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فوكوشيما: الكارثة النووية والوجه الآخر لليابان
"Almost 24 hours to the minute since the tsunami hit Fukushima Daiichi, Unit 1 exploded. The building wrenched apart, sending shards of irradiated concrete and metal knifing through the air in all directions. The reactor's massive heavy-duty gantry crane bent like a twig and collapsed onto the refuelling floor control room, crushing everything that wasn't expelled in the blast. Outside, chunks of debris rained down on the fire crew, injuring five and shredding the hoses they had just laid. Among the injured was the plant's own fire chief, whose arm snapped when a piece of steel hurtled through the window."
In March 2011, a 15-metre tsunami wiped out long stretches of Japanese coastline, killing thousands. Flooded cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant failed as hundreds of men and women battled to save three reactors from destruction in what became the most expensive industrial accident of all time.
Melting Sun spans 150 years of little-known history to retell how Japan evolved from the first victim of atomic energy to its most passionate supporter. It is a story of innovation and determination, but also of collusion, deception, overconfidence, failure and, ultimately, death. From a nuclear ship stranded at sea after leaking radiation on its maiden voyage, to the unimaginable final days of two men treated for extreme over-exposure, to Fukushima itself - the only accident comparable with the infamous Chernobyl disaster.
In March 2011, a 15-metre tsunami wiped out long stretches of Japanese coastline, killing thousands. Flooded cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant failed as hundreds of men and women battled to save three reactors from destruction in what became the most expensive industrial accident of all time.
Melting Sun spans 150 years of little-known history to retell how Japan evolved from the first victim of atomic energy to its most passionate supporter. It is a story of innovation and determination, but also of collusion, deception, overconfidence, failure and, ultimately, death. From a nuclear ship stranded at sea after leaking radiation on its maiden voyage, to the unimaginable final days of two men treated for extreme over-exposure, to Fukushima itself - the only accident comparable with the infamous Chernobyl disaster.
352 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2023
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797 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 12, 2022
This is the first book I have read about the Fukushima Daiichi disaster (despite being a topic I have been interested in for several years) and am very pleased with the choice I made.
I found the focus on the history of Japan at the start of the book in regards to nuclear power thoroughly enjoyable as well as necessary to frame the circumstances that led to the disaster.
Coming from the nuclear industry, the lack of commitment to safe operation and preparedness demonstrated by the utility executives and government was particularly frustrating to learn about. I sympathized whole heartedly with the plant staff who did their best under the circumstances and could only hope to mitigate the most severe impacts from the incident TEPCO had allowed to come to fruition.
I thought this book was fantastic from start to finish and highly recommend it to anybody interested in the Fukushima disaster and Japanese nuclear industry!
I found the focus on the history of Japan at the start of the book in regards to nuclear power thoroughly enjoyable as well as necessary to frame the circumstances that led to the disaster.
Coming from the nuclear industry, the lack of commitment to safe operation and preparedness demonstrated by the utility executives and government was particularly frustrating to learn about. I sympathized whole heartedly with the plant staff who did their best under the circumstances and could only hope to mitigate the most severe impacts from the incident TEPCO had allowed to come to fruition.
I thought this book was fantastic from start to finish and highly recommend it to anybody interested in the Fukushima disaster and Japanese nuclear industry!
March 15, 2022
This book is very well researched and well written. As someone who frequently follows engineering failures, I found the many instances of overconfidence in the system and hubris to be shocking.
However, I will say that the book is a bit dense with the history that led up to the Daiichi failure. It goes hundreds of years back before the disaster and that was a bit more than I was looking for. That said, I would recommend this to anyone interested in nuclear history or engineering failures.
However, I will say that the book is a bit dense with the history that led up to the Daiichi failure. It goes hundreds of years back before the disaster and that was a bit more than I was looking for. That said, I would recommend this to anyone interested in nuclear history or engineering failures.
October 4, 2025
This book is very interesting if you’re into the history of the Japanese nuclear industry. The meticulous research and analysis of the multiple factors that led to the Fukushima disaster is fascinating. The majority of the book is describing the events of the last 60 years with regards to the politics and companies involved.
Only about a quarter is dedicated to describing what happed and how the parties involved dealt with the events.
I listened to the audio book at 1.5 speed as the narrator read so slowly it irritated me so much. I guess he was trying to develop drama but all it did was wind me up.
An interesting book which I did enjoy but this is not for the feint hearted.
Only about a quarter is dedicated to describing what happed and how the parties involved dealt with the events.
I listened to the audio book at 1.5 speed as the narrator read so slowly it irritated me so much. I guess he was trying to develop drama but all it did was wind me up.
An interesting book which I did enjoy but this is not for the feint hearted.
February 12, 2022
I was lucky enough to receive a review copy of this book, so I am very excited to see it out on shelves. Andrew put a lot of time into every facet of this book and it shows. It's superbly researched, highly detailed, and yet very accessible. I enjoyed Andrew's previous book, "Chernobyl 01:23:40: The Incredible True Story of the World's Worst Nuclear Disaster," but it had some freshman struggles. It is obvious after reading "Melting Sun" that the author has clearly hit his stride. This book is excellent.
I love learning new things and oh boy did this book really deliver. Not only is this a comprehensive history of the world's second-worst nuclear disaster, but it's also a detailed history of Japan's entire history with nuclear power. In fact, "Melting Sun" provides the reader with a 101-level understanding of the history of electricity in the Land of the Rising Sun. Wherever your level is, this book will meet you there and elevate your knowledge further.
If you enjoyed HBO's miniseries "Chernobyl," you'll want to read this book. In the last episode of that series, the main character breaks down how a nuclear reactor works--and why one might explode. This book does something similar. The author tells you how a Japanese reactor works, and then he tells you how it all went wrong. But my favorite thing about this whole book is how easy he makes it to understand.
Before this, I had a passing familiarity with the nuclear disaster at Fukushima. In other words, I remembered that it happened. After reading Andrew's dissection and analysis of what happened, I'd say that I know just about as much about Fukushima as I do about Chernobyl. In fact, because of my relative unfamiliarity with the disaster, there were times when I felt like I was reading a thriller. I had no idea what happened to certain individuals. Did they make it? How long were they trapped? What did they do to prevent the disaster from escalating?
Events like Fukushima are important for us to understand. Nuclear accidents are scary and they get a lot of press. But should they be scary to us? Or is nuclear energy misunderstood? "Melting Sun" goes a long way toward helping the reader develop their own opinion. While I have my own strong opinions on the matter, I appreciated that this book didn't endeavor to force the point (unlike Plokhii's book on Chernobyl which felt like a 300-page elevator pitch on why nuclear energy is terrible).
Leatherbarrow is a great author and he's only getting better. Give this a read.
I love learning new things and oh boy did this book really deliver. Not only is this a comprehensive history of the world's second-worst nuclear disaster, but it's also a detailed history of Japan's entire history with nuclear power. In fact, "Melting Sun" provides the reader with a 101-level understanding of the history of electricity in the Land of the Rising Sun. Wherever your level is, this book will meet you there and elevate your knowledge further.
If you enjoyed HBO's miniseries "Chernobyl," you'll want to read this book. In the last episode of that series, the main character breaks down how a nuclear reactor works--and why one might explode. This book does something similar. The author tells you how a Japanese reactor works, and then he tells you how it all went wrong. But my favorite thing about this whole book is how easy he makes it to understand.
Before this, I had a passing familiarity with the nuclear disaster at Fukushima. In other words, I remembered that it happened. After reading Andrew's dissection and analysis of what happened, I'd say that I know just about as much about Fukushima as I do about Chernobyl. In fact, because of my relative unfamiliarity with the disaster, there were times when I felt like I was reading a thriller. I had no idea what happened to certain individuals. Did they make it? How long were they trapped? What did they do to prevent the disaster from escalating?
Events like Fukushima are important for us to understand. Nuclear accidents are scary and they get a lot of press. But should they be scary to us? Or is nuclear energy misunderstood? "Melting Sun" goes a long way toward helping the reader develop their own opinion. While I have my own strong opinions on the matter, I appreciated that this book didn't endeavor to force the point (unlike Plokhii's book on Chernobyl which felt like a 300-page elevator pitch on why nuclear energy is terrible).
Leatherbarrow is a great author and he's only getting better. Give this a read.
May 23, 2022
A wonderfully written account of the world's most expensive industrial and the world's second worst nuclear reactor accident. It is a compelling story of progress and innovation and well as fraud, failure and coverups. I remember hearing about this disaster years ago and thinking how fortunate that it wasn't happening in the US ... now I wonder how vulnerable we might actually be. This is an interesting read and the amount of research involved is impressive. I have certainly put the author's Chernobyl's book on my want-to-read list.
I won a copy of this book in a Goodread's giveaway for this honest review.
I won a copy of this book in a Goodread's giveaway for this honest review.
September 28, 2023
الكتاب شامل جدا، فهو يتحدث عن تاريخ الطاقة في اليابان منذ اكتشاف الكهرباء، وهو ما يحتل القسم الأكبر من الكتاب.
اعتقد انه من المهم التعرف على هذا التاريخ لأن قصة الإدارة اليابانية لملف الطاقة جزء لا يتجزأ من أسباب الكارثة التي حدثت في فوكوشيما، والتي لولا بعض المصادفات السعيدة، لتحولت إلى تشيرنوبل ثانية.. وحقيقة لم أكن أتخيل أبدا ان هذه هي اليابان! كانت صدمة بالنسبة لي!
الكتاب تفصيلي جدا في شرحه، سواء في الجزء التاريخي أو في شرح أحداث الأسبوع الذي حدثت فيه الأزمة، أعتقد أن بعض التفاصيل كان يمكن التغاضي عنها كل لا يصاب القارئ بالملل، لكن أجمالا الكثير منها في محله.
نصيحة للمهتمين بقراءة هذا الكتاب، في بعض المواضع يشرح الكاتب شكل وطريقة عمل المفاعل ومكوناته، الأفضل قبل التوغل أكثر أن تشاهد على يوتيوب فيديوهات تشرح طريقة عمل هذا الطراز من المفاعلات لتتمكن من فهم المشكلة بالضبط، لماذا وكيف حدثت، وبالتالي تستوعب بشكل أفضل الجهود الخرافية التي بذلها فريق غرفة التحكم للسيطرة على الكارثة، ولكي لا تشعر أن التفاصيل الدقيقة أصابتك بالدوار وجعلت المتابعة صعبة.
أيضا هناك سلسلة من ست حلقات على منصة نتفليكس عن أزمة فوكوشيما، يمكن أن تساعدك في فهم تفاصيل هذا اليوم إن كنت مهتما بمعرفة المزيد.
اعتقد انه من المهم التعرف على هذا التاريخ لأن قصة الإدارة اليابانية لملف الطاقة جزء لا يتجزأ من أسباب الكارثة التي حدثت في فوكوشيما، والتي لولا بعض المصادفات السعيدة، لتحولت إلى تشيرنوبل ثانية.. وحقيقة لم أكن أتخيل أبدا ان هذه هي اليابان! كانت صدمة بالنسبة لي!
الكتاب تفصيلي جدا في شرحه، سواء في الجزء التاريخي أو في شرح أحداث الأسبوع الذي حدثت فيه الأزمة، أعتقد أن بعض التفاصيل كان يمكن التغاضي عنها كل لا يصاب القارئ بالملل، لكن أجمالا الكثير منها في محله.
نصيحة للمهتمين بقراءة هذا الكتاب، في بعض المواضع يشرح الكاتب شكل وطريقة عمل المفاعل ومكوناته، الأفضل قبل التوغل أكثر أن تشاهد على يوتيوب فيديوهات تشرح طريقة عمل هذا الطراز من المفاعلات لتتمكن من فهم المشكلة بالضبط، لماذا وكيف حدثت، وبالتالي تستوعب بشكل أفضل الجهود الخرافية التي بذلها فريق غرفة التحكم للسيطرة على الكارثة، ولكي لا تشعر أن التفاصيل الدقيقة أصابتك بالدوار وجعلت المتابعة صعبة.
أيضا هناك سلسلة من ست حلقات على منصة نتفليكس عن أزمة فوكوشيما، يمكن أن تساعدك في فهم تفاصيل هذا اليوم إن كنت مهتما بمعرفة المزيد.
July 10, 2024
يتحدث الكتاب عن كارثة المفاعل النووي فوكوشيما بسبب زلزال 2011
من يرغب معرفة عمل مفاعلات اليابانية ، أسباب لجوء اليابان للطاقة النووية وسبب الحادث يناسبه قراءة الكتاب ،
أم من يريد معرفة حادث المفاعل النووي الأفضل مشاهدة مسلسل الأيام
عندما كان الكاتب يجمع المعلومات حول كاتبه الأول(تشرنوبل ) اضطر الذهاب لليابان وهذا مادفعه للكتابة عن حادثة فوكوشيما.
من يرغب معرفة عمل مفاعلات اليابانية ، أسباب لجوء اليابان للطاقة النووية وسبب الحادث يناسبه قراءة الكتاب ،
أم من يريد معرفة حادث المفاعل النووي الأفضل مشاهدة مسلسل الأيام
عندما كان الكاتب يجمع المعلومات حول كاتبه الأول(تشرنوبل ) اضطر الذهاب لليابان وهذا مادفعه للكتابة عن حادثة فوكوشيما.
August 14, 2023
lenghty but worth the read
October 2, 2024
3,5 stelline
May 17, 2022
Libro interessante ma troppo dettagliato soprattutto nella prima parte di descrizione della storia della crescita del nucleare in Giappone
February 21, 2023
Ottima descrizione di questo infausto avvenimento.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews