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Fukushima: The Story of a Nuclear Disaster

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Fukushima: The Story of a Nuclear Disaster

By: Susan Stranahan, David Lochbaum, The Union of Concerned Scientists, Edwin Lyman
Narrated by: Jonathan Todd Ross
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Summary

On March 11, 2011, an earthquake large enough to knock the earth from its axis sent a massive tsunami speeding toward the Japanese coast and the aging and vulnerable Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power reactors. Over the following weeks, the world watched in horror as a natural disaster became a man-made catastrophe: fail-safes failed, cooling systems shut down, nuclear rods melted.

In the first definitive account of the Fukushima disaster, two leading experts from the Union of Concerned Scientists, David Lochbaum and Edwin Lyman, team up with journalist Susan Q. Stranahan, the lead reporter of the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Pulitzer Prizewinning coverage of the Three Mile Island accident, to tell this harrowing story. Fukushima combines a fast-paced, riveting account of the tsunami and the nuclear emergency it created with an explanation of the science and technology behind the meltdown as it unfolded in real time.

The narrative also extends to other severe nuclear accidents to address both the terrifying question of whether it could happen elsewhere and how such a crisis can be averted in the future.

©2014 Union of Concerned Scientists (P)2014 Audible Inc. Asia Disaster Relief Engineering Environment Japan Politics & Government Science Social Sciences United States World
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The book was interesting however I do find the arguments are quite biased. As it always emphasises the worst effects and idea "That ALL radionuclides are dangerous" It's ment to be written by Scientists so; the types of isotopes, half life , decay energy/rate and types of energy (Alpha, Beta, Gamma) don't mean much then? However it is a good listen if you remember to account for this

Biased

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I was hoping to learn more technical aspects of the accident in order to have my own opinion. Instead it is mostly extensive political discussion with strong emphasis on American authorities. Lector has beautiful voice but occasionally loses comprehension of long sentences that the book generously uses.

Fukushima inspired political discussion

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the book isn't really about Fukushima, this book is more about the state of nuclear safety and regulation in the US, seens more like a Fukushima was just used as an example.

if the book title was Fukushima: the state of nuclear safety in the us after Fukushima I would rate more

not really about Fukushima

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Well written and research book which provides useful insights. However while it may appear unbiased there is an anti Nuclear undertone to the book. Given the energy challenges the world faces and the essential role Nuclear fills in providing reliable green energy this is unhelpful.

Thorough not too technical analysis of this Nuclear incident

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This book reminds me of one of those acquaintances everyone has, you know the ones, where you start a conversation on any given topic, and within 30 seconds they have turned it around to start talking about themselves.

To expand on that, you would expect this book to be about the battle to keep the stricken reactors at Fukushima from spewing their contents over the planet told from the perspective of the people doing just that. However, at the first possible opportunity, the book virtually leaves the site of the accident and the brave actions of the people there, and flips it around to be from the perspective of the United States, For example, it drones on and on about evacuating US citizens from affected areas, but just pushes to one side the plight of the citizens of Japan in the same situation.

I acknowledge that there was always going to be some element of this, it is an American reactor design after all and the nuclear industries in Japan and the US are closely linked. But the book seems to veer off to only be interested in the US political angle of the disaster which is, to be frank, incredibly dull compared to the actual story.

Very dull and misleading

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