Shockwave: Countdown to Hiroshima - Softcover

Walker, Stephen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0060742852 ISBN 13: 9780060742850

Publisher: Harper Perennial, 2006

Synopsis

A riveting, minute-by-minute account of the momentous event that changed our world forever

On a quiet Monday morning in August 1945, a five-ton bomb--dubbed Little Boy by its creators--was dropped from an American plane onto the Japanese city of Hiroshima. On that day, a firestorm of previously unimagined power was unleashed on a vibrant metropolis of 300,000 people, leaving one third of its population dead, its buildings and landmarks incinerated. It was the terrifying dawn of the Atomic Age, spawning decades of paranoia, mistrust, and a widespread and very real fear of the potential annihilation of the human race.

Author Stephen Walker brilliantly re-creates the three terrible weeks leading up to the wartime detonation of the atomic bomb--from the first successful test in the New Mexico desert to the cataclysm and its aftermath--presenting the story through the eyes of pilots, scientists, civilian victims, and world leaders who stood at the center of earth-shattering drama. It is a startling, moving, frightening, and remarkable portrait of an extraordinary event--a shockwave whose repercussions can be felt to this very day.

About this title

Review:

"Gripping...takes us back to 1945, allowing readers to appreciate the spectacular scientific effort that created this tool of doom."--Raleigh News & Observer

"Superb. . . . Walker writes with a sense of urgency and high drama . . . engrossing [and] saddening."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Electrifying . . .The tension and concentration of Walker's thriller-like prose elicits a visceral response."--Chicago Tribune

"Like John Hersey's HIROSHIMA, SHOCKWAVE brings to life one of history's most profound events. Don't miss it."--Arizona Republic

"Shockwave is a stunning book, among the most immediate and thrilling works of history I have ever read."--Irish Times

"Dramatic ... an important page-turner ... admirably evenhanded and smoothly written."--Entertainment Weekly (Grade: A-)

"A meticulous, emotionally devastating portrait of both sides ... [Walker] creates an arresting feeling of suspense."--Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"Highly recommended ... [Walker] lends a rapid pace and cinematic air to the narrative."--Library Journal

"Walker takes readers on a roller-coaster ride ... invite[s] comparison with John Hersey's still-classic Hiroshima."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Uniquely readable, immediate, and human . . . an exceptionally taut and revealing chronicle."--Booklist (starred review)

Book Description:

The countdown to Hiroshima and its horrific aftermath seen through the eyes of eyewitnesses

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0060742852
• ISBN 13: 9780060742850
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 400