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Doom Towns: The People and Landscapes of Atomic Testing, Instructor Edition
There really is no book like this on the market. There are many excellent histories of the building and use of the atomic bomb. There are numerous excellent secondary sources on the development and escalation of nuclear weapons R & D. All the leading figures published books and were the
subject of excellent biographies. What this book does that none of these do is offer an accessible overview of the entire arch of the testing of atomic weapons, from the first test in New Mexico to the final tests in Nevada on the eve of the signing of the Test Ban Treaty of 1992. The graphic
narrative differs from most histories also in its emphasis on the environments chosen for testing and the decision making process that resulted in certain regions and peoples being deemed suitable targets for this most dangerous and destructive activity. The graphic narrative offers students and
general readers insights about the ordinary people who lived this history and the multiplicity of views about the necessity and ethics of atomic testing. The graphic narrative is drawn in part from oral histories and the personal artifacts and collections of people who participated, protested or
lived downwind. For most students the arch of the atomic testing story will be unfamiliar and the role of ordinary citizens entirely new. The focus on testing environments and discussions of wastelands and the citizens of the testing regions is designed to encourage students to think about the
implications of nuclear weapons development beyond R & D, high-level diplomacy and decision-making by leading figures. By grounding this global history in specific locations and oral histories students can understand the implications of the Cold War from new perspectives and on a human scale.
subject of excellent biographies. What this book does that none of these do is offer an accessible overview of the entire arch of the testing of atomic weapons, from the first test in New Mexico to the final tests in Nevada on the eve of the signing of the Test Ban Treaty of 1992. The graphic
narrative differs from most histories also in its emphasis on the environments chosen for testing and the decision making process that resulted in certain regions and peoples being deemed suitable targets for this most dangerous and destructive activity. The graphic narrative offers students and
general readers insights about the ordinary people who lived this history and the multiplicity of views about the necessity and ethics of atomic testing. The graphic narrative is drawn in part from oral histories and the personal artifacts and collections of people who participated, protested or
lived downwind. For most students the arch of the atomic testing story will be unfamiliar and the role of ordinary citizens entirely new. The focus on testing environments and discussions of wastelands and the citizens of the testing regions is designed to encourage students to think about the
implications of nuclear weapons development beyond R & D, high-level diplomacy and decision-making by leading figures. By grounding this global history in specific locations and oral histories students can understand the implications of the Cold War from new perspectives and on a human scale.
192 pages, Paperback
Published September 15, 2016
About the author
Andrew G. Kirk
7 books3 followersAndrew Kirk is an associate professor and director of the Public History Program at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and author of Collecting Nature: The American Environmental Movement and the Conservation Library.
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