Review of “Bomb: The Race to Build – And Steal – The World’s Most Dangerous Weapon” by Steve Sheinkin

In December 1938, physicists Lise Meitner and Otto Frisch made a startling discovery: that atoms could actually be split. With the awareness that atomic fission could result in the creation of powerful bombs, three countries raced to develop that technology: Germany, the USSR, and the United States. The sense of urgency increased with the outbreak of World War II. Sheinkin summarizes the events that led to the development of America’s atomic bomb in this award-winning book for young adult readers.

The subject matter is complex, necessitating at least a brief explanation of the physics behind the bomb, but Sheinkin does a great job. He not only provides the basics in a remarkably simple way, but makes it as secondary to the story as possible. As a result, the book will not challenge readers without any background in science. In any event, most of the story reads like an action-packed spy thriller, and indeed, that is precisely how events unfolded in that era.

The U.S. effort was concentrated in Los Alamos, New Mexico, where the best scientists from around the world assembled to work on the top-secret “Manhattan Project” as it was known. But it was far from the only center of action. Sheinkin devotes a few chapters to the dramatic developments in Norway to deprive the Germans of a supply of “heavy water,” which is useful in the production of nuclear weapons. Fission bombs mainly rely on enriched uranium, which is expensive and time-consuming to make. But reactors that use heavy water not only can use unrefined uranium as a fuel, but will produce plutonium as a waste product that can also be used in weapons. (In addition to Los Alamos, where the theoretical aspects of the bomb were worked out, the U.S. also constructed secret installations in in Oak Ridge, Tennessee for uranium separation, and in Handford, Washington, for the production of plutonium.)

The endeavor by the allies to sabotage the Vemork heavy water plant in Norway is one of the most exciting stories of WWII, but Sheinkin can only provide a taste of it in this book, which is much broader in scope. (In an interview Sheinkin compared the Norway enterprise to “Indiana Jones on skis,” and that description seems quite apt. Readers who want to know more should read Assault in Norway: Sabotaging the Nazi Nuclear Program by Thomas Gallagher. Although it is non-fiction, it is one of the most exciting books I’ve ever read!)

Much of Sheinkin’s story follows the spies who endeavored to give the secrets of making the bomb to the Soviet Union. Ted Hall, for example, one of these spies, was the youngest scientist at Los Alamos. He had graduated high school at age 13, and was studying physics at Harvard in 1944 (age 18) when he was recruited to join the Manhattan Project. He feared that the U.S. would be more likely to use atomic bombs if no other country had them, and in any event, the Soviets were purportedly allies of the U.S. He contacted the Soviets on his own initiative. Other spies were recruited by the Soviets, who wanted to develop the bomb as quickly as possible; finding out the results of American efforts would greatly expedite the process.

The first atomic bomb, before the explosion

One of those the Soviets attempted to recruit, unsuccessfully, was J. Robert Oppenheimer, who was in charge of the Manhattan Project. But the very fact of the attempt, coupled with Oppenheimer’s opposition to further use of the bomb after he saw the effects of its use in Japan, led to the end of his career. In the anti-Communist paranoia of the post-war period, hawks in the government were able to have Oppenheimer’s security clearance removed. Thus this true patriot, whose contributions were considered to have been essential to the development of the bomb, was now reviled as a traitor, with his career ruined and his spirit broken. Ted Hall, by contrast, was known to the FBI but never convicted, and he moved to Britain to work in a lab at Cambridge University.

J. Robert Oppenheimer

In an epilogue, the author discusses the dangers of nuclear weapons, including the threat of their use by terrorist groups or crazy rulers. Or what if, he asks, there is a nuclear confrontation between two countries that don’t involve the U.S.? He writes:

“And if you think atomic explosions in Asia wouldn’t affect Americans, consider this. A study published in Scientific American in 2010 looked at the probable impact of a ‘small’ nuclear war, one in which India and Pakistan each dropped fifty atomic bombs. The scientists concluded that the explosions would ignite massive firestorms, sending enormous amounts of dust and smoke into the atmosphere. This would block some of the sun’s light from reaching the earth, making the planet colder an darker – for about ten years. Farming would collapse, and people all over the globe would starve to death. And that’s if only half of one percent of all the atomic bombs on earth were used.”

The first atomic bomb, .016 seconds after detonation.

Sheinkin concludes:

“In the end, this is a difficult story to sum up. The making of the atomic bomb is one of history’s most amazing examples of teamwork and genius and poise under pressure. But it’s also the story of how humans created a weapon capable of wiping our species off the planet. It’s a story with no end in sight. And, like it or not, you’re in it.”

The first atomic bomb 15 seconds after detonation

Evaluation:. Sheinkin is an excellent distiller of historical events for teens and older. With the danger now posed in the Korean Peninsula, inter alia, the story is more relevant than ever.

Rating: 4/5

Published by Flash Point, an imprint of Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing, 2012

Note: Literary Awards

National Book Award Finalist for Young People’s Literature (2012)
Newbery Honor (2013)
Sibert Medal (2013)
Rebecca Caudill Young Reader’s Book Award Nominee (2015)
Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award Nominee (2014)
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction (2013)

Note: This book is a great place to start in reading about the development of the atomic bomb, but it is necessarily very sketchy in its coverage of a huge, multi-faceted story. For further reading on this subject, I highly recommend these books:

109 East Palace: Robert Oppenheimer and the Secret City of Los Alamos by Jennet Conant
Assault in Norway: Sabotaging the Nazi Nuclear Program by Thomas Gallagher
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird
The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes (a bit more technical than the others cited herein)