The Age of Radiance is good read that adds personality and details to a story I know pretty well – the history of the Atomic Age from the discovery of radiation, to the discovery of fission, to the Manhattan Project to apply the newfound power to the task of creating a war-ending super weapon, and the tortured path of the attempts by many to turn the power into a useful tool.
Along the way, Nelson reintroduces a number of important characters including Marie Curie, Lise Meitner, Enrico Fermi, Leo Szilard, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Leslie Groves, and the man who plays a recurring role of arch villain, Edward Teller. Nelson has a knack of digging up fascinating personal details and weaving them into a narrative that turns history into much more of a page turner than it otherwise would be.
During our interview, I sensed a man who dearly loves his work and can infect an audience with enthusiasm.
I hope you enjoy the show and are motivated to read The Age of Radiance: The Epic Rise and Dramatic Fall of the Atomic Era.
Whether or not you read the book, please join me in an effort to prove that Nelson’s conclusion that the atomic era is over has been reached a few thousand years too early.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:40 — 25.5MB)
Subscribe: Google Podcasts | RSS
I just checked. My library has it on order.
@E-P
I hope you put your name on the waiting list. It is a fascinating look at history with a personal touch.
That was awesome. Thanks to you and Mr. Nelson. I noticed how the arguments in this interview stood on their own without the politically charged subjects. I loved his line about how “if only” the efforts of “environmental” groups had been focused on coal instead of nuclear.
Next trip to Amazon, I will buy Nelson’s book to go with my “thousands of pages” of Richard Rhodes. Also Feynman, Cravens, R. Adams.