Critical Assembly: Poems of the Manhattan Project

by John Canaday

With technical mastery and remarkable empathy, Canaday introduces readers to the people involved in the creation and testing of the first atomic bomb, from initial theoretical conversations to the secretive work at Los Alamos. Critical Assembly also includes brief biographies, notes, and a bibliography for further exploration about this critical event in world history.

Genres: Poetry

216 pages, Paperback

Published September 15, 2017

Reviews

[Stephen Kiernan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is there poetry in physics? Is there meaning in the making of the atomic bomb? This luminous book of poems answers both questions in a compelling affirmative. Each poem is in a different voice, someone involved in the Manhattan Project from the highest directors to lowly technicians. Even the woman who ran a little tea house down the hill.
With that material, Canaday explores the nature of genius, of conscience, of discovery, of power battles, and much more. Vivid, accessible and compelling, these verses do not require knowledge of the project's history (though it helps). Instead they plumb a unique place and time, and find what is universal.
Highly recommend.

[Kelsey Hennegen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection is just absolutely superb. Not only has Canaday so thoroughly researched the voices that appear to tell the story of the Manhattan Project (from names all will recognize like Oppenheimer, Einstein, and Bohr to admin workers at Los Alamos and physicist's wives, a woman who ran a tea room nearby and army men). The depth of the research alone warrants attention and praise. However, Canaday then made these individuals--their motivations, strife, histories, emotions, relationships--all come to life through exceptional poetry. I found myself riveted, empathizing with so many of these men and women who played a role in the development of the bomb. Canaday so deftly uses form, enjambment, slant rhyme, imagery to develop distinct voices. He's deliberate with which voices are more contemplative and abstract, which are direct and clear. Even in the midst of a subject matter that is much more (ostensibly) "direct" and scientific, he plays with downright gorgeous imagery and vivid visceral details. This book is haunting, it's human, many times it is heart-wrenching. It's terribly honest and deliberate and insightful.

I can't say I would have read a non-fiction or history book on the Manhattan Project -- I usually prioritize fiction and poetry above non-fiction and there's only so much time in a day! But it is so clear that Canaday got this history right here. So, you have what feels such a true retelling, an exploration that touches upon the science, the politics, but really is about the people and what they felt, what they experienced, how they viewed their work... I'd recommend this to history buffs and poetry readers alike. I got pulled in by the poetry but have come to appreciate so much more of the science and the individuals of this story; now I feel changed, moved, better for having read and experienced it. And if you perhaps aren't typically someone to pick up a collection of poetry, start here! These poems can glow on their own, but their full depth and evolution can best be appreciated in chorus and dialogue with one another.

It is so rare for me to find works that both satisfy my desire for something of worth and weight (for me, that means grappling with existence, significance, self-awareness, identity, humanity, history, the self) AND that does so in compelling ways, ways wherein it is clear to me that the author is playful with, aware of, deferential of language. There are plenty of beautiful books and poetry collections that are stunning shows of a mastery of language but are a bit lighter on content. And, even more often, there are books with valuable content but wherein language, form, and narrative take a back seat to message. Critical Assembly stands defiant, an unabashed refutation that proves this trade-off is not necessary. Because this book not only satisfies both the lyrical and the substance, but does so masterfully and whole heartedly, I feel passionate about recommending it and doing so widely.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent poems about building the first two atomic bombs near Alamogordo, New Mexico. The author writes poems that he believes could have been written by individual true life participants in the project. The final section gives background on all the people he imagined his poems around.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Astonishing! Canaday imagines a poetic interior dialog for people involved in the Manhattan Project. Helpful notes and biographies identify who these people were.