Voices From Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster
On April 26, 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident contaminated as much as three quarters of Europe. Voices from Chernobyl is the first book to present personal accounts of the tragedy. Journalist Svetlana Alexievich interviewed hundreds of people affected by the meltdown--from innocent citizens to firefighters to those called in to clean up the disaster--and their stories reveal the fear, anger, and uncertainty with which they still live. Composed of interviews in monologue form, Voices from Chernobyl is a crucially important work of immense force, unforgettable in its emotional power and honesty and a National Book Critics Circle Award winner.
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Community Reviews
While the book offers invaluable insights into the personal experiences of those affected by the Chernobyl disaster, it leans more towards being a historical and biographical narrative rather than a strictly scientific or informative account. It's important to know that some of the initial beliefs regarding radiation and contamination depicted in the book are outdated and downright wrong, given recent scientific advancements. So it's best approached as a history and biography book rather than a comprehensive scientific analysis.
As for people on the GR reviews getting upset about others (the regular people who were interviewed) not understanding the dangers of radiation, it's important to remember the circumstances. firstly, there was a lack of information about the disaster and the gov was hush hush about it and lastly even experts were uncertain about the risks, protection measures, mitigation strategies and even the theoretical details. So it's understandable why many normal people were "ignorant"
4/5
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