Author: Serhii Plokhy
Date Started: 29-06-2019
Date Finished:10-07-2019
Pages: 404
Star Rating: ✪✪✪✪✪
Synopsis from Goodreads
On 26 April 1986 at 1.23am a reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Soviet Ukraine exploded. While the authorities scrambled to understand what was occurring, workers, engineers, firefighters and those living in the area were abandoned to their fate. The blast put the world on the brink of nuclear annihilation, contaminating over half of Europe with radioactive fallout.
In Chernobyl, award-winning historian Serhii Plokhy draws on recently opened archives to recreate these events in all their drama. A moment by moment account of the heroes, perpetrators and victims of a tragedy, Chernobyl is the first full account of a gripping, unforgettable Cold War story.
My Thoughts
I do not know how to review, historical non-fiction like this one, well to be honest, I do not know how to review non-fiction in general.
BUT
I am going to start by saying I found this extremely informative.
I have always had an interest in Chernobyl since I first found out about the disaster back when I was in school (11 years old).
I have always wanted to go and I have watched and read as much as I could to learn about why this happened and what happened. Since watching the TV show which was quite accurate but obviously very dramatised, this book appeared on a “turned into TV series” stand at my local waterstones and I had to buy it.
I have never really delved into the politics surrounding the soviet union but I found this book explained it quite well as the events where told.
The author had a little conversion explanation at the back at the book to help with understanding the units used regarding the radioactivity.
I did like this and found it added more to my knowledge in the subject. You really do feel for the Ukraine as a whole in the aftermath of the explosion, even today. Serhii explains everything in the aftermath up to 2017.
I would recommend this book and I am going to read more by this author the next one I am looking to get my hands on is The Last Empire: The Final Days of the Soviet Union
Please read this book if you have an interest in this subject
Have you read this book, let me know your thoughts below in the comments
-HappyReading
xoxo
