In Mortal Hands: A Cautionary History of the Nuclear Age

Author(s): Stephanie Cooke (2009)

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From the Manhattan Project to the present energy crisis and what it means for our future, a sweeping chronicle of our recurring failure to manage the power of the atom.

This provocative history of nuclear power is perfectly timed for today, when Americans are gravely concerned with nuclear terrorism, and a nuclear renaissance is seen as a possible solution to global warming. Few have truly come to terms with the complexities of an issue which may determine the future of the planet. Nuclear weapons, it was once hoped, would bring wars to an end; instead, they spurred a massive arms race that has recently expanded to include North Korea and I ran. Once seen as a source of unlimited electricity, nuclear reactors breed contamination and have been used as covers for secret weapons programs, from I ndia and Pakistan to Iraq and Iran.

The evolving story of nuclear power, as told by industry insider Stephanie Cooke, reveals the gradual deepening of our understanding of the pros and cons of this controversial energy source. Drawing on her unprecedented access, Cooke shows us how, time and again, the stewards of the nuclear age―the more-is-better military commanders and civilian nuclear boosters―have fallen into the traps of their own hubris and wishful thinking as they tried to manage the unmanageable. T heir mistakes are on the verge of being repeated again, which is why this book deserves especially close attention now.

Nukespeak: The Selling of Nuclear Technology in America

Author(s): Stephen Hilgartner, Richard C. Bell, and Rory O’Connor (1983)

Examines the public relations efforts of the nuclear power industry and analyzes its use of euphemisms and confusing language in order to encourage the development of nuclear energy

Nuclear Roulette: The Truth About the Most Dangerous Energy Source on Earth

Author: Gar Smith (2012)

“Award-winning journalist Gar Smith dismantles the core arguments behind the nuclear-industrial complex’s purported “renaissance.” While some critics are familiar-- nuclear power is too costly, too dangerous, and too unstable- - others may surprise...”

Nuclear Power in a Warming World: Assessing the Risks, Addressing the Challenges

Author(s): Gronlund, Lochbaum & Lyman (2007)

A report by the Union of Concerned Scientists. Addresses safety, nuclear proliferation and terrorist attacks, nuclear waste disposal, and nuclear reactor design.

Walking a Nuclear Tightrope: Unlearned Lessons of Year-Plus Reactor Outages

Author: David Lochbaum (2006)

A report from David Lochbaum from the Union of Concerned Scientists about year-plus outages at nuclear power plants, including an evaluation of the NRC’s performance.

The Tainted Desert: Environmental and Social Ruin in the American West

Author: Valerie Kuletz (1998)

“This study serves as the first comprehensive account of the impact of nuclearism on Native Americans in the U.S. Southwest-- and account that also points to a much larger problem of nuclear colonialism worldwide, in which nuclear activities continue on lands historically inhabited by indigenous people.”

Nuclear Power Is Not The Answer

Author: Helen Caldicott (2006)

Physician and anti-nuclear activist Dr. Helen Caldicott counters industry propaganda with the true costs and consequences of nuclear power.

You can read our review of Nuclear Power is Not the Answer here.

Fission Stories: Nuclear Power’s Secrets

Author: David Lochbaum (2000)

“The objective of this book is not to blow the lid off the nuclear industry, but to provide a peek behind its curtain. The stories are presented as amusing anecdotes and informative narratives instead of as critical assessments.”

The print copy is hard to find, but follow the link to the original source, David Lochbaum’s blog “Fission Stories”

Nuclear Ethics

Author: Joseph S. Nye, Jr. (1988)

“A clear, responsible position between the extremes of nuclear advocacy and nuclear abolition-- offering a critically important alternative to the black-and-white world so often portrayed in the current nuclear arms debate.”

Irrevy: an Irreverent, Illustrated View of Nuclear Power

A Collection of Talks, from Blunderland to Seabrook IV

Author: John W. Gofman (1979)

Thought-provoking illustrated essays on nuclear power, the health effects of radiation, energy efficiency, solar energy, public health concepts, technology, science and medicine, human rights, liberty, law, nuclear weapons, and “suggestions for possibly useful actions.”

Poisoned Power: The Case Against Nuclear Power Plants Before and After Three Mile Island

Author(s): John W. Gofman & Arthur R. Tamplin (1979)

Renowned for their research on the effects of radiation on the environment and human health, scientists Gofman and Tamplin present their case against nuclear power, and “expose the moral corruption of scientists, lawyers, physicians, industrialists, and government leaders in attempting to deceive the public into believing that there exists such a thing as a ‘safe,’ ‘permissible,’ or ‘allowable’ dose of radiation.”

Sleepwalking to Armageddon: The Threat of Nuclear Annihilation

Author: Helen Caldicott (2017)

Sleepwalking to Armageddon is a compilation of essays on the mechanics, the likelihood and the potential consequences of nuclear war, should bellicosity become reality. Contributors include esteemed thinkers and scientists representing a wide range of relevant experience.

Edited by Nobel Prize Nominee and pediatrician Dr. Helen Caldicott, this slim volume is a particularly timely book during this second year of an American administration that has openly flirted with nuclear war with North Korea. The current American administration has brought us closer to that un-winnable scenario than we have ever been since those terrifying days in 1962.

We reviewed Sleepwalking to Armageddon here.