Building The Bombs: A History Of The Nuclear Weapons Complex

by Charles R. Loeber

The Nuclear Weapons Complex (NWC) has evolved since the beginning of the Manhattan Project in 1942 to meet national security objectives. This book provides a high level of summery of this story.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, History

Hardcover

First published July 30, 2002

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 34 of Nuclear Studies:

I believe this is the first federal publication I've perused in this long-term reading plan which comes with a bit of a different purpose. It is endorsed by the government and is intended to stay as "neutral" as possible. So here, you will not find much of a pro- or anti-nuclear take (except for the Epilogue where the author states that he will share his opinion). What we do have here is an accessible history of the nuclear weapons complex in the United States intersected with a history of nuclear weapons policy and global events relevant to nuclear weapons.

The most unique thing about this book is the tracing of all of the facilities the U.S. government has operated in the production of nuclear weapons. Loeber has a fantastic visual repeated throughout that shows when facilities are opened/closed or when production is consolidated to other locations. Without this visual, the text would be much less effective in its presentation.

All in all, a very sanitized, polished look into the U.S. nuclear weapons complex.

[Max Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. I appreciated the in depth but simply explained scientific explanations and history lessons at the front. Towards the end it focused much more on the Nuclear Weapons Complex, which is what the book is about, but I did not like that part as much.

[Andrew Vogler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy and helpful read for a a complicated subject!

[Dee Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read on the history and technical aspects of the Nuclear Weapons Complex and the duties it has and had throughout the years. Loeber provides several diagrams, graphics, and explanations on the average reader who might not be so educated in nuclear arms and history like he is, so it's extremely helpful on his end. If you're looking to read about the history of nukes, this is a great starting point!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though the book gets a little technical than I really appreciated in a couple places, I found it an easy read overall and I also learned a lot about the U.S.A.'s nuclear program. Loeber also seemed to have a very reasonable perspective about the whole issue.

[Lance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good history of the Nuclear program and how it came to be where it is today.