Chernobyl: The Devastation, Destruction and Consequences of the World's Worst Radiation Accident

by Ian Fitzgerald

In the early hours of the morning of 26 April 1986, the nuclear reactor at the Chernobyl power plant in Ukraine exploded, unleashing a storm of radioactive material into the atmosphere and contaminating most of Europe with its fallout. It was a disaster on an unprecedented scale.

This is a story of hubris, heroism and tragedy as engineers, firefighters, doctors and government officials all worked to contain the fiasco.

In this volume, Ian Fitzgerald reveals the details of how the accident occurred, the desperate response to the situation and the investigation and recriminations that followed. He asks what lessons can be learned - and what, if anything, we are doing to make sure they can never happen again.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Science

256 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2022

Reviews

[Nataliya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been quite fascinated with 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant explosion for a while, having read quite a few books on the subject (and perhaps having almost memorized the excellent HBO mini-series about it as well as even watching a documentary about building a New Safe Confinement around it). And despite knowing in depth the details of the catastrophe, the wrong decisions made, the flaws in RBMK reactor designs, the cleanup, the health and financial fallout and resultant political consequences, I still eagerly jump on the chance to read yet another book on the subject and look not as much for the account of events but for how the story is told. Because every viewpoint, every choice of what to focus on brings certain things into new light and new perspective.

In this book Ian Fitzgerald places his focus on the broader context in which the catastrophe happened. The politics of nuclear energy, the impact of the political system both on what led to the event and the efforts to fix the issue later, and the fallout on the political landscape.

Fitzgerald chooses to keep mostly neutral tone throughout, succeeding in objectivity with no frills, being quite straightforward in his language and explanations, getting to the point without much dallying. And so this book manages to remain concise and yet informative at the same time, making it a really good source of Chernobyl disaster overview. I do like that he also gives us a brief overview of Fukushima disaster, lest we forget that nuclear disasters can happen even outside of the problems that were plaguing the Soviet Union. We live in the world that still needs to find replacement for fossil fuels, and without nuclear power we still are running behind there. How to make the choice? It’s the balance of costs, and there’s not a quick alternative at the moment, which is quite sobering.

“But, in general, scientific studies show that the net environmental effect of the Chernobyl disaster has been more species and greater biodiversity within the exclusion zone than before the accident. This increase is almost exclusively because of the absence of human activity. Even in the face of the worst nuclear disaster of all time, people remain the most toxic influence on the natural world.”

And since any book that is set in Ukraine at this point brings to mind the current war that is happening with Russia there, I do like that Fitzgerald does not shy away from reminding the reader that in 1991 Ukraine was going to be the world’s third largest nuclear power, but chose to give up those weapons in return for security promises. We see now where this decision led as the rest of the world is either dependent on Russian resources or simply fears the nuclear power Russia has. It seems that nuclear power failed Ukraine twice in very different ways, and it’s very frustrating and very sad.

Unwilling to bear the cost and responsibility of managing this arsenal, Ukraine, along with Belarus and Kazakhstan, which had also inherited Soviet nuclear missiles, announced they were willing to give up those weapons if they received certain security assurances. In December 1994 the three nations signed the Budapest Memorandum alongside Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. By its terms, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan gave up their nuclear weapons; and in return the other three signatories promised to respect each country’s territorial integrity.

As far as Ukraine’s president Leonid Kravchuk was concerned, this now meant that his country was safe: Russia was appeased by Ukraine’s nuclear ‘surrender’, and by disarming itself Ukraine was to obtain hundreds of millions of much-needed dollars in aid. But in reality, the Budapest Memorandum weakened Ukraine and made its post-Soviet recovery that much more difficult. The memorandum stated that none of the other signatories would attack Ukraine, but crucially it did not oblige any of them to come to Ukraine’s military assistance if one or more of the other signatories broke the agreement. This is one of the reasons why neither the United Kingdom nor the United States acted when Russian-backed forces invaded Sevastopol on Ukraine’s Black Sea coast in 2014.”

4 stars.

—————

Thanks to NetGalley and Arcturus Publishing for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

——————
Also posted on my blog.

[Darya Silman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Publication date: July 1, 2022.

Chernobyl as a playground for politicians; the unique look into the international nuclear energy sector.

In Chernobyl: The Devastation, Destruction and Consequences of the World's Worst Radiation Accident, Ian Fitzgerald places the catastrophe in a broad frame of history and politics.

I remember myself as a teenager, going through old journals my family kept at our dacha and finding 'the first-ever true account of the events.' The story felt personal, and it became dearer to my heart when, years later, I found out my father-in-law had been a liquidator. People were promised free apartments for little help. He got an apartment - and lesions that appear on his skin during sunbathing. Still, he had never regretted his decision.

Ian Fitzgerald puts Chernobyl into the context: the arms race during the Cold War, behind-the-scenes confrontations within the Soviet leadership, and the disaster's influence on the European/Russian political landscape. Fat-free language delivers a concise birds-eye overview, highlighting the vital points where the catastrophe could have been prevented or, at least, its effects could have been mitigated. From the number of the prior incidents, caused by the defects in the reactor's design, and inadequate personnel training, the reader can conclude that, in actuality, Chernobyl was a question of 'when,' not 'if.'

If not for the epilogue, which in length can be compared with a full-fledged chapter, I'd have rated the book five stars. The epilogue focuses on the international nuclear energy sector from 2011's Fukushima accident onwards. The text becomes more scholarly-oriented, thus harder to comprehend. The author abandons the position of an indifferent historian: the pages dedicated to modern Russia are under the strong influence of the year 2022's events.

I recommend the book as a fresh, political viewpoint on Chernobyl. The book is a thought-provoking snapshot of usually underlooked machinations, domestic and worldwide, around the catastrophe.

I received an advance review copy through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

(I was thinking of removing the personal paragraph because my review could have been considered biased based on my nationality. I decided not to. There are multiple viewpoints on one subject, and we'll never be able to truly leave behind our upbringing. We shouldn't do it.)

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really good history of nuclear energy, how it came to be, and the basic backstories of some key players in its creation. We learn about some other nuclear disasters that aren't as widely known.

Then we dig into Chernobyl, how it happened and the aftermath. I've always been fascinated by the subject.

I found this so refreshing because it wasn't that long! When you're looking for a book on a historical event, sometimes you really just want the important details but most drag it out to 1,000 pages, leaving you begging them to get to the point and to speak in sentences you understand.

So, in that spirit, I'm being quick to the point with this review! I recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about Chernobyl and if I had to pick one book to send to a completely uninformed friend on the subject, this would be it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy to read for an honest review.

[Andreas · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the Chernobyl power plant in Ukraine exploded at 26 April 1986, I was a teenager living in a small town of Bavaria. I wasn’t allowed to play outside for a good while, our annual harvest of blueberries in the forest was forbidden, and mushrooms went off the cooking plans for several years. What doesn’t sound harsh imprinted my feelings toward nuclear energy and I still look positive on Germany’s phasing out of nuclear reactors. The Chernobyl disaster has been a long time ago, but with the ongoing war in Ukraine, my interest in it was brought back when the Russians dug trenches around the plant.

The author doesn’t focus on the details of the explosion but gives also a broader context. There’s been a history of accidents before Chernobyl around the world, and there were reasons why Western countries didn’t apply the technical flaws of the Chernobyl reactor design anymore. Also, the aftermath of Chernobyl and it’s impact to our days is analyzed.

Why did it come to that, who is responsible, humans or technology, how did the political situation of the USSR lead to the catastrophe and how it influenced the ultimate breakdown of that political system. Those are still relevant and highly interesting questions that the author answers thoroughly.

Of course, the major block in this book is centered around the day of the catastrophe itself, how multiple errors led to it, how they contained it under enormous human sacrifices.

This is a very accessible book which can be read by anyone interested in the topic. While not shallow in technical details, it doesn’t dig too deep into them.

[Yamini · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that's been on my April TBR for the last 20 days, has now made it to the finished pile.
Taking you through the event of chain reactions that lead to the Chernobyl disaster, the book felt like a needle prick that doesn't bleed but hurts all the same. It starts from the very first nuclear attack and gradually introduces you to the situation in Russian Federation.

Some facts heard before, some new truth uncovered - the book called to me, to discover its pain. A lot of nonfiction books tend to get too much like a research paper, but not this one. It had all the technicalities and yet was written in a narrative style instead of a subjective essay. That made me read it all in full swing.

Thankyou @netgalley for the Digital ARC. The book was a welcome change

Genre: #nonfiction
Rating 4/5 ⭐️

[Josephine Jarman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Factual books on complex human tragedy are always compelling to read and this was no exception. I got the audio version.
I liked the way in which the tragedy was looked at in wider concepts of politics the current war history and nucleur power as a whole. It didnt dwell too much on the ctual events its was more about the concept and its wider application. It was very thought privoking..
My only issue was the natrator was at times too mon otobed and emotionless.
A throughtly enjoyable 4 stars. Thank you netgallery and publisher

[Josephine Jarman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Factual books on complex human tragedy are always compelling to read and this was no exception. I got the audio version.
I liked the way in which the tragedy was looked at in wider concepts of politics the current war history and nucleur power as a whole. It didnt dwell too much on the ctual events its was more about the concept and its wider application. It was very thought privoking..
My only issue was the natrator was at times too mon otobed and emotionless.
A throughtly enjoyable 4 stars. Thank you netgallery and publisher

[J.E. Rowney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read a few books on the subject and while this didn’t really add a new angle at all, it was well written and easy to understand and I could definitely recommend to someone looking for a basic history of events. Audiobook was well narrated.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the layout and flow of this book. Although I am very familiar with the Chernobyl disaster, this book did present some new facts and connections that I hadn't previously considered. There were some good photos included as well.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wilhelm Roentgen 1923, the Curies 1934, the Radium Girls 1920s, Nagasaki 1945.
Three Mile Island 1979, Chernobyl 1986, Fukushima 2011.
At the time of the Chernobyl disaster, the reactors were owned and operated by the Soviet Union but located in the state of Ukraine.
This book goes into the escalation of errors as well as the destruction of employees caused by the radiation.
Some of the factors are engineering based, but the majority of the information presented is clear and decidedly understandable. A necessary read.
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Arcturus Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chernobyl by Ian Fitzgerald offers a different perspective on the disaster. Crisply written, Fitzgerald explains what caused the disaster in a way the lay reader can understand. He spares the goriest of details but uses imagery and fact to make the horror of the event all too real. He deftly ties the fall of the Soviet Union to Chernobyl. It’s a link if not read of before on other books about that catastrophic event. Well worth the read. Thanks to #NetGalley and #Artucus for the opportunity to preview this book. #Chernobyl

[Caroline 'relaxing with my rescue dogs' · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so fascinating and I learned so much. The narration really worked and made a factual story really interesting. You can tell that this was so well researched.

I am recommending this to other people as I really do think it is an important read especially now. At the later stages it adds the current war

I was given an advance copy by the publishers and netgalley but the review is entirely my own.

[aislnijntje · Rating 2 out of 5]

chernobyl is a topic which has been written to death and, other than presenting new information, the only way to stand out is to provide an insightful and nuanced analysis from a unique perspective. this book failed to provide that; the only part that stood out to me in that regard was the political analysis at the end, which many authors that write about chernobyl barely touch on.

i wish there was a list of references anywhere in this book. there are hundreds of accounts and perspectives of nearly every detail of the chernobyl story, and at some parts when the author is recalling the events, it feels as though he doesn't take all of them into account. for example, the supposed regulation stating that the power must be at 760 MW for the test to be conducted: the supervisor, anatoly dyatlov, claims (while providing citations of regulations) in his memoir that this was not the case. there is no mention of this by the author, although he makes it clear later on that he has read dyatlov's memoir.

the writing style at parts struck me as cheesy, and took me out of the mood. personally, it's not enjoyable to read about the lead-up to a horrific catastrophe and the author is constantly sprinkling in lines like "stress levels must have been unimaginable," we can infer that!

additionally, one line that caught me off guard was his calling the actions of the liquidators 'unnecessary' and in the next sentence admitting that they made it possible to build the sarcophagus. so, was it necessary or not? i understand the tragedy that these were humans being referred to and treated as biorobots, but it's strange to me to thus needlessly undermine their actions in an attempt to make some point about the soviet government.

conversely, i appreciate the author humanizing valery legasov, and acknowledging the tough position he was in — caught in the middle of two rival organizations, never able to fully please either. far too often, those who write about chernobyl are quick to condemn him for his plan of burying the reactor and for his presentation at vienna, without considering this. he knew from the beginning that going to chernobyl was a death sentence, yet he did it anyway, because he truly cared about saving lives. he doesn't get enough credit for it.

[Vicuña · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolutely incredible account of the Chernobyl disaster. It’s very well written, with excellent explanation of a lot of scientific stuff about nuclear fusion etc. but it’s written in a way that the Kay reader can understand. It starts with the background to the development of nuclear power and the use of radioactive elements. That was fascinating learning how the scientists were developing and delivering nuclear bombs whilst others were looking at a better use for the harnessed energy.

It refers to a number of earlier nuclear incidents and they’re all chilling. I have a particular interest in Chernobyl as I lived in an area of Wales that was affected by the fallout. One day shortly after the explosion, workers at a nuclear power station locally were triggering the ‘radioactive contamination’ alarms when they entered the site. Mostly they were those who had arrived on cycles or motorbikes and had gone through puddles. That was exceptional. We were told to stay indoors when it was drizzling and to wash clothes if we’d been out in the rain…as if! Immediate restrictions were placed on the movement and sale of livestock and many were slaughtered. Animals, particularly sheep were marked with a colour coded dye for years. Clearly, the effects of fallout from Chernobyl were widespread.

After listening to this story, it’s easy to understand how the ‘accident’ happened. It was almost inevitable and the scale of the disaster was unprecedented. The Russian culture of secrecy and blame ran through the entire event and its aftermath. Ian Fitzgerald’s account is engaging; there are stories of true heroism as individuals tried to save colleagues. This is not comfortable reading; it’s only a question of time before a similar disaster happens. If you’re looking for a readable account of this event, this is it. It’s well narrated throughout and there’s plenty of reason to understand that there’s always a cost to cheap energy. The human and animal toll is incalculable.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

[Paul Lunger · Rating 5 out of 5]

On April 26, 1986, the worst nuclear meltdown in the history of the world would happen at a place called Chernobyl whose aftermath would have repercussions for years to come. In "Chernobyl: The Devastation, Destruction and Consequences of the World's Worst Radiation Accident", Ian Fitzgerald takes we the reader on a journey of arrogance, fear & cover-up that explains a good chunk of what happened then as well as ironically enough partly explains Russians invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Each fascinating step of the way the insights into the Soviet nuclear program are peeled back as well as the causes of what happened and the aftermath for the world at large. It also helps that Fitzgerald references other nuclear accidents as well & does mention Fukushima which in 2011 could've been far worse than Chernobyl. Overall, this book is a must read for anyone with an interest in this disaster as well as that part of Soviet history.

[Mel (CrazyforBooksandCoffee) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cheynobal

I rarely give Non Fiction 5 stars !

Ian Fitzgerald reveals the details of how the accident occurred, the desperate response to the situation and the investigation and recriminations that followed. He asks what lessons can be learned - and what, if anything, we are doing to make sure they can never happen again.

I have always been interested in the story of Cheynobal and was excited to receive an audiobook for this. The audiobook was very well read, and i found myself not wanting to stop listening, which is unusual for me with nonfiction. I found it a really easy step by step breakdown of the events. This is definitely a great book for anyone who is interested in Cheynobal.

Thank you to Netgalley, Arcturus Audio  and Ian Fitzgerald for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

[Yamini · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that's been on my April TBR for the last 20 days, has now made it to the finished pile.
Taking you through the event of chain reactions that lead to the Chernobyl disaster, the book felt like a needle prick that doesn't bleed but hurts all the same. It starts from the very first nuclear attack and gradually introduces you to the situation in Russian Federation.

Some facts heard before, some new truth uncovered - the book called to me, to discover its pain. A lot of nonfiction books tend to get too much like a research paper, but not this one. It had all the technicalities and yet was written in a narrative style instead of a subjective essay. That made me read it all in full swing.

Thankyou @netgalley for the Digital ARC. The book was a welcome change

Genre: #nonfiction
Rating 4/5 ⭐️

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s so hard to believe that this is a true story. It is unbelievable on what happened and how devastating this nuclear tragedy was. Also, it’s had to fathom the long term consequences of this disaster.

I’ve never read or watched anything on Chernobyl, so I cannot say much about the content relative to other books or documentary, but this book does seem to have a lot of information and it is well written to breakdown all the pieces on what happened. This topic is definitely dark and there is a lot of information to digest, but I really liked the writing style. I was engaged the whole time without feeling overwhelmed with too much detail. I would definitely read another book written by Ian Fitzgerald!

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

[Favio Escalon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed it very much. It is mostly a political view of the situation at Chernobyl along with an explanation of how the accident occurred so if what you want is a scientific explanation of it, i would say this book explains it very well for anyone that doesn't know much about the subject. I would consider it a must read especially with current events going on around the area. Would definitely read it again.

[Joel L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chernobyl was a very good book. Besides the detailed account of the Chernobyl accident, response, and aftermath, the book also provided a good overview of the global nuclear power industry and other nuclear accidents that have occurred. One of the most fascinating takeaways that I had from the book was the role management and politics played in the disaster. This was eerily similar to other disasters that have happened throughout time.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this title by Ian Fitzgerald.

I did not know a lot about the Chernobyl reactor and the accident prior to this. It took me a while to get all the names straight. I actually found I needed to write them down to remember who they were.

But what a disaster, and it was only compounded by the government.

I highly recommend this read, especially if you don't know anything about the subject.

[Vivian Jacobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Watched the show Chernobyl on HBO max a few months ago and then found this gem on sale at books a million so I had to get it! Was super informative on all things Chernobyl—from what led up to it, the disaster itself, the aftermath, and its implications. I thoroughly enjoyed this and would recommend it to everyone! Events like this are so important to learn about and learn from.

[Rebecca Kidd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5 if I could. It’s a great read but I noticed that as the book neared its completion the author became less facts driven and more opinions based. Not necessarily a bad thing but it did get to be a bit distracting at times. Also, the editing in the later chapters was frustrating.

[Lee Rolls · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good concise and informative.

A thorough but easily
digestible description of events. Updated to include Ukrainian conflict. Good value as a informative introduction to key elements of story

[Sophie Swift · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good and comprehensive explanation of what actually happened the day of the disaster and in the weeks and months following. I find this to be such a fascinating subject and the book was very easy to follow for someone who doesn't have the scientific background.

[Bookish_predator · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to come!

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most information I already knew about. Well documented and a very good book if you’re not super familiar with Chernobyl and are looking for an easy to follow first foray into Chernobyl literature

[Victoria Doyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fascinating insight not only into what happened at Chernobyl but also from a political point of view .

[Scott Umphrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice short history of Chernobyl.

[Paul Risitano · Rating 5 out of 5]

comprehensive

After reading many books on Chernobyl, I found this one to cover the topic well.
It also includes Fukushima disaster.