Publication date UK format 14/6/22, book 224 pages
I would like to thank the author, publishers and Netgalley for allowing me to pick this to read and review all my reviews are honest.
Synopsis
On 26 April 1986, the unthinkable happened near the Ukrainian town of Pripyat: two massive steam explosions ruptured No. 4 Reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, immediately killing 30 people and setting off the worst nuclear accident in history. The explosions were followed by an open-air reactor core fire that released huge amounts of radioactive contamination into the atmosphere for the next nine days, spreading across the Soviet Union, parts of Europe, and especially neighbouring Belarus, where around 70% of the waste landed. The following clean-up operation involved more than half a million personnel at a cost of $68 billion, and a further 4,000 people were estimated to have died from disaster-related illnesses in the following 20 years. Some 350,000 people were evacuated as a result of the accident (including 95 villages in Belarus), and much of the area returned to the wild, with the nearby city of Pripyat now a ghost town. Chernobyl provides a photographic exploration of the catastrophe and its aftermath in 180 authentic photos. See the twisted wreckage of No. 4 Reactor, the cause of the nuclear disaster; marvel at historic photos of the clean-up operation, with helicopters spraying decontamination liquid and liquidators manually clearing radioactive debris; see the huge cooling pond used to cool the reactors, and which today is home to abundant wildlife, despite the radiation; explore the ghost town of Pripyat, with its decaying apartment blocks, empty basketball courts, abandoned amusement park, wrecked schools, and deserted streets.
My Review
This book was brilliant. I just had to read it all in one sitting. The photographs were amazing and gave off a very eerie feeling. The pictures just spoke volumes and created lots of emotions looking at them it was scary at times knowing just how many people were and still are affected by this tragedy. It was also very fascinating to read and learn about as this event happened when I was very young. I loved how it was broken into sections describing what it was like before, during, after the event and what it is like today. It was fantastic to read and learn about it all and it flowed so well. I have read a few books already on this subject. This book seemed to give the information that no other book I have read on the subject has ever covered before. I especially loved learning about the efforts to contain the reactor, how the other reactors were still used after the event and the eye watering costs both economic and environmental. If you really want to learn about this devastating disaster then look no further and read this book I definitely recommend it. I will be looking out for more books by this amazing author.
So much praise goes out to the author and publishers for creating this stunning account of a very disturbing disaster.
Where you can buy this book
Waterstones HC £19.99
B&N HC $12.00
Amazon UK HC £15.53
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HAPPY READING