The Girls Of Atomic City: The Untold Story Of The Women Who Helped Win World War II (2013) - Plot & Excerpts
A fascinating look inside a world I didn't know existed - Oak Ridge, Tennessee, which in fact did not exist until the US military built it in the early 1940s to house employees of the equally new Clinton Engineer Works constructed on the same grounds. Even after Oak Ridge was built it did not appear on any maps, one of many steps taken to keep its location and its purpose top secret. With most young men overseas battling enemies in Europe and the Pacific, young single women were courted for the uncharted work to be done at Oak Ridge. They were offered jobs about which they could know nothing until they arrived at a destination that was just as secret. All they were told was that the work they would do would help bring about an end to the war, which was enough to lead thousands of women to accept the offer. Even after arriving at Oak Ridge and learning their own responsibilities, employees were forbidden to discuss their work or to speculate on its purpose. Each person learned only what they needed to know to perform their particular job - no more. The few young military men who were assigned to Oak Ridge were not at liberty to explain to anyone why they were not fighting overseas - not family, friends, or strangers looking at them with disrespect on the street.Denise Kiernan's in depth research lies sleekly hidden on every page of the book. She uses a representative group of specific women to tell the story of Oak Ridge, the work that took place there, as well as the living and loving, the struggles and frustrations. A select few in the US government knew they were building a military complex, but it seems everyone failed to recognize that a community would develop as well, planned or not. Kiernan taps into everyday life at Oak Ridge in a way that brings it to life for the reader.It was not until the bomb nicknamed Little Boy was dropped on Hiroshima that the work done at Oak Ridge, enriching uranium used to fuel the bomb, would be known. Kiernan provides a view into a part of US history that many of us probably don't know, but is important to the overall story of our past. It's a great read about interesting people doing groundbreaking work, all under a cloak of secrecy I have trouble imagining being honored today. This is an incredible, often untold, part of American history that Denise Kiernan has managed to recreate in a real and tangible way.The happenings of Oak Ridge seem like some science fiction dystopian novel, but Kiernan made sure that the stories included provided a sense of reality to this strange unintentional social experiment. I very much appreciated that the author included the accounts of people from all walks of life and racial backgrounds in her accounts, including their unique struggles and differences in rights. Overall, an interesting read.
What do You think about The Girls Of Atomic City: The Untold Story Of The Women Who Helped Win World War II (2013)?
thank you mr. rose and mr. peterson for teaching me enough science to enjoy this book...
—Paty
Very interesting subject matter told in a very uninteresting way. A disappointment.
—NICOLE
An interesting read about a time in our history.
—wayne50
Fascinating read. I absolutely loved it.
—Fitzfactor
