The Legacy of Chernobyl

by Zhores A. Medvedev

"A damning history of the Chernobyl affair, from its origins in the plant's primitive design and careless management to the economic and political crisis the accident precipitated." ―Clenn Garelik, New York Times Book Review On the morning of April 26, 1986, a Soviet nuclear plant at Chernobyl (near Kiev) exploded, pouring radioactivity into the environment and setting off the worst disaster in the history of nuclear energy. Now a former Soviet scientist gives a comprehensive account of the catastrophe.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Science, Russia, Ukraine, Historical, Soviet Union

378 pages, Paperback

First published April 26, 1990

Reviews

[Gregg Sapp · Rating 3 out of 5]

The upcoming 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster on April, 26, 2011, as well as the current concern regarding the damage at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power complex in Japan, compelled me to go back to read this book. At the time that it was written in 1989, it was the first book by a Russian insider on the subject. A geneticist, Medvedev was already a famous scientific muckraker, having exposed a long secret nuclear accident in the Ural Mountains. Although we now know much more about Chernobyl, this book was one of the first insider's looks into what happened, and what it all meant.

For more on books about the Chernobyl disaster, see my review at http://www.suite101.com/content/chern...

[Ryan Henderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The biggest problem that I had with this book was that it was really dry. Medvedev clearly knows his stuff, but it was easy to get lost in the facts and figures. Still, it was an interesting look into the Chernobyl disaster and its effects. Overall, a good read for those interested in the science behind Chernobyl.

[Alexandria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a TECHNICAL book. It is not for anyone looking for a human perspective to the tragedy of Chernobyl. However, I found it extremely pleasant to read and learned plenty about the effects of radiation on the environment.

[Harry · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's as dense as a radionuclide. Not a bad thing, but there's no way I could read more than a few chapters. Great for scientific information for Chernobyl-related essays.

[Garry · Rating 3 out of 5]

6/11/2019

[ola ✶ cosmicreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

świetna, ale do bólu techniczna; dobra do pracy naukowej, nie jako lektura dla osoby chcącej się zapoznać z tematem

[ksiazkaikoty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Czytałam po polsku. Rzeczywiście bardzo techniczna, ale takiej potrzebowałam do napisania mojej pracy

[Janos Honkonen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very technical, very dry and full of figures - and this is a good thing. If you want a very insightful and in depth view to what happened in Chernobyl in 1986, the background and aftermath of the disaster and its effects in Ukraine, Soviet Union and around the world, this is a book well worth reading. The Legacy of Chernobyl was published in 1990, so the information is a little bit dated in some respects. Nevertheless, I can highly recommend this book for those readers who want well researched facts and figures instead of an entertaining yarn.

[Christian Eggers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the book, but I was looking for something more contemporary and I was fooled by the Kindle publication date (2012) vs the actual publication date (1992, I think). Still, a very nice recount of the Chernobyl meltdown and a good primer on nuclear energy. Sometimes I felt that the author had an axe to grind with the Soviet Union, but given the time in which this was written (and the poor way they handled the accident), I guess I can understand that.

[Daniel Gaddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't really finish it. It was pretty good, just really technical. Don't judge me!