowering story of women behind the scenes of the making of this bomb. It wasn’t really like that, it was just a story set at that time. Which isn’t bad, just not what I was expecting.
The story follows a few different characters, with different backgrounds and roles, throughout the development of the atomic bomb in the Army town of Oak Ridge, Tennessee. June, a country girl from nearby, starting her first job. Cici, a seemingly rich girl from Nashville. Sam, a physicist taking part in the process. And Joe, a Negro working there for construction.
The book itself was really good, and I enjoyed reading it a lot. Some of the characters were rather epitomized, and weren’t developed as well as they could be, but I liked the story. The bits of history involved was very fascinating, and I very much enjoyed that bit of it. The ending was satisfactory, not depressing, but not a perfect, happily-ever-after ending either, which made it realistic. Overall I enjoyed the book, and I would recommend it to people who like historical fiction. But just know that it is not so much about the women behind the scenes, and is rather just a story.