Chernobyl Notebook

by Grigori Medvedev, Grigoriy Medvedev

Medvedev’s “Chernobyl Notebook” is a competent and dispassionately truthful account of the tragedy that occurred more than [25] years ago. This is perhaps the first time we have such a complete firsthand account in which nothing is kept back and there is no departmental “diplomacy.” The author is a nuclear power specialist who worked for a time at the Chernobyl AES and knows it well, just as he is personally acquainted with all the principal participants in the events. By virtue of his official position, he has attended many of the crucial conferences concerning nuclear power plant construction. Immediately after the accident, Medvedev was sent to Chernobyl and had an opportunity to learn a great deal while the trail was still fresh and to see things with his own eyes. He presents many technical details indispensable to understanding the mechanism whereby the accident occurred, he exposes the secrets of bureaucratic relations, he tells about the oversights of scientists and designers, about the disastrous overbearing pressure in the command system, about the violations of glasnost before the accident and in the emergency situation following it that have caused enormous harm. The chronicle of events at Chernobyl in the tragic days of April and May 1986 takes up the central place in the story. The author portrays the behavior and role of numerous participants in the drama, of real living people with their shortcomings and virtues, their doubts, their weaknesses, their illusions, and their heroism alongside the nuclear monster that had gone out of control. It is not possible to read about this without the deepest emotion. We knew about the exploits of the firemen. The author tells about the heroism of the electricians, the turbine specialists, the operators, and other workers at the station who prevented the accident from taking on greater proportions.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Science, Russia, Biography, Memoir

257 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 1987

Reviews

[Christopher May · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read by an author with inside knowledge of Soviet nuclear power stations. The book is enlightening and frightening. Medvedev is brutally honest about the faulty design of the RBMK reactor, the lack of training and knowledge of some of the management associated with the plant, the poor decisions around the test that led to the disaster and the morally repugnant decisions that followed the explosion that led to many additional and unnecessary deaths.

The text can be hard to read at times which is the source of the three star rating. There are a combination of factors that lead to this. The first is simply that the translation can sometimes feel a bit clumsy or lacking in the author's intent. It doesn't help Western readers that much of text centers around Soviet politics and institutions and is hard to follow as I'm sure any discussion about the US equivalents in the Three Mile Island event are to Ukrainian readers. Medvedev's narration and quotations can also seem to lack a temporal coherence and come off "jumpy" from time to time.

For those that can get past all of that, though, there is a rich discussion of the worst nuclear disaster the world has known. His words from one of the final paragraphs are a haunting reminder that comes with the application of any technology (not just nuclear):

"Chernobyl demonstrated man's omnipotence and helplessness. And it issued a warning: Do not become intoxicated with your omnipotence, man, do not play jokes with it. For you are the cause, but you are also the consequence."

[Michael Randle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely detailed, thorough technical analysis of the events leading up to and immediately following the Chernobyl disaster. Chronicles the extreme patriotism and naivety of the misguided managers as well as the heroism and sacrifice of the first responders and engineers who contained and cleaned up the mess.

Unfortunately the translation is not great and so many titles and technical jargon is thrown about so quickly it can be difficult to follow in places.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like science, I think this is a good book. It gives a different perspective of the disaster and a more in depth look at events from first hand accounts.

If you cry over everything like I do, you may tear up

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Do not become intoxicated with your omnipotence, man, do not play jokes with it. For you are the cause, but you are also the consequence.” -G. Medvedev

WARNING: Good book, but this should not be your first read about Chernobyl. Keep this as a distant second or third after gaining a general understanding of the accident from other sources. Higginbotham’s “Midnight in Chernobyl” is an excellent choice.

Medvedev provides a very interesting, somewhat firsthand account of the Chernobyl disaster from someone who worked in the plant (before 1986) and knew the personnel involved in the accident. He begins with a thorough description of the reactor and its flaws which led to the disaster, followed by a description of the events immediately preceding and following the explosion. Great technical detail here for someone wanting to know more about the accident, though a conversational knowledge of nuclear physics is helpful to understand the terminology.

The remainder of the book is written as a long series of interviews of those who were in the plant at the time of the explosion or involved in the extensive clean-up effort. The interviews are not written in any specific order, and are sometimes hard to follow. Medvedev finishes with an account of his visit to Mitino Cemetery in Moscow to visit the graves of the Chernobyl fallen, and an impassioned plea to humanity which includes the memorable quote above. The entire book is loosely chronological, and the translation from Russian makes the writing a bit awkward, but overall a pretty good read.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very detailed, authoritative description of what happened at Chernobyl on 26 April 1986, including events leading up to, during, and after the event. The story is a bunch of direct testimonials from scientists, workers, firemen, and government officials strung together to create their own narrative. It can be a bit choppy and difficult to understand - I read the Kindle version and it seemed like the grammar is a bit awkward and a lot of the governmental departments in the former USSR/UkSSR are confusing coming from an outsider's viewpoint. There are a LOT of testimonials here, and I wish I had made some notes while reading because I did get confused as to who/what/where. However, this will give you a play-by-play of the processes, and problems, that led to the explosion. I would suggest making notes on the characters for easy reference while reading. I was also hoping for some diagrams or schematics showing exactly how the reactor was set up and what it looked like after the explosion.

[Bob Carver · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another unique book about Chernobyl. I would point you to Midnight in Chernobyl for an in-depth look at the main background and story. This book is written by Grigori Medvedev who was chief engineer at Chernobyl when it was built in 1970 and was deputy director of the department of the Soviet Ministry of Energy. It illuminates the huge bureaucracy around nuclear power and everything else in the Soviet Union in laborious detail and shows how the Soviet response was, at times, snarled because of it. I recommend reading Midnight in Chernobyl first to understand the background and timeline of events. Once you do, this book really adds a layer of understanding about why the Soviets made the decisions they did when they did. Unfortunately, this book was written before the USSR fell and is not entirely transparent. Nor does Medvedev deal with some of the thornier issues, like how contaminated food and livestock were dealt with. Still, if you recognize the limitations of this narrative, it still provides a very unique perspective on the events and why some decisions were made.

[Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a different take on the disaster written by someone who was there who works in the nuclear field so he was able to give a different perspective. It was a bit technical for me at times, but I did enjoy the snippets from people in Pripyat before during and after the explosion, other stories tell the aftermath or talk to those in charge but this was from ordinary citizens having their lives uprooted for what turned out to be forever. Also enjoyed hearing from Akimov's wife. I do like hearing about the real Boris Scherbyna who was far from the villain turned hero the HBO series made him out to be just as Dyatlov was not the evil villain he was in that show either. Not a bad read but as another review stated don't make this the first Chernobyl book you read.

[George Neville-Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written during and immediately after the accident at Chernobyl this is a first person account based on interviews and direct observation of the events the lead up to and immediately followed the destruction of reactor 4 at Chernobyl. It's written in a slightly odd style with many person asides but it gives a lot of details about the technical and human aspects of the accident, which is what I was looking for.

[Cockneylen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a harrowing read, but uplifted somewhat by the incredibl heroics of many people throughout the entire disaster. I found it a difficult read at times as I am not really up on the design and operation of a nuclear power station, and lost track of the numerous characters and organisations involed throughout. Glad I read it though, very sobering.

[Christian Opfer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great feel for what was going on at the time.

While this book suffers from poor translation at times. It is a fascinating look at the disaster through the eyes of a knowledgeable person that was close to the event.

[DENNIS g BRUNSWICK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very scary

This book will make you feel sick and will also scare the hell out of you, I know it did me. Nuclear power is good, but also very dangerous. Will there be another Chernobyl? God forbid, but if there is God help us.

[Krzysztof Goscinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book. Lots of details. General overview at first, then eyewitness accounts.
Definitely for someone with previous knowledge of the accident and its aftermaths.
One star romoved for very bad English, looks like Google automatic translation so Russian phrazes and language structures are translated verbatim. Lot of typos as well.
Nevertheless worth recommending.

[Brad Ralph · Rating 3 out of 5]

A view of the individuals

The author has reported the incident but with a good description of the personalities if each of the persons involved. This makes for a different feel as the events unfold.

[Sriram · Rating 4 out of 5]

A splendid book providing rare insights into one of the worst nuclear tragedy the world ever witnessed.

[Αγγελόπουλος · Rating 4 out of 5]

所有的拖延、瞞報、欺騙到最後都會讓發生的事情變得更嚴重。

[Alexander Zvonov · Rating 5 out of 5]

перечитываю раз в несколько лет эту книгу. вроде бы все знаешь, а каждый раз как по новому переживаешь те злосчастные минуты, часы, дни.

[ola ✶ cosmicreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

jedna z lepszych w tym temacie, bardzo dobrze się czyta, właściwie na jeden raz, bo tak wciąga, no i te wywiady!

[Ted · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw the HBO docu/drama about Chernobyl, and I decided to read a book about the accident. The authot of this book is a nuclear scientist who knows what he is writing about, and therefore the book has a few technical terms and descriptions which the casual reader might find difficult. You may find explanations on the internet. However, that the author is a nuclear scientist makes the book an excellant account of the accident. You really feel as though you were an investigator reviewing the first hand reports of the accident. An EXCELLANT book.

[Michal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must-read for those interested in Chernobyl. Describes not just the accident itself, but what led to it (decades of Soviet cover-up, incompetence, and shoddiness), as well as its aftermath (although only up to 1987 when it was written). Fairly detailed on the disaster and the immediate follow-up in both technical and human terms (the involvement of various individuals). Would be 5 stars if there were photos, maps, and drawings.

[John Melvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harrowing Account

Prior knowledge about nuclear reactors comes in handy reading this. The writing style is occasionally distracting, but few will get editor's vapors from this gripping account of horror, bravery and profound denial that started the world's worst atomic power disaster. Begin reading here about Chernobyl.

[Wm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not entirely dispassionate. The author pillories numerous managers, engineers and bureaucrats as well as the system that created the conditions that led to the disaster. The book provides an extremely detailed explanation of mechanics of the reactor failure.

[Clive Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Contemporary, detailed. Written not by a writer, but a person who was there and witnessed events. This is required reading for anyone wanting to learn the original facts of what led up to, and what happened after the Chernobyl disaster.

[Iryna Dergachova · Rating 5 out of 5]

почти все время хотелось плакать, ибо страшно, читать стоит

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative book and very sad.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting details and perspective about an event most only the headlines about.

[Katrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

An insiders view on Chernobyl

Detailed, thoughtful, and circumspect, Medvedev--a soviet nuclear engineer who had worked in Chernobyl prior to the accident-- tells a sobering narrative. He not only provides detailed description of the reactor, but also the hiring and managing practices of the Soviet Union leading up to and during the crises. If you want a comprehensive book on the catastrophe and the factors that lead to it, look no further.