American Ground Zero: The Secret Nuclear War

by Carole Gallagher, Keith Schneider (Introduction)

A poignant collection of photographs which records the devastating effects of the United States government's mendacious and reckless nuclear testing program on the men, women, children, animals, and landscape of the American continent.

Genres: Nonfiction, Photography, History, Art, Medical

360 pages, Paperback

First published March 10, 1993

Reviews

[Jen Bracken-Hull · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listen, this book is amazing and important. Not such a big fan of the victim blaming in her prologue, and to some extent throughout the book. I thought Zimbardo and Milgram showed that the majority of people are obedient and deferent to what they perceive to be figures of authority? It's not just a "Mormon" thing.

The whole idea of the IRB is that the onus of responsible research is on the researchers, NOT on the test subjects (obviously, as in this case, when they are not informed and not consenting).

Still, the fact that many of the people most impacted are still ignorant of the abuses and defend Nuclear anything is something that needs to be remedied, thus this book. But the victim blaming gets in the way of at least the Mormon population using and appreciating this book as much as they could.

Still, the material in this book is so important. I recommend it to everyone.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

An oral history of Americans involved in and affected by America's nuclear testing program, as told in their own words. This includes pilots who flew through mushroom clouds, personnel on the ground facilitating experiments, and people living downwind from nuclear tests. "Downwinders" include people in St. George, Utah, just across the state line from the Nevada Proving Grounds to a faculty member at Rensselaer Polytech in Upstate NY who measured radioactive fallout on campus from a Nevada test. As the name suggests, the focus is on the fallout (both literal and metaphorical) that has affected Americans from this era in history. A beautiful and unsettling book.

[Kitap · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can't look at "your" government the same way after seeing how many of your fellow Americans' lives were written off for the sake of weapons testing.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't finish this book. It was amazing and well-written -- but it was utterly too emotionally draining and depressing. The accompanying photographs merely made it all to real to deal with. The devastating cancer cases, the frustrating government cover-up, the atomic fall-out cloud treated as evening entertainment...it was just too much to absorb. Everyone should know this about our government -- they sponsored atomic tests on their own citizens -- on our parents, on you and me -- for years, and they shamelessly lied about it. Everyone who lives in the U.S., and the world, has been affected by our selfishness and greed. That comes as no surprise to most, but this profoundly disturbed me and broke my naive innocence on the matter. It's hard to believe anything the (possibly well-meaning) current administration says after reading this -- it all seems to tumble into lies, lies, and more lies. Very sad.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book about the after-effects of American nuclear test sites, specifically the Nevada test site. This book focuses on the stories of individuals that worked at the site and those downwinders affected by the fallout. With heartbreaking stories and beautiful black and white photography, Gallagher has preserved a part of history that the U.S. government has tried to silence and cover up. The nuclear fallout from the Nevada test site alone stretches across the nation. It affects us all.

[Charley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although dry and a bit repetitive, there is something powerful in the commonality of the stories from the "downwinders".

[Joshlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose to read this book because my grandpa worked at the NV test site as a surveyor during the late 50's, early 60's, when above ground testing was going on. This book was horrifying. I can't believe the widespread effects on Southern Utah and Nevada.

[G Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is a must. i knew the fallout from all those tests in the 50's/60's/70's/80's on southern utah was bad but i had no freakin' idea just how bad it was. ms. gallagher brings these poor peoples sufferings uncomfortably close. annd..you don't want to look away.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A graphic illustration of the human cost of the above-ground nuclear testing that occurred in Nevada in the 1950s.

[Ellen]

My oncologist recommended this one.