Audiobook6 hours
Chernobyl 01:23:40: The Incredible True Story of the World's Worst Nuclear Disaster
Written by Andrew Leatherbarrow
Narrated by Michael Page
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
()
About this audiobook
At 01:23:40 on April 26th 1986, Alexander Akimov pressed the emergency shutdown button at Chernobyl's fourth nuclear reactor. It was an act that forced the permanent evacuation of a city, killed thousands, and crippled the Soviet Union. The event spawned decades of conflicting, exaggerated, and inaccurate stories.
This book, the result of five years of research, presents an accessible but comprehensive account of what really happened-from the desperate fight to prevent a burning reactor core from irradiating eastern Europe, to the self-sacrifice of the heroic men who entered fields of radiation so strong that machines wouldn't work, to the surprising truth about the legendary "Chernobyl diver," all the way through to the USSR's final show-trial. The historical narrative is interwoven with a story of the author's own spontaneous journey to Ukraine's still-abandoned city of Pripyat and the wider Chernobyl Zone.
This book, the result of five years of research, presents an accessible but comprehensive account of what really happened-from the desperate fight to prevent a burning reactor core from irradiating eastern Europe, to the self-sacrifice of the heroic men who entered fields of radiation so strong that machines wouldn't work, to the surprising truth about the legendary "Chernobyl diver," all the way through to the USSR's final show-trial. The historical narrative is interwoven with a story of the author's own spontaneous journey to Ukraine's still-abandoned city of Pripyat and the wider Chernobyl Zone.
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Reviews for Chernobyl 01:23:40
Rating: 4.145593885057472 out of 5 stars
4/5
261 ratings16 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Engaging mix of personal journey and science reporting, delivered with respect or criticism for those who warrant either.
Remarkable origin as a crowd-sourced reddit post.2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The author is an enthusiast and it shows. The details provided are both basic and advanced, and his description of his visit to the reactor held strong emotion.
Amazing details, many of which were new to me! Glad I read it!2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Very informative, both troubling and surprisingly enjoyable. This is due to his personal and highly descriptive, sometimes funny geeky travel story ("For some strange reason I'm excited about the prospect of becoming the first person to play Minecraft at Chernoybl"). his personal stories are combined with loads of historical accounts and explanations.
On a serious note, a lot of information that isn't easy to find elsewhere. Recommended if this important and disturbing story interests you.1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I listened to it after watching the HBO series, this book corrected some things that were simplified or even fabulated in the series. Description of the personal experiences of the author were to verbose at times.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Really interesting and well researched account of the horrors of Chernobyl.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fascinating story on the hows and why of Chernobyl disaster. I really enjoyed listening.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A to the point book about the day Russia
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This has been my first Chernobyl read. Interesting and informative. Well done.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A good read for those who want to understand Chernobyl.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fascinating couldn't stop listening to this peppered account if a disaster
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Written with an authority as well as fun curiosity this book is very good on the humanities and some of the technical fallout but not on the technical cause of the actual explosion. The narrator is great.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Interesting read after the HBO series. Pretty good job for a man that says he is not a writer. Recommended for all those that would like to know even more about the catastrophe.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I have a love/hate relationship with books like this. I love them, because I have a burning desire to understand how something as devastating as this could ever happened in a so-called educated society. But at the same time, books like this drive me nuts, because they often serve to put a firm underline on how incredibly stupid those people who hold the safety and fate of the world in their hands truly are.
The numbers that are detailed in this book, the facts, and the mind-blowingly stupid and uninformed decisions that were made, are awe-inspiring.
This is an important book. And, unfortunately, though it makes some very important points about what not to do in a crisis situation of this magnitude, nothing will be learned from it. We'll all shake our heads and stupidly assume that in the 30 years since this happened, we now know better.
When we all know we don't. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5While this particular audiobook wasn't groundbreaking by any means, it was a really well done "here are the basics" sort of book. Leatherbarrow discusses the events leading up to the disaster, how it all happened, the aftermath, and his own travel experience to the site itself. For someone who doesn't consider themselves a science nerd, he does a great job of explaining the logistics of a nuclear disaster in a way that is easy to understand (and that'll also have you googling to learn more!).
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A very straightforward and downright spare account of the massive nuclear meltdown in Chernobyl. The author states early in the prologue that he wrote this book for his own sake, since there were very few accounts of the disaster. He researched the events leading up to the accident, the event itself, and the cleanup efforts, such as they are. He even took a trip to the location of the remains of the power plant to see and record what remains in the area.
I recommend this book to those who are interested in the accident and the response, or lack thereof, of the Soviet Union. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Andrew Leatherbarrow’s Chernobyl 01:23:40: The Incredible True Story of the World’s Worst Nuclear Disaster is an excellent starting point for readers new to the history of nuclear power. When I’m at home, I am just barely outside the fallout range for Arkansas Nuclear One (ANO). While I’m at work, I’m in the reactor’s back yard. As a result, I figured there was no better time to learn a thing or two about nuclear energy. I was not disappointed.
Chernobyl 01:23:40 is the product of a spontaneous trip Leatherbarrow took to visit the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and Pripyat. In this book, he details his experience in Chernobyl, explains nuclear energy in easy to grasp terms, and discusses the incidents leading up to and after the disaster. For those that know little to nothing about nuclear energy, this book is a must-read.
Despite our close proximity to ANO, I cannot recall learning about nuclear energy. As children, our teachers explained what to do in case of an incident at the plant and nothing else. As expected, due to lack of education about reactors and their failsafes, I grew up with an unnecessary fear of ANO. For this reason, I am grateful for Leatherbarrow’s book. What happened at Chernobyl is the product of failure to follow protocol; it is also the result of improper training. Because there are so many safety precautions, the chance of incident is actually fairly small. (Also, ANO is not an RBMK-1000 reactor like Chernobyl.)
In addition to this fear, I have a vested interest in Chernobyl. It’s haunting photos, like all ghost towns, leave me in awe. There is no doubt in my mind that Leatherbarrow spent a long time conducting research. Using various sources, he has crafted a detailed narrative of what happened at Chernobyl. His book also gives voice to some of the reactor’s victims.
Nuclear energy is dangerous. I will not deny that. However, it is also our cleanest resource. While Chernobyl 01:23:40 is only a glimpse into the world of nuclear power, it is a truly eye-opening account brimming with facts.