Synopses & Reviews
On the morning of April 26, 1986, a Soviet nuclear plant at Chernobyl (near Kiev) exploded, pouring radioactivity into the environment and setting off the worst disaster in the history of nuclear energy. Now a former Soviet scientist gives a comprehensive account of the catastrophe.
Review
"The real causes and effects of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, comprehensively recounted. . . . Medvedev is perhaps uniquely suited to clear up the frightening mystery that still surrounds 'the most expensive accident is human history.' . . . A sobering, important work." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"A major contribution to the literature. . . . Medvedev sees Chernobyl as a watershed in the use of nuclear energy and the policies that control it." Booklist
Synopsis
"A damning history of the Chernobyl affair, from its origins in the plant's primitive design and careless management to the economic and political crisis the accident precipitated." --Clenn Garelik, New York Times Book Review
About the Author
Zhores Medvedev is now a senior research scientist for the National Institute for Medical Research in London.