Nuclear power for beginners

Writers & Readers Documentary Comic Book #23

by Stephen Croall

An updated edition shows the hazards of and alternatives to nuclear power in a graphic presentation following the history and politics of atomic power

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Politics

168 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

Reviews

[Dana Robinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh. Wildly out of date (copyright 1983, so before Chernobyl and Fukushima) and written in a screamy, alarmist style. It's also a bit fact-challenged at times and puts forth a highly skewed version of historical events like the McMahon Act. It also teaches very little about nuclear power, per se, and its former title of The Anti-Nuclear Handbook is much more apt.

Look, nuclear power is incredibly problematic and has a long history of horrifying accidents and political and corporate shenanigans. I get it. Having a general tone that makes you sound like a flat-earth enthusiast or chemtrail scaremonger doesn't really help promote your message, though.

The For Beginners series has varied quite a bit in quality and, sadly, this is one of the not-so-good ones. It's really too bad that they don't do a refresh of this book for modern times. I feel like a book that discusses modern reactors, recent accidents, and how nuclear power could fit into mitigating climate change, and also includes a chapter on how reactors work, would be very timely.

[Mark Reynolds · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book in the old style of XXX for Dummies, with the brown cover and lots of drawings. Essentially a graphic book. Rather than just explaining a topic, this book is very strident and is proselytizing against nuclear power - specifically fission plants that were prevalent in the 1970s. Most of the information seems accurate, but definitely comes with a bias. Written in 1978, and 30 years on we still haven't fulfilled the dreams of solar or wind power, although they have certainly been increasing. Still a lot of oil, which I think is a much bigger problem than nuclear power. Especially if we can get fusion (not fission) plants commercially viable. Unfortunately, the physics is really hard, and even ITER - the current leader - is decades away from viability.

[Jonathan McLeod · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once accustomed to the anti-capitalist, anti-militarist, anti-communist and pro-socialist rhetoric; you’ll find an interesting perspective from the anti-nuclear movement of the 1960s and 70s. Written in comic book style, its viewpoint is strictly one-sided and mockingly sarcastic towards groups and individuals who may be pro-nuclear. Though predisposed, Croall does fairly well at describing the insoluble problems of handling nuclear waste, mitigating serious accidents, the potential for terrorism and the creation of nuclear weapons material from reaction byproducts. Croall also identifies different forms of renewable energy as an alternative to nuclear energy.
Sections of this book were very informative and thought provoking, but Croall’s biased coverage was certainly a detractor.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a piece of history, written just before Chernobyl and before a true consensus formed on global warming. If anyone else bothers reading it at all, it's best understood as an insight into 1980s cold war paranoia. It's an unapologetically extreme left-wing take on nuclear power and the dangers that the nuclear industry could pose to human health, from reactors to reprocessing plants. About a sixth of the book is a primer on how to dismantle capitalism and create a society running on renewable energy in harmony with nature. I'd love to see a society based on renewables, but the road to it will be a lot more complex than this.

[Patrick Fernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Anti-Nuclear Handbook is funny but punches you right in the face. It presented the truth (or at least some of the truth) about nukes in a satirical way. This book definitely will challenge your beliefs not only about the previous government institutions but also what our current society is doing now. Be wary though, this book could be misleading to uninformed readers.