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Atomic Awakening

A New Look at the History and Future of Nuclear Power

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Atomic Awakening

By: James Mahaffey
Narrated by: John McLain
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About this listen

"Persuasive and based on deep research. Atomic Awakening taught me a great deal." (Nature)

The American public's introduction to nuclear technology was manifested in destruction and death. With Hiroshima and the Cold War still ringing in our ears, our perception of all things nuclear is seen through the lens of weapons development. Nuclear power is full of mind-bending theories, deep secrets, and the misdirection of public consciousness - some deliberate, some accidental. The result of this fixation on bombs and fallout is that the development of a non-polluting, renewable energy source stands frozen in time.

Outlining nuclear energy's discovery and applications throughout history, Mahaffey's brilliant and accessible book is essential to understanding the astounding phenomenon of nuclear power in an age where renewable energy and climate change have become the defining concerns of the twenty-first century.

©2009 James Mahaffey (P)2013 Audible, Inc. History History & Philosophy Science Inspiring

Editorial reviews

A person does not have to delve deeply into his or her memory to determine why nuclear power has a bad rap. The disasters at Chernobyl and Fukushima, not to mention the terrifying specters of Hiroshima and the Cold War, inform many personal judgments about nuclear safety. But in his first book, research physicist James Mahaffey aims to get the facts straight and establish the viability of nuclear power beyond both the hype and the scare tactics.

John McLain's performance makes this accessible and entertaining book even more inviting. At times McLain sounds almost like a narrator of a science fiction film, a fitting tone considering the term "atomic bomb" originally came from a novel by H. G. Wells.
All stars
Most relevant  
I cannot express to the layman physicist enough (me) how informative this is, Good Lord, I walked away with a sound knowledge of nuclear physics. James Mahaffey is a brilliant physics writer and should be in charge of educating the public on nuclear physics.

Bloody wonderful.

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A fascinating look at the history of nuclear power, going all the way back to when people first started poking at the atom and being surprised by the results. A really interesting history to which the author adds his own unique perspective and experience as a nuclear scientist. The writing style never gets dull, at one point describing shooting alpha particles at a beryllium nucleus as "alpha-slapping" it. The only thing this book misses out (since it was written a few years too early) is the Fukushima accident. Otherwise it's well recommended for anyone interested in nuclear power, weapons and science.

Fascinating and well read.

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Enjoyed the content, very thought provoking on how we currently view nuclear power and seemingly inevitable requirement for the future of power production earth.

Only criticism is the choice of narrator, found his voice a bit monotone and dry.

9/10 and would reccomend heavily

Great subject for the current age

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Content and delivery is captivating, intriguing, extremely thorough and well worth the listen. Highly recommended.

Fantastic

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I've always been a believe in fission for power (until we can do fusion) and this brief overview of the history of splitting the atom has just reinforced that. The fact that an entire human lifetime of energy can be had from less than a coke can is incredible; compare that to a mountain of coal for each person and it boggles the mind as to why we're still swaying.

The book is interesting and well paced, with the narration being the right mix of serious and emotive.

An interesting brief overview of the history.

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The narrator made this book more real, funny and sad.
The taxes spent by US Administration’s to perpetuate the
myth of ‘super power’ are a sorry reflection of the
treatment of their less fortunate citizens.
It appears only Nixon and Carter understood that Education builds
a more humane world, far more important than instilling
paranoia and inadequacies :-)

Excellent narration

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Superbly narrated and remarkably written. This book is attention grabbing from beginning to end. If you have even the faintest interest in nuclear power this book is for you. If you are pro nuclear power this book is for you. If you are anti nuclear power this book is for you. It should be mandatory reading.

Absolutely phenomenal

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I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It refreshed days of old when I worked in that game, but at the same time I’d highly recommend a listen by any student thinking of or just even vaguely interested in clean energy. Soon ten billion people will need and demand energy and those of us with sunshine can’t tell the rest (most of them) to just freeze in the dark. A good book.

Informative, well narrated.

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A relatively easy listen on a highly technical subject. The book is descriptive without overly scientific in its explanations. I was somewhat surprised how much I enjoyed the book, Witty at times, and enough detail to comprehend a little of the subject matter.

Nuclear energy History & Future

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I enjoyed this book immensely. Looking with new eyes at the history, and some commentary on the future. would love to see this brought up to date with new developments in nuclear physics and energy.

Extraordinarily refreshing look at nuclear physics

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