Atomic Awakening

I really enjoyed this book until I didn't.

The first 70-80% is a fascinating look at the development of nuclear energy, told through the lens of countless mathematicians, physicists, and brilliant thinkers. The last 20% feels like a hastily slapped together op-ed in which the author laments that nuclear energy has gotten a raw deal (an example: nothing that the 55 confirmed deaths at Chernobyl pale in comparison to the number of deaths prompted by other man-made disasters).

Don't get me wrong: I generally agree that nuclear energy has gotten a raw deal and will be vital in our fight against climate change. But if this is meant to be the perfect bridge from retrospective history to a guidebook for the future, it falls flat – it is too brief to give proper historical context to the many events of nuclear energy and it is too rushed to be a guidebook.